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288 ratings | 63 reviews | avg rating:3.89

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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: 4.09 · 5,336 ratings · 1,133 reviews · 19 distinct works • Similar authors

	Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children's Tales 4.25 avg rating — 1,645 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 — 1,303 ratings — published 2017 — 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
	Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Iconic Poet 4.21 avg rating — 677 ratings — published 2019 — 6 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 4.22 avg rating — 539 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 — 630 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 4.07 avg rating — 368 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 — 58 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
	Beatrix Potter’s Botanical: The Art of Flowers and Fungi 4.59 avg rating — 39 ratings — 2 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 4.40 avg rating — 5 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) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 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 Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Illustrated)

by L. Frank Baum

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Aug 31, 2026 06:56AM

Marta McDowell is currently reading

The Collected Works of Horace Walpole: PergamonMedia

by Horace Walpole

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Aug 21, 2026 11:39AM

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Twelve Caesars: Images of Power from the Ancient World to the Modern (The A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts Book 74)

by Mary Beard

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Jul 17, 2026 06:31PM

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Marta’s Recent Updates

Marta McDowell rated a book really liked it John of John by Douglas Stuart (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
Sep 06, 2026 05:48AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of John of John by Douglas Stuart. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — John of John by Douglas Stuart <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell is currently reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Illustrated) by L. Frank Baum	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
Aug 31, 2026 06:56AM · 1 like · like
Marta McDowell rated a book liked it The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (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
Aug 30, 2026 10:44AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell rated a book really liked it Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (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
Aug 30, 2026 10:44AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell rated a book really liked it Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy	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
Aug 30, 2026 10:42AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell wants to read Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy	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
Aug 30, 2026 10:42AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell finished reading Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Fiction	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
Aug 30, 2026 10:42AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell rated a book liked it The Antidote by Karen Russell (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
Aug 28, 2026 09:44AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Antidote by Karen Russell. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Antidote by Karen Russell <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell rated a book liked it Death in Brittany (Commissaire Dupin, #1) by Jean-Luc Bannalec	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
Aug 28, 2026 09:44AM · 1 like · like
Marta McDowell rated a book really liked it Country People by Daniel Mason (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
Aug 28, 2026 09:43AM · like

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

1 likes

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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	514	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	381	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	313	May 31, 2020 09:01PM
The Seasonal Read...: * Summer Challenge 2020: Tasks	14	609	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

Marta McDowell’s Followers (245)

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Marta McDowell

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Marta McDowell’s Followers (245)

Marta McDowell

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See a Problem?

Preview — John of John by Douglas Stuart

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Preview — The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

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Preview — Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

See a Problem?

Preview — Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

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Preview — Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

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Preview — Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

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