Reviews
"Horticulturalist McDowell tells of famed children's author Beatrix Potter's magnificent garden on Hill Top Farm, in England. Filled with vivid descriptions, photographs, maps, illustrations, and quotes from Potter, this book details the landscape that provided inspiration for some of the most well-known childhood tales of all time." , In this visually charming book, McDowell takes us from her childhood summers in the country to her adult homes and gardens., Illustrated throughout with Potter's charming watercolors and historic photographs, this book is a delightful exploration of the landscape that inspired one of the world's great authors... about as charming as a garden book can be., McDowell leads her readers on a virtual tour of the gardens that were important in Potter's life and provides season-by-season descriptions of the flowered landscapes the author created at Hill Top Farm and Castle Cottage., "A beautiful book that gives a strong sense of the strong and practical woman that Potter was. Nearly every page has a photograph or delicate painting from one of her books... a visual feast." , This is not an historical novel with a plot, but neither is it a mere documentary of facts. It is the perfect blend of both., The first book to explore Beatrix Potter's garden and how it influenced her children's stories... A great gift book for old and new fans alike., McDowell brings to light a delightfully different side of the celebrated author... The book recounts Potter's life through a gardening lens and is copiously illustrated with her sketches and watercolors of plants., Gardening lovers and children's literature lovers alike will find beauty in these pages of photographs and stories about Beatrix Potter and her characters and flowers., You may well want to buy a copy to keep and several to give friends... the book is a visual delight., Illustrated on every page with scenes from Potter's life and her botanical illustrations... If you love gardening, you will love this book., "Stir your imagination. . . . a biography written through plants." -- The New York Times Book Review "With wit and expertise, McDowell highlights the stamp of Potter's horticultural know-how on her indelible books and chronicles a year in her exuberant gardens to create a visually exciting, pleasurably informative appreciation of Potter's devotion to art and nature." -- Booklist "A loving portrait." -- Better Homes and Gardens "You will be charmed by this book." -- Gardens Illustrated "A richly illustrated exploration of Beatrix Potter's evolution as an author-illustrator, gardener, sheep farmer and land preservationist." -- Shelf Awareness "Rarely does a gardening book blend such a rich love of nature, literature, home, and the magic of growing so beautifully. If you have a gardener in your life, this is the perfect holiday gift." -- Encore "In her new book, Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life , Marta McDowell expands our knowledge of Miss Potter horticultural expertise and background, explaining what she grew and where. There are photographs here that I have never seen before of Beatrix and her gardens, and delicious watercolors of rose hips and violets, clematis and honeysuckle, snapdragons and waterlilies--with and without rabbits, frogs and guileless ducks." -- The Telegraph "A volume rich with photographs and Potter's own enchanting sketches and watercolors." -- The Chicago Tribune "McDowell brings to light a delightfully different side of the celebrated author. . . . The book recounts Potter's life through a gardening lens and is copiously illustrated with her sketches and watercolors of plants." -- American Gardener "McDowell's book is beautiful in every way. The fascinating narrative is liberally illustrated with both photographs and Potter's original artwork, which includes botanical prints and paintings of gardens in addition to her iconic collection of children's illustrations." -- Cape Codder "This is not an historical novel with a plot, but neither is it a mere documentary of facts. It is the perfect blend of both." -- Alaska Airlines Magazine "You may well want to buy a copy to keep and several to give friends. . . . McDowell's well-researched book (including plant lists) is nearly as good as a visit to the farm. From a watercolor of Jemima Puddle-duck hiding from a fox among the foxgloves, to sepia photos of Potter strolling the garden paths on a frosty morning, the book is a visual delight." -- The Seattle Times, Brings the reader into the life of the beloved author and illustrator... chock-full of wonderful photographs of Potter and her gardens... a book to banish winter blues., McDowell traces the journey of Potter the gardener, which is inextricable linked to Potter the writer... A fascinating insight into how Potter's writing and passion for plants (she experimented with a wide variety of species and was a prodigious propagator) fed each other., A richly illustrated exploration of Beatrix Potter's evolution as an author-illustrator, gardener, sheep farmer and land preservationist., Gardeners brought up on the mishaps of Peter Rabbit can now curl up with Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life ... This work brings Potter, as much as her garden, to life, as an energetic, sturdy soul with an uncanny understanding of animals.
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Synopsis
A New York Times Bestseller Winner of the Garden Writers Association Gold Award There aren't many books more beloved than The Tale of Peter Rabbit and even fewer authors as iconic as Beatrix Potter. Her characters--Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle Duck, and all the rest--exist in a charmed world filled with flowers and gardens. In Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life , bestselling author Marta McDowell explores the origins of Beatrix Potter's love of gardening and plants and shows how this passion came to be reflected in her work. The book begins with a gardener's biography, highlighting the key moments and places throughout her life that helped define her. Next, follow Beatrix Potter through a year in her garden, with a season-by-season overview of what is blooming that truly brings her gardens alive. The book culminates in a traveler's guide, with information on how and where to visit Potter's gardens today., Richly illustrated and filled with quotations from her books, letters, and journals, Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life is essential reading for all who know and cherish Beatrix Potter and her classic tales., A New York Times Bestseller There aren't many books more beloved than The Tale of Peter Rabbit and even fewer authors as iconic as Beatrix Potter. Her characters--Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle Duck, and all the rest--exist in a charmed world filled with flowers and gardens. In Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life , bestselling author Marta McDowell explores the origins of Beatrix Potter's love of gardening and plants and shows how this passion came to be reflected in her work. The book begins with a gardener's biography, highlighting the key moments and places throughout her life that helped define her. Next, follow Beatrix Potter through a year in her garden, with a season-by-season overview of what is blooming that truly brings her gardens alive. The book culminates in a traveler's guide, with information on how and where to visit Potter's gardens today.
