Gertrude Jekyll was an influential British garden designer, writer, and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the UK, Europe and the USA and contributed over 1,000 articles to Country Life, The Garden and other magazines.
This is the kind of book to dip into rather than read straight through. I've been reading two or three chapters a day. Jekyll shares her thoughts on everything from house design to the best plants for dry soils, via articles on potpourri making, spring walks and pet cats! This book has really deepened my appreciation for Jekyll as a person, not just a garden designer. She was clearly a woman of many talents, thoughtful, intelligent and kindly too. I loved her description of the 'cats' tea party' she arranged to entertain a small niece. She must have been a wonderful auntie, although I expect she didn't have much patience with fools!
A fun look into English gardening a century ago. The author has no qualms about sharing her strong opinions about certain plants and planting methods. I really liked her idea that certain places need certain plants. She also likes to see large swaths planted in the same plant. The chapter on her cats was delightful!