Adventures of a Gardener by Peter Smithers

Adventures of a Gardener by Peter Smithers

Sir Peter Smithers was a British politician, diplomat, and award-winning gardener. He worked as a British spy during World War II and is said to have inspired the fictional character of James Bond.

His obituary stated that:

"Flowers were ... important to him. [He said] “I regard gardening and planting as the other half of life, a counterpoint to the rough and tumble of politics."

Smithers learned to love the natural world from his nanny.

It was when he was in his 50s that Smithers was finally able to focus on horticulture and botany full-time.

Smithers loved rhododendrons, magnolias, tree peonies, lilies, and wisteria. He developed a garden that didn't require a ton of work - along the same lines as Ruth Stout.

He wrote:

“The garden is planted so as to reduce labor to an absolute minimum as the owner grows older.”

Today's book was the brainchild of the RHS - who asked Smithers to write his gardening memoirs.

Thanks to Smither's travels, he had observed gardens in England, Mexico, Central America, and Switzerland. And Smither's followed certain principles to help ground him as he pursued the gardening hobby.  He wrote:

"It shall be a source of pleasure to the owner and his friends, not a burden and anxiety." 

This book is part autobiography and part garden book.

Smithers shares stories from his incredible career, such as when he served in naval intelligence in Washington when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

George Coen commented,

"He's as comfortable talking about [his career] as he is in explaining the behavior of wasps in a flower garden."

This book came out in 1996. It's considered somewhat rare.

You can get a used copy of Adventures of a Gardener by Peter Smithers and support the show, using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for as low as $13.