Love Letter to a Garden

by Deborah S Millman, Roxane Gay (contributor)

Debbie Millman—an award-winning writer, designer, and host of the podcast Design Matters—always thought of herself as a bad gardener. Nevertheless, she kept trying. Over the years she came to realize that no one is a bad gardener, we’re all just questing for a garden, a journey that develops over time, through space, and evolves along with our hearts. In Love Letter to the Garden, Debbie Millman shares her journey to make and grow a garden—and the plants she has collected along the way—a process that started with handed-down houseplants from beloved friends and a lone peony observed for many seasons on a city street until it one day disappeared. This led to Millman growing gardens in both New York City and Los Angeles. Spread throughout are simple recipes using the garden's ingredients from Millman’s wife, bestselling author Roxane Gay. Love Letter to the Garden is a little gem of a book—an inspiring, impulse-friendly story that can be read in one setting, then shared, experienced, pollinated, and perpetuated.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Biography Memoir, Cookbooks, Nature, Food, Art

156 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2025

Reviews

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book. It reads more like a journal, with cursive font and personal photos and paintings. You won’t learn anything new from this book, but instead, you get a small glance into Debbie’s lifelong love of gardening and get to commiserate with her over the plants that didn’t make it, meet her family and friends who taught her along the way, and see how she made the best of her time during the COVID pandemic. This is a nice coffee table book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Timber Press for the ARC.

[Barbara Kochick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone who comes to gardening follows a unique path. The author’s is an interesting one filled with lovely images and love for more than her garden.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art book mascarading as a garden book

[Pattie Tierney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored Love Letter to a Garden by Debbie Millman (scheduled for release on April 15th). It’s a tender, beautifully crafted tribute to the slow, messy, and deeply personal act of gardening—and it hit me right in the heart. Millman’s story of evolving from a self-proclaimed “bad gardener” to someone who nurtures a living, breathing space resonated with me in ways I didn’t expect. Her journey reminded me so much of myself growing up, fumbling through my own attempts to coax life from the earth.

Like Millman, I’ve carried plants—and their stories—across thresholds of my life. When she writes about digging up her neighbor’s rhododendrons after they passed away to bring it into her own yard, I felt a pang of recognition. I did the same thing when I had to sell my parents’ house. I couldn’t bear to leave everything behind, so I unearthed one of their lilies, its roots tangled with memories, and replanted it in my own soil. That act was less about gardening and more about holding onto something precious—a thread connecting past and present.

Millman’s book also stirred up vivid childhood memories for me. As a little girl, I’d pluck seeds from the fruit my mother fed me—peaches, apples, whatever I could get my hands on—and plant them in Tupperware containers filled with sticky clay soil from our backyard. I’d line them up on my bedroom windowsill, much to my mother’s dismay. The mess was undeniable—smudges of dirt on the glass, a snaggled chaos of sprouting attempts—and the view from the street was far from picturesque. But to me, those containers were tiny worlds of possibility. Reading Millman’s reflections brought that scrappy, determined little gardener back to life in my mind.

What I love most about this book is how it captures gardening as a philosophy, not just a task. It’s about patience, persistence, and the quiet joy of watching something grow alongside you. The simple recipes from Roxane Gay, using ingredients from Millman’s garden, add a delicious warmth to the story, while the visual beauty of the book itself makes it a treasure to hold. *Love Letter to a Garden* is a gem—small, sparkling, and meant to be shared. It’s the kind of book that plants a seed in you, one I know will keep growing in my own heart.

Many thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this delightful book.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a beautifully illustrated gem that chronicles the author's journey from being a "bad gardener" to someone who views gardening as an evolving relationship rather than a skill to be mastered. It delves into how gardening became a powerful metaphor for healing, growth, peace, and transformation. This is not a how-to manual; instead, it is a personal account of transformation. The narrative begins with the humble houseplants given to the author by friends and culminates in the image of a peony pushing through tough soil. Millman tells a story of patience and connection.

The author's prose is gentle, honest, and philosophical, using the garden as a metaphor and a medium for exploration. Visually, the book is equally stunning. The layout, illustrations, and overall aesthetic feel intentional and contemplative, akin to stepping into a sun-dappled garden room where every object has been placed with care. Additionally, the book includes simple, nourishing recipes from her wife, bestselling author Roxane Gay. Inspired by the garden, these culinary additions emphasize the connection between food and our table. We learn that tending a garden is not just about what we grow but also about how we live with what we cultivate—how it nourishes us physically and emotionally.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbymedia.com/blogs/transcri...

[Davena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Letter to a Garden by Debbie Millman

I added Love Letter to a Garden to my wishlist because Debbie Millman is a graphic design hero. I've seen her speak at Adobe Max and listened to her podcast, Design Matters. I have at least two of her books about brand/graphic design on my bookshelf already (no pressure!).

Love Letter to a Garden is a lovely piece of visual storytelling about how Debbie fell in love with gardening—and the perspective that having your hands connected to the earth brings. It also touches on how COVID changed not only our lives but also our physical surroundings.

Nestled amongst Debbie's paintings/illustrations of the bounty of their garden are recipes by Roxane Gay. This book will be gifted to many art, gardening, and cooking lovers.

Love Letter to a Garden will be available on April 15, 2025. Thanks to NetGalley and Timber Press for providing me with a copy for review.

Thumbsup 👍.

As expected, the graphic design is gorgeous.

Go read a book!

Body count: 0.

[Angie Baer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently had the chance to review an ARC of Debbie Millman’s Love Letter to a Garden, and it was not what I expected—in the best way. This book is absolutely charming. First, the illustrations are stunning—a blend of photos, watercolors, and drawings that create a nostalgic, heartfelt atmosphere. I especially connected with the words in this book because, like the author, my love for gardening began in adulthood, though it was my grandmother who first introduced me to it. She takes readers on a journey through the seasons of a garden and life itself, touching on the surge of gardening during the pandemic—a time when many turned to growing their own food and finding solace in nature. The book beautifully reflects on both the joys and challenges of gardening, reminding us that, like life, gardens experience both loss and renewal. As a bonus, I loved the inclusion of recipes at the end, using ingredients straight from the garden. Love Letter to the Garden is more than just a book about plants—it’s a reflection on resilience, growth, and the beauty of life itself. A truly lovely read.

[Meghan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, this book is beautiful to thumb through. Vintage photos of the author in her youth, paintings with deep, saturated colors layered onto photos, and curves that draw your eye to follow circles of text around a clock or ribbon or plant stem.

The words are sometimes dreamy and sometimes brief bits in narrative form to stretch the mind’s eye from seeing a garden to envisioning the growth it takes to be a gardener.

The task of embracing change and nurturing something vulnerable and new, even if it doesn’t work the first time, looms large until you lean on those that came before. Maria’s rhododendrons live another day in Chelsea :) And so do we, in the garden in which we are planted.

Now, let us learn to grow some more!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book revolving around gardening that I have read recently. I like this short, artsy book that shows the author's progression and skill towards something that she loved but wasn't good at initially. Apparently, as with many other things in her life, she kept at it until she became pretty accomplished.

The thing about a garden is that to at least some degree it will pay you back for the attention you give it. That is encouraging.

[Yanyu Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was quite surprised when found out there were very few text in this letter. Actually, it is more like a photo/image album. However, it was lovely to read, just like pop into a small garden. As amateur gardener like me, it's always a pleasure to visit other people's garden, to see what they've planted and how those plants are doing.

[Alexis Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for my Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.

What a delight this book was to read. Beautiful, moving, inspiring, and fresh are all words I would use to describe this book and I would highly recommend it to all lovers of nature and gardening.

[Stephanie Dargusch Borders · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and inspiring book but I really wish there had been more to it. I read it cover to cover in less than 20 minutes. Graphically it hit all the right notes but substance wise it lacked a bit.

[Josie]

What a delightful little book. Favorite quote: "Despite their many differences, the flora live side by side without much rancor."

I like photographs, and could've had more, but the art was lovely as is.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet, beautiful little book of inspiration. Inspiration to slow down , be calm and look around. Inspiration to appreciate what I see and feel. And encouragement to appreciate all my own successes and failures in my own garden.

[Genia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a book that shouted "how can we get a publisher to pay us for something about living through the pandemic." Even the graphics failed. Wasted 32 minutes reading this. The recipes to fill out the signature were awful

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this charming book while biking at Planet Fitness. I love the garden story and illustrations that Deborah Millman created. I also enjoyed the recipes by Roxane Gay. This is definitely a read that has inspired me to write and share my story with gardening. Thank you!

[Renee Wiedmeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was lovely.

[Fanny (she,her,ella) · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌺❤️

[Maggie]

Charming.

(There is an editing error in the tomato galette recipe - the olives, cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella don’t belong in the list of ingredients.)

[Kate]

This was a fun book. It sort of reminds me of a (very professional) zine.

[Carlton Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very creative book....poetry with inspired recipes.

[Kyle A Massa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous and charming little book.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely book of paintings, gardens, memories and food. It could be a lovely gift.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small sweet pleasure of a book perfect for your morning coffee and the day that lies ahead.

[Susie Dumond · Rating 5 out of 5]

My cottage core lesbian heart is delighted by this lovely little gem of a book!