Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life by Marta McDowell

Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life by Marta McDowell

The subtitle to the book is The Plants and Places That Inspired the Iconic Poet.

I love what Tovah Martin says about this book:

“In these pages, you are beside Emily Dickinson’s elbow—feeling the dense heat of summer, learning the skills of an ultra-observant plantswoman, finding the poetry in nature.” 

Emily Dickinson was a keen observer of the natural world. Still less well-known is the fact that she was also an avid gardener. She sent fresh bouquets to friends, pressed flowers in her letters, and studied botany at Amherst Academy and Mount Holyoke. She tended a small glass conservatory and a flower garden at her family home.

The author, Marta McDowell, traces a year in her garden, and the book reveals details few know about Dickinson.

Marta masterfully weaves Dickinson’s poems, excerpts from letters, contemporary and historical photography, and botanical art. And McDowell gives an enchanting new perspective on one of America’s most celebrated but enigmatic literary figures: Emily Dickinson.

Marta McDowell lives, gardens, and writes in Chatham, New Jersey. She consults for public gardens and private clients, writes, and lectures on gardening topics. She teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden, where she studied landscape design.

Her particular interest is in authors and their gardens, the connection between the pen and the trowel.

You can get a used copy of Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life by Marta McDowell and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for under $5.