James Bartos was awarded a PhD in Garden History from Bristol University in 2014. He has published in the journals Garden History and Die Gartenkunst. From 2015–2020 he was Chairman of the Gardens Trust, a national charity devoted to the conservation of historic parks and gardens in England. Over the past 25 years, he has created a new garden in Dorset.
"‘James Bartos, a proper garden historian, leads us along these sanded [wilderness] paths. He has done his homework and discusses various types of wilderness, accompanied by the plans and bird’s eye views that make the study of past gardens such a pleasure … there remain places where we can still experience them, now armed with fresh understanding thanks to this excellent book.’ Steven Desmond, Country Life “A poignant read that details how the concept of wilderness helped shape the formal English garden during the 17th and 18th centuries."" Gardens Illustrated ‘For inspiration on wilderness layout, read The Ornamental Wilderness in the English Garden by James Bartos, a scholarly work crammed with maps, plans and bird’s-eye views of historical wildernesses.’ Tilly Ware, Country Life “This handsome and well-illustrated volume offers a detailed appraisal of the ornamental wilderness in England, principally from c.1680 to 1750. This is the first book-length treatment of the wilderness as an important garden feature and presents a highly readable and detailed account of their evolution and eventual decline. … This is a rich and engaging study, which has much to offer garden, landscape and environmental historians as well as the general reader.” Garden History"