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Marta McDowell

Goodreads Author

Born

in Palo Alto, California, The United States

Website

http://www.martamcdowell.com

Twitter

martamcdowell

Genre

Gardening, Biography, History

Member Since

February 2013

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I live, garden and write in Chatham, New Jersey where I share my garden with my husband, Kirke, assorted wildlife and approximately 10,000 honey bees. You will often find me at the New York Botanical Garden, where I teach landscape history and gardening courses. My new book, All the Presidents' Gardens, is coming out from Timber Press in October 2016. (I'm excited!) When I'm not gardening I like to read and knit and cook and eat, though not all at the same time.

My husband, Kirke, summarizes my biography as “I am therefore I dig.” ...more

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Marta McDowell’s books

Average rating: 4.08 · 5,042 ratings · 1,059 reviews · 16 distinct works • Similar authors

	Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children's Tales 4.25 avg rating — 1,586 ratings — published 2013 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books 4.03 avg rating — 1,256 ratings — published 2017	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Iconic Poet 4.21 avg rating — 640 ratings — published 2019 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Unearthing The Secret Garden: The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett 4.21 avg rating — 503 ratings — published 2021 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gardening Can Be Murder 3.46 avg rating — 573 ratings — published 2023 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	All the Presidents' Gardens: Madison’s Cabbages to Kennedy’s Roses―How the White House Grounds Have Grown with America 4.06 avg rating — 358 ratings — published 2016 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Emily Dickinson's Gardens: A Celebration of a Poet and Gardener 4.02 avg rating — 56 ratings — published 2004 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Healing Plants: From Elizabeth Blackwell's A Curious Herbal 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder Lib/E: The Frontier Landscapes That Inspired the Little House Books by Marta McDowell (Goodreads Author), Donna Postel (Reader) 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Looking for Peter Rabbit: Miss Potter And Her Botanic Garden 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Marta is Currently Reading

Marta McDowell is currently reading

The Friend

by Sigrid Nunez

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Jan 12, 2026 07:04PM

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April in Spain (Quirke, #8)

by John Banville

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Jan 03, 2026 07:11PM

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The Wizard of Oz (BFI Film Classics)

by Salman Rushdie

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Jan 03, 2026 06:44PM

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Marta McDowell rated a book it was amazing The Character of Rain by Amélie Nothomb	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A strange and beautiful book.
Jan 21, 2026 03:50AM · like · see review
Marta McDowell is currently reading The Friend by Sigrid Nunez	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 12, 2026 07:04PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Friend by Sigrid Nunez. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Friend by Sigrid Nunez <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell rated a book liked it What We Can Know by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 04, 2026 12:37PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of What We Can Know by Ian McEwan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — What We Can Know by Ian McEwan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell is currently reading April in Spain (Quirke, #8) by John Banville	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 03, 2026 07:11PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of April in Spain by John Banville. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — April in Spain by John Banville <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell rated a book really liked it James by Percival Everett	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 03, 2026 06:48PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of James by Percival Everett. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — James by Percival Everett <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell rated a book really liked it Beatrix Potter's Letters by Beatrix Potter	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 03, 2026 06:48PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Beatrix Potter's Letters by Beatrix Potter. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Beatrix Potter's Letters by Beatrix Potter <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell rated a book liked it The Brontë Cabinet: Three Lives in Nine Objects by Deborah Lutz	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 03, 2026 06:47PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Brontë Cabinet by Deborah Lutz. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Brontë Cabinet by Deborah Lutz <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell finished reading Beatrix Potter's Letters by Beatrix Potter	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 03, 2026 06:47PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Beatrix Potter's Letters by Beatrix Potter. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Beatrix Potter's Letters by Beatrix Potter <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell rated a book really liked it Coraline by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 03, 2026 06:47PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Coraline by Neil Gaiman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell rated a book it was ok The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ Years Old by Hendrik Groen	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 03, 2026 06:47PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ Years Old by Hendrik Groen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ Years Old by Hendrik Groen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Marta's books…

Quotes by Marta McDowell (?)

“I am intrigued by writers who garden and gardeners who write. The pen and the trowel are not interchangeable, but seem often linked.”
― Marta McDowell

tags: gardening

13 likes

“Spring is that wonderful if somewhat delusional time for a gardener when the sap rises and everything seems possible.”
― Marta McDowell, Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children's Tales

tags: gardening

3 likes

“Since the late 1840s settlers used close-planted Osage orange trees along the borders of their farms, creating, as the thorny wood filled in over some years of trimming, a living fence “horse-high, bull-strong and hog-tight.” It was barbed wire in the days before barbed wire was invented.”
― Marta McDowell, The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
EVERYONE Has Read...: EHRTBM Winter Olympic Games 1/11-2/24	925	767	Feb 27, 2018 09:07AM
The Seasonal Read...: Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD	2368	510	Feb 28, 2018 09:03PM
LOTSA SPELL CHALL...: BOLO #2: Vehicle on the Cover (06.29.19 - 07.12.19)	30	17	Jul 12, 2019 07:04PM
Crazy Challenge C...: August 2019 Reading Recap	15	16	Sep 05, 2019 07:46PM
The Seasonal Read...: * Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD	3595	378	Feb 29, 2020 09:00PM
The Seasonal Read...: 20.5 - BIGGER IS BETTER – Bea's task: Spring Hobbies (Gardening and Birds)	97	92	May 25, 2020 07:44AM
The Seasonal Read...: * Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD	3410	311	May 31, 2020 09:01PM
The Seasonal Read...: * Summer Challenge 2020: Tasks	14	607	Jul 15, 2020 06:06AM

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Marta’s Quotes

“When I got [my] library card, that was when my life began.”
― Rita Mae Brown

tags: libraries, reading

486 likes

“I am intrigued by writers who garden and gardeners who write. The pen and the trowel are not interchangeable, but seem often linked.”
― Marta McDowell

tags: gardening

13 likes

“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.”
― Carl Reiner

tags: cold, freezing, snow, weather, winter

257 likes

“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.”
― Elizabeth Lawrence, Through the Garden Gate

tags: childhood

24 likes

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Marta’s Year In Books

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Marta McDowell’s Followers (233)

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