Changes in political and social attitudes attributable to a calling into question of private ownership of large -- and often, less than large -- stretches of land (statistics provided in the text) have brought about taxation laws which added to inflation, combine with the lack of skilled paid labor and changes in land values and usage, to make the maintenance of gardens an impossibility. Many owners can no longer meet rising costs: they must sell, reduce the size of their holdings or drastically modify them. When private charitable trusts can be formed, some horticulturally, botanically, or historically important gardens may be preserved in the short to long term. A few gardens periodically opened to the public are financed by covenants on taxed incomes. These modalities are discussed. Various other solutions adopted are based on a commercial arrangement: fairs, animal parks, steam trains, nurseries. (Alternatives to private ownership are to be discussed in a subsequent issue of <i>Country life* 1. ) -- AATA