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The Apothecary by the Sea: A Year in an Orkney Garden
Not yet published
Expected 30 Apr 26From the award-winning author of All My Wild Mothers: a lyrical, tender story of creating a wild apothecary garden on the Scottish archipelago of Orkney.
With the years of early motherhood and elderly caregiving over, Victoria faces a time of change. She and her family decide to take a leap, moving five hundred miles north of everything they know to the northern Scottish islands of Orkney, where the winters are long and the summer a perpetual light.
Uprooted and in an unfamiliar landscape, Victoria instinctively returns to the work of growing, setting out to transform her scrappy backyard into an abundant apothecary garden by the sea, inspired by Orkney's folklore, ancient landscapes and wild nature.
Shaped by tides and storms, wild plants and seaweeds, she creates a biodiverse backyard sanctuary filled with micro-habitats, wildflowers and herbs. Here, in her apothecary by the sea, she crafts teas, tinctures and balms inspired by the surrounding soil and seas.
As the year closes and the endless summer light turns once more to dark, Victoria finds belonging not only in the garden she has nurtured, but in the landscape that has quietly embraced her and called itself home. Here, at the wild edge of things, she is reclaiming parts of herself long set aside.
'An impossibly moving memoir of gardens, herbalism, and the rigours and rewards of care… An exciting new voice in nature writing' Cal Flyn on All My Wild Mothers
With the years of early motherhood and elderly caregiving over, Victoria faces a time of change. She and her family decide to take a leap, moving five hundred miles north of everything they know to the northern Scottish islands of Orkney, where the winters are long and the summer a perpetual light.
Uprooted and in an unfamiliar landscape, Victoria instinctively returns to the work of growing, setting out to transform her scrappy backyard into an abundant apothecary garden by the sea, inspired by Orkney's folklore, ancient landscapes and wild nature.
Shaped by tides and storms, wild plants and seaweeds, she creates a biodiverse backyard sanctuary filled with micro-habitats, wildflowers and herbs. Here, in her apothecary by the sea, she crafts teas, tinctures and balms inspired by the surrounding soil and seas.
As the year closes and the endless summer light turns once more to dark, Victoria finds belonging not only in the garden she has nurtured, but in the landscape that has quietly embraced her and called itself home. Here, at the wild edge of things, she is reclaiming parts of herself long set aside.
'An impossibly moving memoir of gardens, herbalism, and the rigours and rewards of care… An exciting new voice in nature writing' Cal Flyn on All My Wild Mothers
- GenresNonfictionGardening
279 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 30, 2026
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March 18, 2026the apothecary by the sea: a year in an orkney garden by victoria bennett 🌿🌊🏴
“I would not want the wild to stop growing - why, then, should I want that for myself?”
no rating - memoir
As someone who has never been to Orkney, let alone Scotland, let alone Europe for that matter, I definitely was not the obvious target audience for this book. However, this story resonated deeply with me. I found Victoria’s blend of the different plants and botanicals’ history, uses, and habitat, alongside her family’s first year on the archipelago of Orkney (had to look this one up and refer to geography basics 😅), to be a powerful reflection of what it means to let nature call most of the shots.
Acceptance, reflection, courage, and determination fueled Victoria and made this an inspiring read. I don’t anticipate having my own apothecary anytime soon, but I do think this book is a wonderful reference and how-to guide for those who are.
What really stuck with me was how grounded the book feels. It does not romanticize the lifestyle too much. There is effort, uncertainty, and a lot of learning along the way, which made it all the more meaningful. Even as someone with zero experience in herbalism or remote island living, I found myself appreciating the slower pace and the intention behind everything Victoria describes. It is the kind of book that gently nudges you to pay more attention to your surroundings, your routines, and maybe even to what you actually need.
I may not be opening an apothecary anytime soon, but I will definitely be looking at plants a little differently from now on.
Many, many thanks to Elliott & Thompson for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
“I would not want the wild to stop growing - why, then, should I want that for myself?”
no rating - memoir
As someone who has never been to Orkney, let alone Scotland, let alone Europe for that matter, I definitely was not the obvious target audience for this book. However, this story resonated deeply with me. I found Victoria’s blend of the different plants and botanicals’ history, uses, and habitat, alongside her family’s first year on the archipelago of Orkney (had to look this one up and refer to geography basics 😅), to be a powerful reflection of what it means to let nature call most of the shots.
Acceptance, reflection, courage, and determination fueled Victoria and made this an inspiring read. I don’t anticipate having my own apothecary anytime soon, but I do think this book is a wonderful reference and how-to guide for those who are.
What really stuck with me was how grounded the book feels. It does not romanticize the lifestyle too much. There is effort, uncertainty, and a lot of learning along the way, which made it all the more meaningful. Even as someone with zero experience in herbalism or remote island living, I found myself appreciating the slower pace and the intention behind everything Victoria describes. It is the kind of book that gently nudges you to pay more attention to your surroundings, your routines, and maybe even to what you actually need.
I may not be opening an apothecary anytime soon, but I will definitely be looking at plants a little differently from now on.
Many, many thanks to Elliott & Thompson for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Displaying 1 of 1 review