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Virginia Woolf's Garden: The Story of the Garden at Monk's House
A chronological account takes the reader through the key events in the lives of Virginia and Leonard Woolf, and their deaths. This is allied to an account of the garden and its development, and the creation and development of the key areas of the garden. A wonderful selection of full-colour contemporary photographs, archive photographs, illustrated maps and planting plans take the reader through the various garden ‘rooms’, including the Italian Garden, the Millstone garden, the Orchard, the Vegetable Garden, the Terrace, the Walled Garden, the Fishpond Garden and the Greenhouses and Conservatories. Throughout there are quotations from Virginia and Leonard’s diaries, giving a vivid account of their plans for, views on and activities in the garden.
195 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
July 7, 2015
Caroline Zoob was a National Trust tenant at Monks House for over ten years and helped to return the house and garden to its former glory. She has written a lovely garden book which includes details of Virginia and Leonard Woolf who lived at Monks House.
Beautiful photographs of the house and gardens, along with excerpts from Virginia's and Leonard's diaries and letters show how fundamental Monks House was to their lives. Sketches and planting plans add delightful interest for garden ideas. Virginia's journey across the garden every morning to her writing lodge became a necessary routine of preparation before settling into her writing. Monks House and its garden brought comfort and delight through bouts of illness and anxiety. It allowed them to escape from their busy literary careers to a safe and simple life.
Leonard was a gifted gardener. Starting as an amateur on arrival at Monks House he soon developed a passion for gardening. Leonard's life continued at their home after Virginia's death. He devoted much time to Virginia's legacy and he moved forward in his life. He immersed himself in gardening, friends, pets, painting and writing in the beautiful, tranquil atmosphere he created.
Beautiful photographs of the house and gardens, along with excerpts from Virginia's and Leonard's diaries and letters show how fundamental Monks House was to their lives. Sketches and planting plans add delightful interest for garden ideas. Virginia's journey across the garden every morning to her writing lodge became a necessary routine of preparation before settling into her writing. Monks House and its garden brought comfort and delight through bouts of illness and anxiety. It allowed them to escape from their busy literary careers to a safe and simple life.
Leonard was a gifted gardener. Starting as an amateur on arrival at Monks House he soon developed a passion for gardening. Leonard's life continued at their home after Virginia's death. He devoted much time to Virginia's legacy and he moved forward in his life. He immersed himself in gardening, friends, pets, painting and writing in the beautiful, tranquil atmosphere he created.
June 14, 2015
’Leonard and Virginia had no children: their books and their garden were their children’ (foreword, by Cecil Woolf, the Woolfs’ nephew).
More accurately perhaps, it was Leonard Woolf’s garden. Virginia would help pick pears or apples sometimes, or make jam and feed the goldfish, play bowls with Leonard in it or simply walk through it every morning when she went to her writing lodge. She used the garden. Leonard created it.
This book is a gorgeous garden book full of beautiful photos and descriptions of the garden. It is not the kind of garden(ing) book that gives you any practical advice. I don’t often read this sort of book from cover to cover but tend to browse in them, looking at the pictures (because the visual side of it is crucial in a gardening book) and studying practical suggestions when needed. This one I did read from one end to the other because there is a good balance between pictures and text and because it is a kind of garden biography, with lots of biographical details about the Woolfs as well.
I have quite a few garden books and have seen gardens that are more spectacular than this one, and so die-hard gardening experts might find the book a bit light. The same might be the case for die-hard fans of Virginia Woolf since there is quite a bit about the garden as it looks today and as Leonard cared for it for 18 years after Virginia’s death. However, as a lover of both gardens and Virginia Woolf, the book is wonderful. There are pictures of her green bedroom, of her and Leonard positioned around the garden, of her and Vita, of the view of the garden from their upstairs balcony (a stunning view!), of a couple of Vanessa’s pictures (Virginia’s sister, who was an artist), drawings of garden plans – and even embroidered garden plans (created by the author) as well as numerous photos of various trees, shrubs, flowers and paths around the garden. Inspiring despite the fact that Leonard’s tastes in colours and plants were often more exotic than mine.
It is a loving and respectful portrait of the Woolfs and a detailed and aesthetically pleasing book about the garden at Monk’s House near the village of Rodmell, Sussex, where I am definitely going on my next trip to Britain. (I have studied the map and realize I drove right past it a few years ago, not knowing what hidden treasures lay beyond the downs we passed. Oh well, I don’t need an excuse to return to England).
More accurately perhaps, it was Leonard Woolf’s garden. Virginia would help pick pears or apples sometimes, or make jam and feed the goldfish, play bowls with Leonard in it or simply walk through it every morning when she went to her writing lodge. She used the garden. Leonard created it.
This book is a gorgeous garden book full of beautiful photos and descriptions of the garden. It is not the kind of garden(ing) book that gives you any practical advice. I don’t often read this sort of book from cover to cover but tend to browse in them, looking at the pictures (because the visual side of it is crucial in a gardening book) and studying practical suggestions when needed. This one I did read from one end to the other because there is a good balance between pictures and text and because it is a kind of garden biography, with lots of biographical details about the Woolfs as well.
I have quite a few garden books and have seen gardens that are more spectacular than this one, and so die-hard gardening experts might find the book a bit light. The same might be the case for die-hard fans of Virginia Woolf since there is quite a bit about the garden as it looks today and as Leonard cared for it for 18 years after Virginia’s death. However, as a lover of both gardens and Virginia Woolf, the book is wonderful. There are pictures of her green bedroom, of her and Leonard positioned around the garden, of her and Vita, of the view of the garden from their upstairs balcony (a stunning view!), of a couple of Vanessa’s pictures (Virginia’s sister, who was an artist), drawings of garden plans – and even embroidered garden plans (created by the author) as well as numerous photos of various trees, shrubs, flowers and paths around the garden. Inspiring despite the fact that Leonard’s tastes in colours and plants were often more exotic than mine.
It is a loving and respectful portrait of the Woolfs and a detailed and aesthetically pleasing book about the garden at Monk’s House near the village of Rodmell, Sussex, where I am definitely going on my next trip to Britain. (I have studied the map and realize I drove right past it a few years ago, not knowing what hidden treasures lay beyond the downs we passed. Oh well, I don’t need an excuse to return to England).
February 5, 2020
A really beautiful book. If I was a gardener I would give it 5 stars but just as a person who loves to visit gardens this is a clear 4 star read.
What I loved most about the book was learning how much VW loved this house and garden which was a retreat and sanctuary to her.
"garden has been such a miracle...such a blaze (of colour)...that even today one feel's lit up'
'We are safe in our garden'
She liked to bake bread and make jam, and send flowers and produce from their garden and orchard to family and friends.
What I loved most about the book was learning how much VW loved this house and garden which was a retreat and sanctuary to her.
"garden has been such a miracle...such a blaze (of colour)...that even today one feel's lit up'
'We are safe in our garden'
She liked to bake bread and make jam, and send flowers and produce from their garden and orchard to family and friends.
April 22, 2023
crying screaming obthe floor why can't I have a garden like this
But yeah there are a lot of amazing plant and flower photos to look at + history of Monk's House which is cool
But yeah there are a lot of amazing plant and flower photos to look at + history of Monk's House which is cool
April 4, 2018
Ærgerligt, at den danske udgave af ‘Virginia Woolfs have’ ikke lader sig finde på Goodreads, for den er sjældent smuk. På smudsomslaget i tykt mat papir, som er holdt i douce grønne toner, afbildes på forsiden en hytte i en have. Ind over havebilledet er lagt et packshot i form af G.C. Beresfords ikoniske portræt af Virginia Woolf, der markerer hendes tilhørsforhold til hytten. På bagsiden af smudsomslaget er perspektivet vendt om, idet vi fra VW’s skrivebord i hytten har udsyn til den frodigt grønne have gennem en åben dør.
Den meget store have omtales tit som et stykke patchwork, fordi den er opbygget i forskellige afdelinger: den italienske have, møllestensterrassen, blomsterstien, murhaven, haven med figentræet, haven med fiskedammen, frugthaven, køkkenhaven, plænen til Lawn Bowling m.m. Denne patchwork-opbygning har inspireret til udsmykningen af bogens første og sidste opslag, der er en collage af gamle brune fotos vekslende med farverige closeups af blomster, leveret af Caroline Arber, pastelfarvede haveakvareller, leveret af Lorna Brown, og broderede oversigter over havens opbygning, leveret af bogens forfatter, Caroline Zoob. Dét med broderierne kan umiddelbart lyde en anelse corny, men såvel disse som de afdæmpede akvareller fungerer som en fin afveksling i forhold til de blændende, farverige fotografier, som bogen er så rig på.
Indholdsmæssigt køres der i to spor. Det ene spor er en biografi over the Woolfs liv, fra de i 1919 køber det primitive landhus Monk’s House i Rodmell, Sussex. Caroline Zoobs tekst er efter sigende inspireret af ægteparrets egne breve og dagbøger, men hun læner sig også op ad en bred vifte af sekundærlitteratur skrevet af andre. Det andet og fyldigste spor er en historisk beskrivelse af havens udvikling, herunder en præsentation af utallige planter. Så vidt jeg som lægmand kan vurdere, kører dette stof på et semi-professionelt niveau.
Virginia begår selvmord i 1941, og Leonard bliver boende i huset til sin død i 1969. Herefter følger hhv. en forfaldsperiode og en restaureringsperiode, inden den nye ejer, National Trust, åbner ejendommen for betalende gæster i 1982. Publikum har ikke adgang til 1. sal i huset, som bebos af skiftende lejere, der er forpligtet på selv at passe haven – under tilsyn af Trustens haveekspert og med ugentlig assistance af en professionel gartner. Gartneren samt diverse planteindkøb finansieres af lejerne, som fra 2000 til 2011 er Caroline Zoob og hendes mand. Ud over at være broderi- og indretningsekspert er Zoob uddannet operasanger og advokat, mens hendes haveerfaring er yderst begrænset. Der er imidlertid god hjælp at hente i Leonard Woolfs annaler, idet han fører logbog over alt mht. bestand, fremtidsplaner og indkøb.
Men inden jeg går videre ad denne positive tråd, bliver jeg nødt til at indskyde en karakteristik af Woolf, som stammer fra en anden kilde, nemlig Alison Light, der har skrevet biografien ’Mrs. Woolf & the Servants’. Denne omhandler mestendels de 'krige', som Virginia uafladeligt udkæmper med tjenerstaben, men hendes bedre halvdel har også lidt af et generalieblad hos Alison Light. Forhistorien er, at Leonard Woolf i sin ungdom er politisk aktiv inden for det socialistiske Fabian Society, og han fortsætter igennem årene med at arbejde for partiet Labour. Woolf er – ligeledes i sin ungdom – udstationeret som tjenestemand i Ceylon, hvilket efter sigende gør ham til anti-imperialist, men i hans senere livsforløb er der elementer, der snarere giver mindelser om en koloniherre end om en socialist.
I 1912 gifter han sig under en orlov med Virginia, hvis skribentvirksomhed herefter tager form af et egentligt forfatterskab, der i løbet af 1920’erne kaster så mange penge af sig, at Monk’s House bliver gennemgribende renoveret. I 1930’erne vokser velstanden, hvilket også aflæses i haven, der primært er Leonards domæne. Haven udvikler sig til et eldorado, hvis frodighed optimeres via drivhuse med eksotiske planter, som giver mindelser om Ceylon. Hverken huset eller haven bliver passet alene ved ejernes indsats, men efter mange års krige med de tjenestefolk, der bor hos dem, klarer Virginia og Leonard sig nu med en hushjælp og en gartner, der møder op alle ugens dage, men som bor sammen med deres egne familier i Leonards opfindelse: ‘Monk’s House Cottages’. Han har købt to hytter i landsbyen, men disse er ikke blevet renoveret i takt med hovedhuset, så frem til 2. verdenskrig er de fugtige og kolde hytter, der huser to familier med i alt fem børn, uden varmt vand, badeværelse eller vandkloset. Der er udendørs das.
I tiåret frem til sin død i 1969 skriver Leonard på en selvbiografi. Set med moderne øjne stikker det ud, at Leonard så sent som i de antiautoritære 1960’ere taler ned til tjenestefolkene ved udelukkende at kalde dem ved fornavn, mens han selv er Mr. Woolf over for dem. End ikke i hans Index bevilges de så megen civilstatus, at de er udstyret med et efternavn. Percy Bartholomew arbejder som Leonards gartner syv dage ugentlig i 25 år (i tre drivhuse skal der dagligt fyldes brændsel på kedlerne kl. 6.30 og 22.30, også i weekenderne), men alligevel optræder han kun som Percy i selvbiografien, hvilket hans søn bliver rasende over. Nogle gange omtales han endog blot ved sin funktion: ”my gardener who lived in my cottage and cultivated my garden for twenty-five years”. Endnu værre står det dog til, hvis vi går helt tilbage til dengang, Leonard indgår aftale om hytterne og vil ”make arrangements for my man to go into the cottage”. Dette feudale tonefald afstedkommer megen moro i Virginias dagbog: ”Percy is our man!” Vi andre noterer os med ironisk tilfredshed, at Leonard i det mindste omtaler Percy som ”man” og ikke som ”boy”, for så ville vi jo være helt tilbage i de amerikanske sydstater!
Som enhver kan høre af min gengivelse, tager Alison Light parti for tjenestefolkene imod herskabet. Caroline Zoob har også læst Lights biografi, men holder sig fri af problemstillingen. Og så alligevel ikke: Uden på nogen måde at desavouere Leonard Woolf, hvis store indsats som idemand og havearkitekt, hun beundrer, sørger hun indirekte for at få rettet lidt op på krediteringen mht. det store arbejde, der er lagt i Woolfs have. Mindst 18 gange nævner hun Percy Bartholomew samt hans børn, Jim og Marie, enten ved deres fulde navn eller ved fornavn, når dette er naturligt. Om Marie eksempelvis: ”Percys datter Marie husker, hvordan hun lå på alle fire i timevis for at fjerne ukrudt fra gangene med en sløv kniv”. Her tales der om de karakteristiske murstensgange, der snor sig mellem blomsterbedene og inddeler haven i rum; særdeles kønt ser det ud - jeg spadserede selv ad dem i 2013 - men prøv lige at holde kilometervis af murstensgange fri for ukrudt!
Zoob tilegner indledningsvist sin bog til ”alle, som – selv kortvarigt – har arbejdet i haven ved Monk’s House, men specielt min mand, Jonathan”. Denne dedikation er endnu et smukt træk ved en i forvejen lydefri publikation.
Den meget store have omtales tit som et stykke patchwork, fordi den er opbygget i forskellige afdelinger: den italienske have, møllestensterrassen, blomsterstien, murhaven, haven med figentræet, haven med fiskedammen, frugthaven, køkkenhaven, plænen til Lawn Bowling m.m. Denne patchwork-opbygning har inspireret til udsmykningen af bogens første og sidste opslag, der er en collage af gamle brune fotos vekslende med farverige closeups af blomster, leveret af Caroline Arber, pastelfarvede haveakvareller, leveret af Lorna Brown, og broderede oversigter over havens opbygning, leveret af bogens forfatter, Caroline Zoob. Dét med broderierne kan umiddelbart lyde en anelse corny, men såvel disse som de afdæmpede akvareller fungerer som en fin afveksling i forhold til de blændende, farverige fotografier, som bogen er så rig på.
Indholdsmæssigt køres der i to spor. Det ene spor er en biografi over the Woolfs liv, fra de i 1919 køber det primitive landhus Monk’s House i Rodmell, Sussex. Caroline Zoobs tekst er efter sigende inspireret af ægteparrets egne breve og dagbøger, men hun læner sig også op ad en bred vifte af sekundærlitteratur skrevet af andre. Det andet og fyldigste spor er en historisk beskrivelse af havens udvikling, herunder en præsentation af utallige planter. Så vidt jeg som lægmand kan vurdere, kører dette stof på et semi-professionelt niveau.
Virginia begår selvmord i 1941, og Leonard bliver boende i huset til sin død i 1969. Herefter følger hhv. en forfaldsperiode og en restaureringsperiode, inden den nye ejer, National Trust, åbner ejendommen for betalende gæster i 1982. Publikum har ikke adgang til 1. sal i huset, som bebos af skiftende lejere, der er forpligtet på selv at passe haven – under tilsyn af Trustens haveekspert og med ugentlig assistance af en professionel gartner. Gartneren samt diverse planteindkøb finansieres af lejerne, som fra 2000 til 2011 er Caroline Zoob og hendes mand. Ud over at være broderi- og indretningsekspert er Zoob uddannet operasanger og advokat, mens hendes haveerfaring er yderst begrænset. Der er imidlertid god hjælp at hente i Leonard Woolfs annaler, idet han fører logbog over alt mht. bestand, fremtidsplaner og indkøb.
Men inden jeg går videre ad denne positive tråd, bliver jeg nødt til at indskyde en karakteristik af Woolf, som stammer fra en anden kilde, nemlig Alison Light, der har skrevet biografien ’Mrs. Woolf & the Servants’. Denne omhandler mestendels de 'krige', som Virginia uafladeligt udkæmper med tjenerstaben, men hendes bedre halvdel har også lidt af et generalieblad hos Alison Light. Forhistorien er, at Leonard Woolf i sin ungdom er politisk aktiv inden for det socialistiske Fabian Society, og han fortsætter igennem årene med at arbejde for partiet Labour. Woolf er – ligeledes i sin ungdom – udstationeret som tjenestemand i Ceylon, hvilket efter sigende gør ham til anti-imperialist, men i hans senere livsforløb er der elementer, der snarere giver mindelser om en koloniherre end om en socialist.
I 1912 gifter han sig under en orlov med Virginia, hvis skribentvirksomhed herefter tager form af et egentligt forfatterskab, der i løbet af 1920’erne kaster så mange penge af sig, at Monk’s House bliver gennemgribende renoveret. I 1930’erne vokser velstanden, hvilket også aflæses i haven, der primært er Leonards domæne. Haven udvikler sig til et eldorado, hvis frodighed optimeres via drivhuse med eksotiske planter, som giver mindelser om Ceylon. Hverken huset eller haven bliver passet alene ved ejernes indsats, men efter mange års krige med de tjenestefolk, der bor hos dem, klarer Virginia og Leonard sig nu med en hushjælp og en gartner, der møder op alle ugens dage, men som bor sammen med deres egne familier i Leonards opfindelse: ‘Monk’s House Cottages’. Han har købt to hytter i landsbyen, men disse er ikke blevet renoveret i takt med hovedhuset, så frem til 2. verdenskrig er de fugtige og kolde hytter, der huser to familier med i alt fem børn, uden varmt vand, badeværelse eller vandkloset. Der er udendørs das.
I tiåret frem til sin død i 1969 skriver Leonard på en selvbiografi. Set med moderne øjne stikker det ud, at Leonard så sent som i de antiautoritære 1960’ere taler ned til tjenestefolkene ved udelukkende at kalde dem ved fornavn, mens han selv er Mr. Woolf over for dem. End ikke i hans Index bevilges de så megen civilstatus, at de er udstyret med et efternavn. Percy Bartholomew arbejder som Leonards gartner syv dage ugentlig i 25 år (i tre drivhuse skal der dagligt fyldes brændsel på kedlerne kl. 6.30 og 22.30, også i weekenderne), men alligevel optræder han kun som Percy i selvbiografien, hvilket hans søn bliver rasende over. Nogle gange omtales han endog blot ved sin funktion: ”my gardener who lived in my cottage and cultivated my garden for twenty-five years”. Endnu værre står det dog til, hvis vi går helt tilbage til dengang, Leonard indgår aftale om hytterne og vil ”make arrangements for my man to go into the cottage”. Dette feudale tonefald afstedkommer megen moro i Virginias dagbog: ”Percy is our man!” Vi andre noterer os med ironisk tilfredshed, at Leonard i det mindste omtaler Percy som ”man” og ikke som ”boy”, for så ville vi jo være helt tilbage i de amerikanske sydstater!
Som enhver kan høre af min gengivelse, tager Alison Light parti for tjenestefolkene imod herskabet. Caroline Zoob har også læst Lights biografi, men holder sig fri af problemstillingen. Og så alligevel ikke: Uden på nogen måde at desavouere Leonard Woolf, hvis store indsats som idemand og havearkitekt, hun beundrer, sørger hun indirekte for at få rettet lidt op på krediteringen mht. det store arbejde, der er lagt i Woolfs have. Mindst 18 gange nævner hun Percy Bartholomew samt hans børn, Jim og Marie, enten ved deres fulde navn eller ved fornavn, når dette er naturligt. Om Marie eksempelvis: ”Percys datter Marie husker, hvordan hun lå på alle fire i timevis for at fjerne ukrudt fra gangene med en sløv kniv”. Her tales der om de karakteristiske murstensgange, der snor sig mellem blomsterbedene og inddeler haven i rum; særdeles kønt ser det ud - jeg spadserede selv ad dem i 2013 - men prøv lige at holde kilometervis af murstensgange fri for ukrudt!
Zoob tilegner indledningsvist sin bog til ”alle, som – selv kortvarigt – har arbejdet i haven ved Monk’s House, men specielt min mand, Jonathan”. Denne dedikation er endnu et smukt træk ved en i forvejen lydefri publikation.
February 20, 2018
A promenade through the paths of Virginia's and Leonard's house in Sussex: something to read while sipping tea in your jammies.
February 11, 2019
This is a magnificently photographed look at Monk's House, Virginia and Leonard Woolf's country house and garden in Sussex. The title is something of a misnomer because it was Leonard who created, planted and maintained the garden. Virgina helped with bits here and there, but mainly enjoyed it and was inspired by it. The Woolves, as they liked to think of themselves, bought the house and property early in their marriage, around 1919, and the author gives us a history of the house and land from the earliest records of it in the early 1700's to the present day. It is now a National Trust property, and Zoob and her husband were the live-in tenants there, responsible for the upkeep of the garden, for ten years. This is a coffee table book, which I hadn't realized, so that while admirably written and researched, it does not have the depth of garden and plant information I had hoped for. The author does suggest some planting schemes, with illustrations, based on those at Monk's House, that readers can emulate and adapt in their own gardens. The book is not just a portrait of a garden, but also the portrait of a loving marriage and partnership of minds. Highly recommended. And did I mention that the photographs are gorgeous?
November 22, 2019
Che dire, un volume meraviglioso da leggere o semplicemente da sfogliare.
March 22, 2016
A wonderfully idiosyncratic approach to VW. Caroline Zoob and her husband lived as lodgers in the attic of the National Trust owned Monk's House. They took care of the wonderful garden and had the pleasure of lying in the same slanted bathtub Leonhard and Virgina and T.S. Eliot had complained about. Lovely new photographs of garden details, old pics and paintings, quotes from VW's and LW's diaries, Zoob's emphatic observations, suggestions for planting schemes "à la Virginia" plus Zoob's artfully embroidered garden plans (she's an artist in needlepoint)make this a very personal, heartwarming and dare I say wonderfully British book, lovely to look at at and a perfect gift for anyone interested in VW or gardening.
October 17, 2016
Loved it!
July 6, 2023
This gorgeous book was gifted to me by a dear friend, and given that it is about a) Virginia Woolf and b) gardening, two things I very much love, it rests very squarely in the area of books I will be enchanted by. And I was.
I flipped through the book at least three times before I read it, solely looking at the photographs and reading the captions but not reading the text. The photography is phenomenal and includes both the rooms of Monk's House and the garden. The photographer captured both spaces exactly as I remember them and are leagues better than the few photos I took. The book is 5 stars just for the photography alone; it is stunning.
But the text is also wonderful: Zoob spent 10 years as a tenant/National Trust caretaker in Monk's House (!!) and uses Virginia and Leonard's diaries, letters, and the letters of their friends who visited MH to provide a rich and detailed history of the house and garden during the time the Woolf's lived there. Of course I enjoyed all of the information about Virginia, but I especially loved the final chapters about Leonard's time at MH after VW died and his fascinating, decades long relationship with Trekkie Parsons, which is not something I knew much about except for a passing comment from one of the volunteers at MH when I inquired about a painting of Trekkie's.
Zoob wrote about what it was like living with constant visitors in the house she lived in, from the obnoxious (the people who loudly judged Leonard and Virginia's relationship, not understanding it) to the worshipful (she didn't understand them, at first, but they came to be her favorites as she learned more about Virginia). She writes that she could always tell someone on a Virginia pilgrimage by the way they lingered much longer in each room than the average visitor, not taking photos, and then finding a quiet spot in the garden to sit in until visiting hours were over. That and the tears. Yes; that was exactly my experience and I love knowing there are so many others like that, that we have a recognizable type!
Anyway: if you like Virginia, you will like this book. If you like gardening, you will like this book. If you like both, you will be captivated by this book.
I flipped through the book at least three times before I read it, solely looking at the photographs and reading the captions but not reading the text. The photography is phenomenal and includes both the rooms of Monk's House and the garden. The photographer captured both spaces exactly as I remember them and are leagues better than the few photos I took. The book is 5 stars just for the photography alone; it is stunning.
But the text is also wonderful: Zoob spent 10 years as a tenant/National Trust caretaker in Monk's House (!!) and uses Virginia and Leonard's diaries, letters, and the letters of their friends who visited MH to provide a rich and detailed history of the house and garden during the time the Woolf's lived there. Of course I enjoyed all of the information about Virginia, but I especially loved the final chapters about Leonard's time at MH after VW died and his fascinating, decades long relationship with Trekkie Parsons, which is not something I knew much about except for a passing comment from one of the volunteers at MH when I inquired about a painting of Trekkie's.
Zoob wrote about what it was like living with constant visitors in the house she lived in, from the obnoxious (the people who loudly judged Leonard and Virginia's relationship, not understanding it) to the worshipful (she didn't understand them, at first, but they came to be her favorites as she learned more about Virginia). She writes that she could always tell someone on a Virginia pilgrimage by the way they lingered much longer in each room than the average visitor, not taking photos, and then finding a quiet spot in the garden to sit in until visiting hours were over. That and the tears. Yes; that was exactly my experience and I love knowing there are so many others like that, that we have a recognizable type!
Anyway: if you like Virginia, you will like this book. If you like gardening, you will like this book. If you like both, you will be captivated by this book.
January 10, 2023
This is an interesting, visually engaging book. Many people, particularly women, have found Virginia Woolf an inspiration. Zoob explains the extraordinary open marriage Virginia and her husband had early in the 20th century. Their gardens, especially the one at Monk's House, help to disclose the relationship. Husband Leonard Woolf, a talented writer, publisher and a brilliant and enthusiastic garden designer and creator, made most of the Monk's House garden for the enjoyment and benefit of his wife. In 1941, confronted by the opening weeks of the Second World War, her seriously declining health, and the prospect of another painful descent into madness inspired by very severe lifelong depression, led Virginia to fill her coat pockets with rocks and walk into the fast-flowing River Ouse near their home. It might not have been my solution, but having read Zoob's very sympathetic book and seen the lovely images of the Monk's House garden, I can understand Virginia's. This is a beautiful book, physically and as authored.
September 18, 2022
The photographs of Virginia Woolf's garden are lovely except for the reproductions of original pictures of Virginia and Leonard. They are poorly developed and difficult to see clearly. From Virginia's writings we find that she had a love - hate relationship with gardens. She knew that she needed the quiet and beauty of Monk's House to help maintain her sanity and provide a quiet place for her writing. She resented, however, the way that Leonard was "stolen" from her by his love of the gardens. I thought the analyses of the multiple gardens was unnecessarily descriptive. Sad to know that mental illness defeated Virginia and she walked away from the beauty around her and Leonard. Kristi & Abby Tabby
September 28, 2025
This was an unexpected treasure that fell off the library shelf. As the author was a tenant at Monk's House, it's written with a degree of intimacy and personal insight that would be lacking in a more authoratative, historical account. To be fair, I'm not that familiar with either of the Woolf's work, I didn't come to this as a Virginia fan, but it has inspired me to seek out some of her fiction in the future. Zoob creates a very vivid depiction of both the garden and their lives as a couple, as well as her own reflections after living at the house for ten years. For once there was also the right blend of text and photography, as well as charming illustrations (embroidered garden plan, I'm guessing Zoob's own handiwork?) Lovely.
March 1, 2025
It is not often I give a book 5 stars, but this one merits at least 4.5 stars for the well-researched and engagingly-written account of the development of the garden at Monk's House and its later opening to the public under the aegis of the National Trust. Very well-illustrated with a combination of current photos and old black-and-white images from the period of the Woolf's lengthy residence. I had always thought of the couple as firmly rooted in London life and was previously unaware that they had this country place for weekends and holidays.
A delight for lovers of gardening and literature.
A delight for lovers of gardening and literature.
May 21, 2022
Yes, there are beautiful garden and flower photos and you’ll learn about plants and trees. Even if you are merely interested in Virginia as a woman though, or as a writer, or about her relationship with her husband, Leonard, or about history (late 1920’s-1940’s) then I highly recommend. The author lived in the Woolf’s home for 10 years and cared for their garden; written with ease and beauty, with photos of the house, her writing spaces, and lots of photos of the famous couple themselves, this substantial book is a delight.
June 8, 2022
It was sheer delight to enter the gardens of Monk's House at Rodmell guided by Caroline Zoob's text and research and Caroline Arber's photography. Zoob drew from Virginia's writings in letters and diaries and books, and from Leonard's notes and letters, to convey the nature of their lives here and the meaning to them. The garden plans are beautifully illustrated and detailed in choice of plantings making the book rich in ideas for the gardener.
June 6, 2023
I don’t think I’ve ever known three quarters of an acre so intimately lol. Did I need to know every single seed Leonard woolf bought while living in monk’s house? No, but now I do. I’m always impressed that someone can be so enthralled with such a niche subject as somebody else’s garden to write almost 200 pages on it and make it readable enough that people don’t get bored and give up
December 24, 2017
Stunning photographs, beautiful text, and reason enough for independent bookstores to exist so that one could stumble upon a volume like this and know immediately one had to have it. (Thank you, Politics & Prose.)
June 19, 2018
This is a beautiful coffee-table book with a large selection of recent and historic photographs of Monk's House, its gardens, and its owners. It also contains some interesting information about Virginia & Leonard Woolf, their circle of friends, and the times in which they lived.
August 21, 2019
Altogether lovely!!
The photographs provided new gardening inspiration, made more meaningful by the additional information about Leonard and Virginia and their relationship with each other, their house, and their gardens.
The photographs provided new gardening inspiration, made more meaningful by the additional information about Leonard and Virginia and their relationship with each other, their house, and their gardens.
February 18, 2020
As a gardener, who is not particularly well versed on either Virginia or Leonard Woolf, I loved this book. The photos are spectacular, and I found the information on the transformation of the home and garden fascinating.
December 26, 2018
A visual treat!
January 30, 2021
Beautifully written.
September 9, 2022
Un très beau livre sur Monk's house et son jardin, qui parle avec justesse de la difficulté de conserver un lieu, de la vie de Virginia Woolf, de la place de son mari Leonard Woolf également.
June 13, 2023
Beautiful
March 9, 2017
A beautiful, thoughtfully laid-out book that I am savoring. I love that I learned so much more about Leonard and Virginia through the excerpts from their diaries, and the memories of those who knew them. The choice to have Caroline Zoob narrate the book (she and her husband lived at Monk's house and cared for the gardens for 10 years in the early 2000s) was perfect. I checked this out from the library, but I will be purchasing a copy for my personal collection.
December 15, 2013
4.5 stars."Virginia Woolf's Garden" is a gorgeous book filled with beautiful pictures of Virginia Woolf's garden. After reading this book, I have a feeling that I know where Ms. Woolf got some of her inspiration from. It would be hard not to be inspired while living in such gorgeous surroundings. One interesting thing about this book is that the author actually lived in the house where Ms. Woolf and her husband once walked so in a way, you almost get an insider point of view of the gardens and the house.
Zoob gives us insight into Virginia Woolf and her husband. I loved learning about their lives together and their lives in the house. This book is truly beautiful and I know that it is definitely a book that I am going to want to go back to over and over again. I really liked that the author included maps of what exactly was planted in all of the various gardens. I loved being able to see what plants Woolf put together and it really helped me to picture what the gardens looked like.
Even if you don't know much about Woolf before reading this book, this book may be a good jumping off point for you. I believe that you can learn so much from someone's surroundings! Overall, this is a great book.
Zoob gives us insight into Virginia Woolf and her husband. I loved learning about their lives together and their lives in the house. This book is truly beautiful and I know that it is definitely a book that I am going to want to go back to over and over again. I really liked that the author included maps of what exactly was planted in all of the various gardens. I loved being able to see what plants Woolf put together and it really helped me to picture what the gardens looked like.
Even if you don't know much about Woolf before reading this book, this book may be a good jumping off point for you. I believe that you can learn so much from someone's surroundings! Overall, this is a great book.
May 6, 2014
An interesting way to learn about the Woolfs--from the modern tenants of their house and gardens for the the National Trust. The gardens certainly shine with the wonderful photographs and I love the embroidered garden plots at the beginning of each chapter. The title really should be changed to The Woolf's Garden or perhaps Leonard and Virgina Woolf's Garden, because Virginia never worked in the garden or even remembered the names of the plants in the garden. It was really Leonard's obsession, and the work he put into it was often slighted by Virginia. While I love her writing, Virginia does not strike me as someone I would like to know. Far too demanding and self-absorbed. And I am unconvinced that she and Leonard were the lovebirds Zoob suggests.
I am amazed by the history of the property since Leonard's death. It would be fascinating to learn more about the restoration project from those who worked on it...
I am amazed by the history of the property since Leonard's death. It would be fascinating to learn more about the restoration project from those who worked on it...
August 19, 2023
"Il giardino di Virginia Woolf", oltre alla ricca parte naturalistica, ci aiuta a comprendere lati inediti della scrittrice, andando più in profondità.
Troviamo infatti non solo le immagini e le descrizioni degli splendidi giardini di Monk's House, residenza di Virginia e suo marito Leonard dal 1919 al 1969 , realizzate da Caroline Zoob e Caroline Arper, ma anche alcuni stralci di lettere o diari dove Virginia e Leonard Woolf parlano proprio dei loro fiori, dell'orto, del frutteto e della terrazza.
Si rinviene in essi il grande amore per la natura da parte dei due coniugi. Nonostante Virginia non fosse un'esperta di fiori e di piante, tanto da "dimenticarne quasi subito i nomi", sembrava amarne però l'essenza, la loro bellezza e quello che rappresentavano. Trasmetteva, infatti, con le sue parole la gioia di esserne circondata e di poterne vedere ogni giorno mentre si recava nel suo studio, per scrivere.
Troviamo infatti non solo le immagini e le descrizioni degli splendidi giardini di Monk's House, residenza di Virginia e suo marito Leonard dal 1919 al 1969 , realizzate da Caroline Zoob e Caroline Arper, ma anche alcuni stralci di lettere o diari dove Virginia e Leonard Woolf parlano proprio dei loro fiori, dell'orto, del frutteto e della terrazza.
Si rinviene in essi il grande amore per la natura da parte dei due coniugi. Nonostante Virginia non fosse un'esperta di fiori e di piante, tanto da "dimenticarne quasi subito i nomi", sembrava amarne però l'essenza, la loro bellezza e quello che rappresentavano. Trasmetteva, infatti, con le sue parole la gioia di esserne circondata e di poterne vedere ogni giorno mentre si recava nel suo studio, per scrivere.
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