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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 · 5,161 ratings · 1,082 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 — 1,618 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 — 1,270 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 4.22 avg rating — 653 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 4.21 avg rating — 520 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 3.47 avg rating — 605 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 — 360 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 4.04 avg rating — 57 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 4.43 avg rating — 7 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
	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
	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

More books by Marta McDowell…

Marta is Currently Reading

Marta McDowell is currently reading

Two-Step Devil

by Jamie Quatro (Goodreads Author)

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Mar 30, 2026 02:52PM

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Venetian Vespers

by John Banville

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Mar 24, 2026 06:14PM

Marta McDowell is currently reading

Five Tuesdays in Winter

by Lily King (Goodreads Author)

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Mar 24, 2026 06:05PM

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Marta McDowell rated a book really liked it A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst	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 McDowell finished reading Culpability by Bruce Holsinger (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
Apr 07, 2026 06:14PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Culpability by Bruce Holsinger. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Culpability by Bruce Holsinger <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell is currently reading Culpability by Bruce Holsinger (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
Apr 05, 2026 05:40PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Culpability by Bruce Holsinger. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Culpability by Bruce Holsinger <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell is currently reading Two-Step Devil by Jamie Quatro (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
Mar 30, 2026 02:52PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Two-Step Devil by Jamie Quatro. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Two-Step Devil by Jamie Quatro <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell is currently reading Venetian Vespers 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
Mar 24, 2026 06:14PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Venetian Vespers by John Banville. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Venetian Vespers by John Banville <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell is currently reading Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King (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
Mar 24, 2026 06:05PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell is currently reading The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller	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
Mar 14, 2026 06:58PM · 1 like · like
Marta McDowell is currently reading The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim	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
Feb 28, 2026 07:34AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Marta McDowell is currently reading A New Leaf and Other Stories by Jack Ritchie	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
Feb 20, 2026 12:19PM · like
Marta McDowell rated a book it was ok The Magic Garden. Illustrated by Gene Stratton-Porter	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
Feb 13, 2026 07:47PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Magic Garden. Illustrated by Gene Stratton-Porter. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Magic Garden. Illustrated by Gene Stratton-Porter <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

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	512	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	379	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	312	May 31, 2020 09:01PM
The Seasonal Read...: * Summer Challenge 2020: Tasks	14	608	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

487 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 (238)

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Marta McDowell

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Marta McDowell’s Followers (238)

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