A Gentle Plea for Chaos by Mirabel Osler
As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast:
A Gentle Plea for Chaos by Mirabel Osler
This book came out in 2011, and the subtitle is Reflections from an English Garden.
Oh, my dears, have you ever found yourself ensnared in the tyranny of the trowel?
The compulsion to conform, to prune and perfect, to banish the unruly and the wild?
If so, I entreat you to cast aside your gardening gloves and pick up A Gentle Plea for Chaos by the inimitable Mirabel Osler.
This delightful tome is a botanical balm for the soul, a whimsical journey through the labyrinthine world of gardens and the gardeners who tend them. Mirabel, with her lyrical prose and infectious enthusiasm, invites us to embrace the chaos, to let nature run wild, and to find joy in the unexpected.
As she guides us through her own evolving garden, Mirabel reveals the alchemy of nature, the dance between order and disorder.
She celebrates the eccentric plant collectors, the meticulous illustrators, and the philosophical gardeners who have shaped our understanding of horticulture.
But this is no dry treatise on botany. Mirabel's wit and wisdom shine through on every page, making A Gentle Plea for Chaos as entertaining as it is informative. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or simply someone who appreciates the beauty of nature, this book will delight and inspire you.
So, let go of your preconceived notions of perfection.
Toss aside your carefully laid plans.
And allow yourself to be swept away by the enchanting world of Mirabel's garden.
You may just discover a newfound appreciation for the beauty of chaos.
When Penelope Hobhouse reviewed this book, she said,
"Like no other writer, Osler captures the pure in enchantment of gardening."
Mirabel wrote,
Garden concepts are threaded through centuries:
we pull on them as on a string, not knowing from where our inspiration germinated,
only that we each gather up different threads to form whatever pleases us.
SI HORTUM IN HORTORIA PODCASTA IN BIBLIOTEHCA HABES, NIHIL DEERIT.