Dear Friend and Gardener: Letters on Life and Gardening

by Beth Chatto, Christopher Lloyd

In this exchange of personal letters two of Britain's leading gardeners - Christopher Lloyd and Beth Chatto - share their successes and failures, and learn from each other's experiences in their two very different gardens.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Horticulture, Memoir

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 2, 1998

Reviews

[Caroline Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was absolutely wonderful. It really has made me see my work and my garden with fresh eyes. Really endearing to hear two giants of the horticultural world have such charming and entertaining conversations. I would have loved to have met either of them!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really entertaining and interesting correspondence between two huge figures from gardening. Engaging on lots of levels - the cycle of the year in their gardens, their daily lives and relationships and the detail of plants (fascinating, even though much of it was way too detailed for my knowledge). A lovely thing to read when you can't be in the garden!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a kaleidoscope of a book! Two infamous friends in two beautiful regions in England, different backgrounds and gardening tastes, wrote gorgeous letters to each other describing everything from what they did that week to the weather to bird visitors to perennial borders to vegetables. Beth Chatto was a flower arranger by trade but her plant knowledge and gardening sense was out of this world. Christopher Lloyd was a horticulturalist who inherited amazing Great Dixter (must be seen to be believed). They both made huge contributions to the horticulture world.

As a master gardener who gardens in both the hot Mediterranean and -40C in Canada I appreciate the plant gossip and weather conditions details very much. I meticulously record rainfalls and temperatures, too, so found this book incredibly relatable (except in Canada we can only dream of such a wonderful climate). The writing itself is gorgeous and the friends' appreciation for each other's observations is obvious. Food and cooking ideas are marvelous and very descriptive as are the most minute details such as beetles, leaf textures, counting numbers of broad bean tips picked (I do that, too!) and preserving fruits. But the plant descriptions are especially breathtaking!

If you enjoy plants and gardening you will undoubtedly find much to relate to and smile about in this epistolary book. It seems that both gardeners must have been very interesting characters!

My sincere thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this personal and entrancing eARC.

[Carol Rasberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Despite claiming to be a gardener, I am not familiar with many of the plants or plant varieties referred to in the book but I felt I learnt a great deal about the personalities of the two eminent gardeners involved. Both had full, energetic and exciting lives and so much to say about all aspects of life. I was particularly impressed with their interaction with other gardeners; the young were offered opportunities to work alongside Beth and Christo; there were very few ‘unkind’ comments about the well known gardeners they came across and they were both keen to continue learning and remain ‘open’ to new ideas. There were some differences of opinion between the two of them but they accepted this with equanimity.
I will be looking at my own planting this year with fresh eyes.

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is written as a series of letters between two of the most knowledgeable professional gardeners and gardening writers and journalists in Britain. Sadly both have passed away since the book's publication. The volume is full of information based on their gardens and nursery businesses at Elmstead Market in Essex and Great Dixter in Sussex, what purports to be social chit chat between friends and, being British, a great deal on the weather – it is always too hot, too dry, too cold, too wet; as with most horticulturalists and farmers nothing meteorological will ever be perfect for more than an hour or two.

I used the term purports deliberately as the correspondence is contrived for the purpose of making the book, something both writers willingly admit to in their closing letters. Two such experienced gardeners and friends would never fill up their letters with descriptions of planting techniques and locations and make a point of always giving the precise Latinate botanical plant names. All of that is aimed at the purchaser of the book. Which is a shame as it dents the reality of the chat about opera and Glyndebourne, rabbit problems and an uncooperative neighbouring farmer, talks delivered and articles written, the plethora of unpaid interns and volunteer labour that adds to the business profits – they all seem to love being unpaid and smile a lot – and television appearances. There is a lovely description from Beth Chatto about a business holiday spent in Germany but despite its charm it reads as if it were an excerpt from a previously written article or book, not a natural inclusion in a personal letter.

Even though I am not a gardener at heart, give me some decking and a tarmacked driveway any time with a few flowers in the borders and an easy to care for hedge, I enjoyed Dear Friend and Gardener as a very relaxing and, I have to say, very English piece of easy reading.

[Karen Mace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book 15 of my 20 Books of Summer 2025

This was such a lovely and charming read, reading the personal letters shared between 2 friends who just happen to have been 2 of the most important recent gardeners in the UK - Beth Chatto, and Christopher Lloyd.

They both came from very different backgrounds, but shared a passion for gardening, and this comes across in spades (pun intended!) as they both share the goings on in their lives and, more importantly to them, their gardens during the time they were corresponding. It was so lovely to get this insight into their outlook on the garden world, the changes in the climate (even then!) and the hits and misses that they both had in their own gardens.

If you love gardening then you're going to love this book as it's such a delightful read.

[Amy Dendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of letters back and forth between Beth and Christi,in the novel Dear Friend and Gardener, take us on a delightful tale of inspiration,,hope and discovery..The attention to detail, setting,temperature,and environment will leave gardeners everywhere delighted with the scenery and variances between the two environments and amused by the inside gossip shared between the two gardening circles.

[Sarah Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this collection of letters between two distinguished gardeners towards the end of their careers. I did feel however that this book was limited in scope. Perhaps it was a publisher's commission to write letters about gardening for a book. This meant that it was a little contrived and narrow and directionless. I prefer their earlier books: Christopher Lloyd's " The Well-tempered Garden" and Beth Chatto's " The Dry Garden" about her brilliant gravel garden.

[Squermish the Book Cat]

Abandoned and also saddened as I found I liked Christopher Lloyd the person less and less as the book went on. This was also too contrived; these were letters written with the intention of publication, rathr than just a natural correspondence between two friends.

[Bonita Risley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly wonderful. What rascals those 2 were.

[Stephen_Digital · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed parts of this book but the use of latin plant names often left me wondering what they were talking about.

[Oldroses · Rating 1 out of 5]

(This review was originally written for The Garden Bloggers' Book club)

I have to admit to a certain hesitancy when Two Gardeners: Katherine S. White and Elizabeth Lawrence – A Friendship in Letters was chosen for the February 2007 selection for GBBC. After all, it’s rude to read other people’s correspondence. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Both the writers and the writing were so engaging that by the end of the book, I felt as if we were old friends. Based on that, I was looking forward to this month’s selection, Dear Friend & Gardener: Letters on Life and Gardening by Beth Chatto and Christopher Lloyd.

I had trouble with this book. I just couldn’t get into it. Was it because I don’t share the authors’ fascination with the many types of snowdrops? Or maybe because I don’t care for opera? And what exactly does opera have to do with gardening? Perhaps it was the writing. The letters were more esoteric discussions than chatty correspondence between two gardeners who are also close friends. Are the English more formal in their letter-writing?

The answer, of course, is that these are not “real” letters. They are merely a literary device suggested and edited by publishers. This was hinted at by Mr. Lloyd in his introduction but I didn’t catch on until the very end when the “correspondence” drew to a close. I read the entire book under the impression that I was reading genuine letters originally written with no thought of future publication. Once it was revealed that the “letters” were written specifically to be published in book form, I felt cheated. It should have been clearly stated at the beginning that this is a collection of essays addressed to each other so that the reader is not led to think that s/he is about to be privy to something special.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In summary, I plan to purchase once released!

I believe that this was previously released. Stumbled across as advance review copy on NetGalley and as a gardener I decided to review. I haven't been a "gardener" for decades and this wasn't on my radar when originally/previously released. I'm so pleased that it will be re-released (as a paperback).

Both iconic gardeners are from Europe. Beth Chatto (1923-2018) lived in UK in Essex county and Christopher Lloyd (1921-2006) Great Dixter, East Sussex. At first I thought it a bit strange reading these letters, but they had decided to write these letters for two years (1996-1997) with the thought of publishing them.

As I was reading (listening thanks to Siri) I thought, an index with all these plant names (usually in Latin) would be awesome. Thank goodness that the publishers/authors had also considered that, because there at the end was an index with page numbers. (This pushed me over the edge in deciding that I will be purchasing.) So many great gardening ideas.

Both gardeners love food almost as much as gardening. Some of the flavors and foods described sound delectable! Yum!

Thank you to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion and the authors Christopher Lloyd and Beth Chatto for the opportunity to review the advance read copy of Dear Friend and Gardener in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is 04 May 2021.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of letters between two friends, each prolific gardeners, having opened their own gardens to the public. Would have given this four stars - beautifully written descriptions of gardens and a lovely friendship, until I realised at the end that the letters had been written with turning them into a book in mind. It rather spoilt the whole thing for me, although explained some slightly clunky writing, like a screenplay filling in backstory "do you remember that time when we went to see Mrs X and xyz happened, and then we went to A place" etc. Worth a read if you're interested in gardens, especially if you have a good knowledge of plants.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This started off as a well translated chronicle of 2 famous gardeners' private correspondence. I read it in French and it was a smooth translation. However, after a few weekly bulletins and lots of Latin plant names, which I do recognise, and even grow, I began to find the book increasingly boring. I had hoped to visit beth Chatto's garden in Essex this summer, but don't find her particularly attractive after reading this book, rather arrogant and condescending towards visitors...so will go if it rains! and wouldn't recommend this book.

[Mary Ahern · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed in this shared experience between two such respected horticulturalists. By the time they finished the first year they hadn't even gotten in the groove. I'm not sure they even achieved after the second. I think they saved all their horticultural writing for other books. The letters between two Americans, Alan Lacy and Nancy Goodwin in "A Year in Our Gardens" in infinitely better.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite book that does not resonate only with gardeners. These two famed british gardeners not only exchange info and argue about gardening, but savor the beauty and bounty of their harvests and expand into discussions of music, friendship, the power of a letter. A big favorite -- all the more so from having met them and visited their gardens.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read all of his books. This is easy to read and gives insight into his style

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit tedious at times, but overall interesting insight into Christos gardening life.

[Merry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A year's dialogue between two gardening experts - a super read, especially if, like me, you're devoted to gardening and listening :-)

[Ann Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 2011

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very interesting to read. These 2 amazing and well known gardeners exchange letters about gardening and life over the course of a year(I think?). There is so much collective knowledge between them, and you feel lucky to be able to reads about even a small portion.
I had to look up several of the plant species mentioned, which I love. Always be learning!
Well worth a read for any avid gardener.