The Writer’s Garden by Jackie Bennett
As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast:
The Writer's Garden by Jackie Bennett
This book came out in 2014, and the subtitle is How Gardens Inspired Our Best-loved Authors.
Jackie's book features 18 gardens and 20 writers; the author reveals how the gardens were tended and enjoyed.
Ever wonder where Jane Austen strolled for inspiration, or how Roald Dahl conjured the fantastical world of James and the Giant Peach?
Buckle up, bookworms and garden gnomes, because The Writer's Garden by Jackie Bennett is about to spill the verdant tea!
This book is more than just a collection of pretty pictures (though, let's be honest, the photos by Richard Hanson are swoon-worthy!). It's a gossip rag for literary giants, a peek behind the meticulously manicured hedges of their creative havens.
Imagine:
- Unraveling the mysteries of Beatrix Potter's Hill Top, where the magic of Peter Rabbit was born, nestled amidst blooming wisteria.
- Strolling through the whimsical pathways of Edward James' Las Pozas, a Mexican wonderland of concrete pillars and surreal sculptures that would make Alice in Wonderland blush.
- Discovering the secrets hidden within the gardens of Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and Roald Dahl – the very landscapes that nurtured some of literature's most beloved characters!
The Writer's Garden isn't just about dirt and daisies. It's about the symphony of nature that fueled the imaginations of literary titans.
Think of it as a behind-the-garden tell-all that reveals how a writer's garden mirrored their soul, a place for quiet contemplation or a flamboyant display of success.
But wait, there's more! This book is a travelogue for the bibliophile. Each page whisks you away to a different author's sanctuary, leaving you itching to pack your bags and explore these literary paradises for yourself.
The book highlights the gardens of:
- Jane Austen at Godmersham and Chawton
- Rupert Brooke at Grantchester
- John Ruskin at Brantwood
- Agatha Christie at Greenway
- Beatrix Potter at HillTop
- Roald Dahl at Gipsy House
- Charles Dickens at Gad's Hill Place
- Virginia Woolf at Monk's House
- Winston Churchill at Chartwell
- Laurence Sterne at Shandy Hall
- George Bernard Shaw at Shaw's Corner
- Ted Hughes at Lumb Bank
- Henry James followed by E.F. Benson at Lamb House
- John Clare at Helpston
- Thomas Hardy at Hardy's Cottage and Max Gate
- Robert Burns at Ellisland
- William Wordsworth at Cockermouth and Grasmere
- Walter Scott at Abbotsford
- Rudyard Kipling at Bateman's
SI HORTUM IN HORTORIA PODCASTA IN BIBLIOTEHCA HABES, NIHIL DEERIT.