The Writer's Garden: How Gardens Inspired our Best-loved Authors

by Jackie Bennett, Richard Hanson (Photography)

Great things happen in gardens. No one can doubt the importance of the garden in Roald Dahl's life as it was here where he worked, and here that he created James and the Giant Peach. And where would Jane Austen have been if she had never seen a "walk", an ornamental lake, or a wilderness?

Gardens hold a special place in many authorâ??s lives. For Beatrix Potter, Hill Top house was made possible by the new found freedom and wealth that a literary career can bring; for Sir Walter Scott, laying out his garden at Abbotsford was a way of distracting himself from mounting debts.

In this book of 18 gardens and 20 writers, the author examines how the poet, writer, novelist derived a creative spirit from their private garden, how they tended and enjoyed their gardens, and how they managed their outdoor space.


Jane Austen at Godmersham and Chawton
Rupert Brooke at Grantchester
John Ruskin at Brantwood
Agatha Christie at Greenway
Beatrix Potter at Hill Top
Roald Dahl at Gipsy House
Charles Dickens at Gadâ??s Hill Place
Virginia Woolf at Monkâ??s House
Winston Churchill at Chartwell
Laurence Sterne at Shandy Hall
George Bernard Shaw at Shawâ??s Corner
Ted Hughes at Lumb Bank
Henry James followed by E.F. Benson at Lamb House
John Clare at Helpston
Thomas Hardy at Hardyâ??s Cottage and Max Gate 
Robert Burns at Ellisland
William Wordsworth at Cockermouth and Grasmere
Walter Scott at Abbotsford
Rudyard Kipling at Batemanâ??s

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Nature, Books About Books, Writing, Biography

176 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

Jackie Bennett began her career in theatre production before moving into television and writing. She has co-produced several gardening and natural history series, including Channel 4's highly acclaimed Mushroom Magic.

Reviews

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautiful book provided a much-needed armchair escape to the rolling hills of Britain and its stunningly gorgeous countryside homes and gardens. The author did an excellent job of balancing biography with gardening specifics and the photographs (some of which were admittedly too small) were outstanding. Thankfully, many of the gardens portrayed here are now under the care of the National Trust and are open to the public. Overall, it was blatantly obvious how the British landscape inspired some of the greatest works of literature!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you know what this book has done to me? It's made me want to go straight to England and travel all around to see the gardens owned and often tended by famous British writers including Agatha Christie, Beatrix Potter, and Walter Scott, to name a few.

It's also given me a renewed interest in English literature in general and taught me about a few writers I didn't know about. Or know much about.

For each writer, Bennett tells us the story of how the writer came to own or live at the house and garden, what it would have been like for them living there, what they wrote while in residence, and who tends the gardens today. Hanson has provided beautiful photographs of the gardens to accompany the stories.

I think of each chapter as a gardener's bedtime story. One chapter a night, or maybe two, and I've forgotten the cares of the day and the chores of the gardens as I look at the pictures of the gardens and read the story of each writer in his or her garden.

Then I dream of one day going to England and seeing some of these gardens in person.

[Terris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is just wonderful! It highlights 20 of some of the most famous classic authors' homes and gardens -- and there are pictures!! I especially enjoyed some of the history that Bennett included about each author's life. And if you are a specialist in landscaping and gardening, you will enjoy the details about the kinds of trees, flowers, and herbs that are grown in each. Some information is also given about the homes that these gardens surround (and there are pictures!). There is not overmuch information, but just enough to whet the reader's interest! I highly recommend this one!

[Jim Puskas · Rating 4 out of 5]

While taking part in a group read of Oliver Twist, discussions arose about references to gardens in that novel — and other Dickens works. We learned of his habit of writing in a chalet in the “Wilderness” at his Gad’s Hill residence in Kent. As an avid gardener myself, I was prompted to consider how gardens have influenced the works of various writers — and how various writers’ worldviews may have been reflected in the gardens they owned. Hints from some fellow readers pointed me to this book.
As one would expect, this is a handsome, lavishly illustrated volume. To my slight disappointment, Dickens’ garden is not included. No matter; those 28 writers whose gardens are included tell many a delightful story. It’s clear that the personalities of each writer are manifest in the gardens they treasured. For example, Robbie Burns, a man so close to the land, chose a site whose soil and climate offered hard challenges; no luxuriant tropical hideaway to be found here! Despite having been as such a restless traveler, Hemingway built for himself a lush tropical retreat at Key West, while Faulkner chose a cedar and oak woodland. Beatrix Potter created exactly what one would expect: a big sunny garden with lots of cozy hiding spots, whereas Edith Wharton’s gardens are grand, formal and elegant. Perhaps the most remarkable garden featured is that of Edward James, whose surrealist work The Gardener Who Saw God finally might be understood by viewing the fantasy garden he built at Las Pozas in Mexico.
There are many beautiful gardens here but my clear favorite is that designed and created from scratch by Hermann Hesse, who caught the wave of the Garden Reform movement that arose in Germany around 1900. His deliberately asymmetrical house and gardens are so natural and inviting that I long to be able to visit that spot, just to have a seat among the flowers and gaze through the trees at the Bodensee below.
As evidence of the power of reading to open minds to fresh insights, seeing the garden of Frances Hodgson Burnett convinces me that I need to revisit her “Secret Garden”, to capture what I failed to grasp on my first reading.

[Jonny Parshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book combines three passions of mine seldom found in one work: Gardening, writing, and British landscapes. The photographs are fantastic, and the text is enlightening.

[Teddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Austen, Rupert Brooke, John Ruskin, Agatha Christe, Beatrix Potter, Roald Dahl, Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill, Laurence Sterne, George Bernard Shaw, Ted Hughes, Henry James, John Clare, Thomas Hardy, Robert Burns, William Wordworth, Walter Scott, and Rudyard Kipling each have their own chapter in this book. What do they all have in common? They all loved and got inspiration from their gardens.

The Writer's Garden is a coffee table style book stuffed full with pictures of the author's gardens. I know some coffee style books are best for browsing rather than reading but believe me, if you are a literature lover or fans of any of the authors in this book, you will want to read it!

Jackie Bennett talks about each author's garden but also about the authors themselves. For instance, she talks about Jane Austen's childhood, siblings, and the one man who "left a deep impression on Jane- it was to be her only true affair of the heart." She covers the authors from childhood to death.

The photographs by Richard Hanson, left a lasting impression on me. I felt like I was walking in each garden with the authors I read about. The photos and writing go together seamlessly.

I love this book so much that I already ordered a copy for my mother in-law. She loved classic authors and I know she has read several of these. It will be the perfect gift for her. My one and only grip with it is that I find coffee style books hard to hold and get comfortable with to read. I would love a companion book that has just the written part. Something I can curl up with.

Highly Recommended! It would make the perfect gift for literature lovers!

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skipped around in this one, mostly reading entries about authors or gardens that particularly interested me. I was hoping this would dive in a little deeper to the specifics of garden design and plant usage, but it was a little more historical and too broad in scope for that.

[Bookish]

Finally, if I could slip between the pages of any of these books it would have to be this one. From Virginia Woolf to Roald Dahl, Beatrix Potter to William Wordsworth, these are the gardens that gave such pleasure and inspiration to writers of all stripes. There are cottage gardens rife with Allium and floppy roses, manicured parklands, wild woodlands, formal parterres, tiny patches outside sheds, and grand estates with rolling hills of green. Each of them evokes the character of their owners and tells their own stories as well as being the finest of muses. —Ellen Herrick (https://www.bookish.com/articles/best...)

[Jennifer P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about and seeing photos of other people’s gardens, learning about how they live in them and enjoy them. It was fun to read about Jane Austen’s garden and the gardens of other writers. I would love to see a version of this book that includes writers from other countries (focus is on British here).

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an enjoyable read. The history of the Gardens and some of the writers that created or merely enjoyed them, as they lived there. Impressive and expansive. Goodness, but they must’ve had a lot of money to have these huge estates.
Hopefully, someday they will do a United States version, although we hear do not respect the garden as they do across the pond. Alas.

[Ashley Nikole · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sumptuous read. What better pairing can you find than writer's and their garden's? I don't know!
I loved getting to read up on some historic authors--and seeing their gardens--what a glorious time!!
Seriously, read this book.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful glimpse of many of the UK’s famous writers—from Jane Eyre to Jeffrey Archer—and their lives, work, and the gardens they created.

[Terra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writers and their gardens. What could be better? This book lovingly pictures and describes the gardens of 20 great authors in Great Britain, and shares with us which books and poems were written in these gardens and cottages and stately homes, or inspired by memories of childhood spent in the gardens.
Henry James and then E.F. Benson lived at Lamb House, Walter Scott at Abbotsford, Beatrix Potter at Hilltop, and many more. Rupert Brooke perhaps spoke for many of these authors when he wrote “I do not pretend to understand Nature but I get on very well with her … and sit all day in a rose garden to work.”
The author includes many touching and significant incidents from the lives of the authors, and I learned that they had difficult times, often financial hardship and personal heartbreak in addition to joy and occasional acclaim from their writing. The photos are of stunning high quality and with the author’s words make this book a must read for gardeners and for readers.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing book of writers and the gardens which nutured, inspired, created them. Who knew that Roald Dahl first wrote James and the Giant Peach as a result of stories he told his children while they were playing in the family garden? The only downfall was the book only contained stories of British authors.

[Aidan Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's not to love in a book that includes the sentence, "Apparently, Georgian peas are hard to come by"?

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wondrous gardens but the book is worth keeping for the details about the featured writers alone.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent book but could not finish it because some of the pages are duplicated, but enjoyed what I could

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Writer’s Garden is one of the most beautiful books I have ever held in my hands. It is filled with the wonder of gardens and writers, and those contained here are as varied as those categories can be. After the marvelous introduction, which made me anxious to plow quickly through the contents, an impulse I had to stifle, because this is a book to take slowly and savor, I found to my delight the first garden belonged to Louisa May Alcott. It was the sole garden in the book that I have had the pleasure of seeing myself and the pictures were enchanting and awash with memories.

The succeeding gardens were each splendid, some surely more simple than others, but all testament to the sensibilities of the marvelous men and women who planted and oversaw them and eventually allowed them to inspire their souls, and perhaps their books. One of my favorites was the “secret garden” of Frances Hodgson Burnett. It is exactly as I would have imagined as a child when I was reading the book for the first time and lost in the colors and fragrances that Burnett had put into my mind. It dangles with wisteria, has twisted Japanese maple trees and bright azaleas, a heavy iron gate and beautiful stone walls that comb the slope. It is the garden I would plant if I were a gardener and the resources were mine.

I could go on and on about this book. I read the final garden entry last night, when I paid a visit to Emile Zola’s sculptured lawns in the French village of Medan. I have read the book slowly, poured over the pictures, savored the vignettes about the owners…and now, I will read it again, for gardens are surely made for not simply visiting, but revisiting.

Finally, I wish to say a heartfelt thank you to the wonderful friend who gifted me with this treasure. I can never think of a garden, an expanse of green, or a blush of roses without she will be in my mind as well. She and I share the love of both the beauty of nature and the beauty of a masterfully written book; this book is a homage to both of those things, and a work of art in itself. The only thing better than this would be the chance to sit in one of these gardens together and share our afternoon tea.

[Ashley Love Sellers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Previously published in 2014. New edition to be published September 2023.

Gardening may run in my family, but so far I’ve managed to kill every plant I brought home. Still, something in me yearns to have a beautiful garden for inspiration, relaxation, and play. Until then, I’ll have to live vicariously through some of the world’s greatest authors.

The Writer’s Garden is a beautiful and comprehensive book supplying stunning photographs with insight into how gardens (and by extension, gardening) inspired, motivated, or calmed some of the great literary minds. I told my husband this book has ruined me because now I’m not only dissatisfied with our own yard, but I want to travel and see each of these famous gardens, thereby extending our travel wish list. He didn’t seem to mind, and happily began discussing Ernest Hemingway’s home in Key West.

Along with Hemingway, Bennett includes an amazing list of authors including Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Roald Dhl, Rudyard Kipling, and Beatrix Potter, to name a few. Each chapter is devoted to one author, providing a brief autobiography, and then a deep plunge into their love affair with their gardens and how it was influential in their life, both personally and professionally. I was pleasantly surprised at how thorough each chapter was. For example, I had no idea Henry David Thoreau helped Louisa May Alcott’s father in the renovations of his grounds, how Ernest Hemingway spent $20,000 on his salt-water swimming pool, or how Edward James integrated sculptures into his garden after a devastating storm destroyed thousands of his orchids.

The Writer’s Garden is my ideal coffee table read. I loved reading this book right before bed, losing myself in the gardens and stories of iconic authors, and pondering how I might be able to turn my little plot of land into a touch of Eden.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully photographed book tells the biographies of famous authors and their estates/gardens. It is supposedly the world’s best loved authors but it is primarily the rich, white men and women who had such fancy estates or wealth and fame that their homes and gardens were maintained well after their deaths. They were often spectacularly wealthy and privileged, and are largely British authors although there are some from other countries. My favorites were those from elsewhere in the world like Hemingway and Tolstoy.

There are not details on the plants and in many cases there are not gardens and flowers as much as rolling hills and land now. There are many beautiful pictures though and lots of the gardens are the typical English gardens with scrambling roses and plantings that are maintained by crews of volunteers. The book points out that they generally do not look like the gardens that were there at the time but they are still lovely. Interesting facts are throughout about the writers and their work.

I would have loved real historic photos of what the gardens of famous writers looked like at the time they were writing there, but these are just homes preserved by new owners or often by historical societies. It’s still a lush, beautiful journey throughout many styles of gardens and an interesting look at the lives of many classic authors.

I read a temporary digital version of this book for review.

[SusanTalksBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book of lovely full-page photographic images or multiple pics per page of gardens and homes of just under 30 authors, including Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Henry James, Jack London and more. Most of the gardens are apparently open to the public, so for lovers of books and gardens/gardening, this could add a nice layer to future travel plans. The author researched the authors and their homes/gardens, and includes much written historical context, which was very interesting. There is a nice index in the back to look up many historically relevant facts or names. I think this book would make a wonderful gift to fellow readers in your life. I'm thinking of getting it for some book club friends! 5-stars.

I see that this book was previously published in 2014, so this must be a new print, which is great news. Pub date 9/26/23. 240 pages.

Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group, and NetGalley, for providing an eARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

#netgalley @netgalley #thewritersgarden

[Alexandria Blaelock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part author bio, part house/garden bio, and part plant list, this book is full of lovely photos, relevant quotes and lists of books written in residence. Some are beautiful (Rupert Brook's Grantchester), some historically significant (John Ruskin's Brantwood), some inspired by writing (Beatrix Potter's Hill Top) and some inspired writing (EF Benson's Lamb House). It seems that most writer's gardens share "pictures" to look at, fragrances to inhale, winding paths to meander down, and if you're lucky, a little cottage to write in.

Regardless of the quality of the garden, you're probably only going to look at (let alone visit) the garden's owned by writers you like. Just to see if, for a moment, you can get a glimpse of what went on in their heads. For me, that's Roald Dahl's Gipsy House, George Bernard Shaw's Shaw's Corner, and Ted Hughes ' Lumb Bank. Maybe Churchill's Chartwell, Robert Burns' Ellisland, and Virginia Woolf's Monk's House. Ah hell, why not do them all!

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost any fan of 19th or 20th century literature will find something to enjoy in this volume that takes a look at our favorite writers in context of the spaces they chose to inhabit. Liberally sprinkled with beautiful photos and full of biographical details and updates on the current state of the properties, this book will quite possibly inspire a bucket list of must-visit destinations. I'm keenly interested in literary tourism myself, and this was enjoyable armchair traveling. I skimmed over the authors I was less interested in and slowed down for the ones I like. I suspect this will be the way most people will interact with this book.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and Netgalley for this digital review copy.

[Michelle Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love classics and gardens, and this book appealed greatly to me.

It’s laid out beautifully, with multiple photographs of each garden, clean text, and in the back of the book - garden visiting information 😍, along with selected reading suggestions.

While you might be tempted at first glance to just go through the beautiful photos, you’ll eventually want to read the accompanying text to each garden and home, and likely learn a lot.

If you’re a fan of classic authors and beautiful gardens, you’ll want to add this one to your bookshelf. It also serves as a great source of inspiration, if on a smaller scale for many readers.



Thank you to Frances Lincoln and NetGalley for the DRC!

[Chris L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful book about how home and the garden play such an important role in how writers view themselves as people, writers, and family members. The writers' connection to their garden manifests itself in the way they view home and family. Writer Jackie Bennett and photographer Richard Hanson put the authors and their gardens/homes into perspective as she shows how the authors' relationship to gardens and topiary art allows readers to get a deeper understanding of the writers' work. As well as the history of the gardens, Bennett also provides mini bios of each author.

[Diane C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well organized, totally enjoyable, informative and reader friendly book profiling 20 authors from 3 different centuries, their gardens and how these gardens nurtured, comforted, occupied, inspired and motivated them. Wonderful photos, histories, descriptions of the gardens evolving under the authors stewardship, and what is up with these gardens now. All of them are under the umbrella of the National Trust, thank goodness. This book will make you want to get up, buy a plane ticket and plan a garden tour of the British Isles, be warned.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this overview of the gardens of such well-known authors as Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Beatrix Potter, and Winston Churchill as well as others, some of which were barely known to me. Not only was I inspired by the gardens, but I was inspired to read more of what these various authors had written. I also went in search of books to give me a fuller look at some of these places, since I have not the means to travel to them.

[Baihe (Lily) Yang · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing this book, I made a mind note, telling myself that I'll definitely go to one of these gardens/museums one fine day! The most anticipated for me would be to visit the 'Secret Garden' of Frances Hodgson Burnett at Great Maytham Hall in Kent, George Sand's maison in Nohant-Vic and Leo Tolstoy's Yasnaya Polyana in Tula.

#TheWritersGarden #NetGalley

[Charlotte Latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful coffee-table book. The photos are gorgeous and the text covers twenty different writers. Even if you have already read plenty about some of the writers, I think you would learn something new, and information on visiting is given at the back.

[Anne Louise Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUCH a great concept and such a pleasant coffee table book. I appreciated how many female authors were featured. I also, as a Southerner, appreciated seeing photos of Rowan Oak.

**received in exchange for an honest review**