Monty Don's My Garden World looks at plants, yes, but also at the wider natural world, both in his garden and on his farm. His observations and recollections are always informative, beautifully shaped, and speak of his broad knowledge of and sensitivity to his environment.
In Unearthing The Secret Garden: The Plants & Places that inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett, Marta McDowell looks at Mrs. Burnett's own gardens, most notably at Maytham Hall in Kent, which served as inspiration for her most famous book. Her similar work on Beatrix Potter is well worth a read, too.
Anne Sebba's biography Laura Ashley: A Life by Design is a fascinating portrait of the very private and self-contained person behind the brand, the ethos and creative impulses which shaped it, and of the energy and inventiveness of her husband which drove so much expansion.
Continuing the theme, Emma Bridgewater's scrapbook of a memoir, Toast & Marmalade, is a charming look at another creative life and at what is at its heart, and thus explains why people love her designs as they do.
What a delightful collection. I’ve read two already- Monty Don and Emma Bridgewater; the other two are calling. Especially Frances Hodgson Burnett as Great Maytham Hall is local to me.
Posted by: Fran H-B | 31 May 2022 at 05:51 AM
Thank you for showing this delightful selection. So many wonderful reads, oh for more time!
Posted by: Kathleen | 31 May 2022 at 08:34 PM
Oh for more time to read all the delightful titles you give us!
Posted by: Kathleen | 31 May 2022 at 08:37 PM