Earth on Her Hands: The American Woman in Her Garden

by Starr Ockenga

Photographs and interviews lead readers into eighteen outstanding American backyard gardens and introduce them to the women who created them

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 1998

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful rainy day read. A forest of women gardeners and how/why/when they created and tended their gardens, complete with photos and garden maps. Does a soul good to read such shared passion for plant life and earth in general.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful rainy day read. A forest of women gardeners and how/why/when they created and tended their gardens, complete with photos and garden maps. Does a soul good to read such shared passion for plant life and earth in general.

[Laura Cason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best goodwill find ever! This is such a lovely book - I loved how the stories were laid out and the stories and conversations behind the women of each garden. Big fan.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subtitled “The American Woman in Her Garden”, this book tells the stories of eighteen women who have spent decades creating their private gardens, some of which are many, many acres. The gardens they have created and tended are all over the country – Marion Prince Hosmer on the coast of Maine, friends Anne C. Carr and Louise Richardson Allen and their very different gardens in Atlanta Georgia, Jocelyn Horder on the Puget Sound in the state of Washington – and they encompass many styles, from native plants to bonsai, and from the tiniest alpine plants to majestic trees. One night, I read with great interest about the garden of Polly Hill on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Polly Hill’s husband was a DuPont research chemist, and their family spent much of the year living in northern Delaware, where Polly began first to visit, and then to take classes at nearby Longwood Gardens, Winterthur, and the University of Delaware. At the time of this writing, Polly, now very elderly, though continuing her gardening, had arranged for the land to pass into the hands of preservationists, who established a foundation, the Polly Hill Arboretum, dedicated to conservation, experimentation, and education. The gardens are open to the public, free of charge. The day after reading this, I opened my morning newspaper to find Polly Hill’s obituary, she having died the day before at the age of 100! Somehow, I felt that someone I knew, respected and admired had passed away. According to the newspaper, Polly had continued to garden well into her 90’s, until declining strength and health had forced her to stop. What a lady – what wonderful ladies ALL of these gardeners are! And what beauty they leave as their legacies.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It is interesting to match the garden to the face. And there are lovely gardens to learn from. But mostly I study the faces and bodies. These are women who understand why I am a passionate gardener. These women are my future. I study the sun spots and see the kinship. I wonder if people can see the wisdom in my eyes that they all have earned. It's a lesson in philosophy to see the stoicism of their bodies. The variety of gardens and gardeners reminds me that women who do not follow my garden path (azaleas, i don't think so), still have lovely gardens in their own way, and a lot to teach.

This book is one of the best gardening book to serve as a coffee table book and would be an appreciated gift for any gardener.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite gardening books ever. It tells the stories of several different women gardeners, each with their own style. The gardens are described in detail, through their many incarnations. It's porn for any serious gardener. It has all color plates, which are beautiful and each woman's story is fascinating. Highly recommended.

[Ruhegeist · Rating 4 out of 5]

if only I had the money, I would not work but would create my garden hopefully as beautiful as these women.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites.