Unearthing The Secret Garden: The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett

by Marta McDowell

“Blooming with photos, illustrations, and botanical paintings, McDowell’s gorgeous book opens an ivy-covered door to new information about one of the world’s most famous authors.”—Angelica Shirley Carpenter, editor of In the Garden

New York Times bestselling author Marta McDowell has revealed the way that plants have stirred some of our most cherished authors, including Beatrix Potter, Emily Dickinson, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. In her latest, she shares a moving account of how gardening deeply inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett, the author of the beloved children's classic The Secret Garden.
 
In Unearthing The Secret Garden, best-selling author Marta McDowell delves into the professional and gardening life of Frances Hodgson Burnett. Complementing her fascinating account with charming period photographs and illustrations, McDowell paints an unforgettable portrait of a great artist and reminds us why The Secret Garden continues to touch readers after more than a century. This deeply moving and gift-worthy book is a must-read for fans of The Secret Garden and anyone who loves the story behind the story.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Biography, Nature, Books About Books, History, Plants

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2021

About the author

I live, garden and write in Chatham, New Jersey where I share my garden with my husband, Kirke, assorted wildlife and approximately 10,000 honey bees. You will often find me at the New York Botanical Garden, where I teach landscape history and gardening courses. My new book, All the Presidents' Gardens, is coming out from Timber Press in October 2016. (I'm excited!) When I'm not gardening I like to read and knit and cook and eat, though not all at the same time.

My husband, Kirke, summarizes my biography as “I am therefore I dig.”

Reviews

[Gina House · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and beautiful! 🤩🌿💚

Why, oh why, did I wait so long to read this book? I've had it on my wish list for at least two years and, though I could have bought the book online, I always wanted to find it in a bookstore (which I never did). 'Unearthing The Secret Garden' is now in my top 10 of favorite non-fiction books of all time. I loved it!!

Although I wouldn't call myself a gardener, I do love gardens (especially flower gardens) and I truly enjoy reading about other people's gardens. In the past, I haven't had much luck finding gardening memoirs that are both readable and entertaining....until now!

Marta McDowell does such an amazing job sharing not only some of the life of Frances Hodgson Burnett, but also explains the gardens of this fabulous author (and garden enthusiast) in such an approachable and beautiful way. Not once did I struggle with Latin names for flowers (so frustrating when you'd like to know which plants or flowers are being described and you need to look up every other word online) or feeling confused about what the author meant when it came to gardening terms or areas. Though this is not a gardening how-to book, it's the absolute perfect mix of biography, quotes, excerpts from FHB's letters, photographs, illustrations and gardening lists/information.

I can't say enough about this book! I originally borrowed this book from the library and now I'm waiting on my own copy to arrive. I've already copied multiple quotes from this book to my Commonplace Book. But, I'd love to be able to annotate my own copy and read this book again as soon as possible. 'Unearthing The Secret Garden' is going to be a definite re-read for me every single year—the tone is so comforting and inspiring. It's like a hug in a book (which is the best thing I can say of any book I read)!

Highly, highly recommended! (and not only if you love The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett and/or gardening)

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who was entranced by the magic of The Secret Garden should read this book. It makes me even more excited to have a secret garden of my own someday. I also loved getting to read Burnett’s short writings on gardens printed at the back, especially the story of the real robin that inspired Mary’s.

[Broken Lifeboat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely book that stays focused on Burnett and her gardens. Interspersed with multiple color and black/white pictures and photos, this biography moves quickly and includes Burnett's related essays and lists of her plants.

The type of book only a gardener could write about the author and inspiration behind the childhood classic The Secret Garden.

[Booknblues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unearthing The Secret Garden: The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett is a niche read for me which combines my love of gardening with my love for The Secret Garden. I was late to reading The Secret Garden, but read it last year and just loved it.

Unearthing the Secret Garden melds biography with gardening book and wonderful illustrations. I found it to be such a beautiful book.

I discovered reading this book that Frances Hodgson Burnett came late to gardening at about her mid 40's. But when she discovered gardening it was full force remaking the gardens at Maytham Hall which was to be the inspiration of The Secret Garden.

I read Unearthing The Secret Garden on my kindle, but if you get a chance pick up a hard copy as there are just so many exquisite illustrations in this book. Lovely period illustrations of The Secret Garden and many lush photos of flowers and gardens.

As I referred to earlier this is not a book for everyone but for me it was lovely and I so enjoyed reading it.

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each day after reading The Secret Garden aloud to my kids I stole some time to read this book to myself. The author focuses on Frances Hodgson Burnett as a gardener! I loved reading about how she planned her beautiful gardens throughout her life and how bits of her own garden inspired The Secret Garden-even her own relationship with an English Robin. Sigh. It's filled with photos of Frances and her gardens, flowers, and illustrations from the many versions of The Secret Garden.

The book contains some of Frances Hodgson Burnett's own writing, including "My Robin" (it's delightful) and "In the Garden" 6 essays on gardening, which she wrote for magazine.

And drum roll please, at the end is a list of all the flowers she mentions in The Secret Garden, along with the flowers she grew at Mayhem Hall, Plandome, and Clifton Heights! She loved flowers, especially roses and delphinium, but refused to have any speck of mangeta flowers in her garden!

Favorite Quotes from Frances:

"An intimacy with a robin-an English robin-is a liberal education."

"In your heart of hearts if you really want a garden, you can have one. You can make it yourself. Anyone can have a garden-if it is only two yards wide. I say this because I know. If you can only love a large garden then you will need money, gardeners, hotbed, and cold frames and greenhouses. But if your heart longs only for a garden and you are willing to plan to it, care for it, love it, you can have one."

Favorite passage from her great-great-granddaughter:

Morning miracles have been happening in our family for over 150 years. They can all be traced back to the seeds that each generation has chosen to sow.

My great-great-grandmother Frances was a seed planter long before she ever had a garden of her own. She planted her words on paper so that readers could be entertained. She planted joy in the hearts of orphan boys on Drury Lane in London by building a library for them. She even planted courage in her son as he died of tuberculosis, so he would not be afraid of death. And she planted happy endings so that others might believe in them too.

Whether we can keep a houseplant alive not or, the seeds we plant with our words and actions have power to make things come alive in generations to come. What will you choose to plant? Kindness, encouraging words, a garden?....The seeds you choose to plant in your own backyard and heart are totally up to you…Water what matters most, instead of weeds.

(That last part harkens back to one of my favorite Secret Garden quotes: where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow."

[Vicki Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've long been a fan of Marta MacDowell's elegant and knowledgeable garden-related prose. For me, as a gardener, a writer, and a reader, my cup overflows when she turns her discerning eye to writers and their gardens. Beatrix Potter, Emily Dickenson, Laura Ingalls Wilder have all received their due from this fine writer. But, oh! when she takes on Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden, it is a match made in gardening heaven.

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in saying that The Secret Garden is one of the formative and best beloved books of my childhood. MacDowell's account of Burnett's life and writing and gardens is a sumptuous feast of delights. Much like Louisa May Alcott, Burnett turned to writing ‘pot-boilers’ to support herself and her family. With the publication of Little Lord Fauntleroy, she became a very wealthy woman--and was enabled to support her gardening passion in a manner most of us can only dream of. Gardeners! Cartloads of rose bushes! Delphiniums by the bushel!


During the course of her life, Burnett made gardens at three homes--one in England, one on Long Island, and one in Bermuda. MacDowell details the making of these wonderlands in such vivid description that the photographs and illustrations of which the book is full, are hardly necessary, delightful though they are.

And learning about Burnett herself was fascinating. I've had an almost lifelong acquaintance with Mary Lenox (The Secret Garden) and Sara Crewe (A Little Princess) and I loved seeing how they echoed bits of their creator's life.

Highly recommended, especially for gardeners and fans of The Secret Garden.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked but did not love this book. It was well-researched and full of detail but not particularly well-written. The author's love of gardening and reverence for Burnett's gardens does shine brightly throughout.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. We even featured it on our Gardenangelists podcast. McDowell dives into the garden that inspired the book, The Secret Garden, and the life of its author. She uncovered some of Burnett's work that inspired all of her garden writing. It's a very special work.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

a delightful read for those of us who love both gardening and The Secret Garden!

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming and highly educational book, filled with anecdotes and illustrations to delight lovers of books and gardening alike.

[Holly Senecal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic. That. for me, is the best way to describe this book. As a lover of flower gardening and The Secret Garden this book was a dream come true. After finishing reading, I wanted to write a Thank You note to Marta McDowell for creating it! It was very easy to form the pictures in my mind like actually being on a walking tour of these gardens/settings. A copy of this will be on my list to buy for people at Christmas.~ Truly wonderfully done.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Unearthing The Secret Garden is a gently written hybrid biography and period historical garden inspiration written and curated by Marta McDowell. Due out 12th Oct 2021, from Workman Publishing on their Timber Press imprint, it's 320 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

I read The Secret Garden in my childhood and like so many others, it helped to inculcate in me a love of planting seeds, caring for my small garden patch (in my grandparent's garden) and later plants wherever I found myself. This book is a nice homage to both Burnett's life and her own (real life) gardens as well as the other horticultural writing she produced, and some garden inspiration for translation into readers' own green spaces.

The biography follows Burnett's childhood, life in England, subsequent emigration to America, and adulthood - in the words of author McDowell a riches to rags to riches story.

The book is beautifully illustrated throughout with photographs and facsimile reproductions of illustrations from early editions of The Secret Garden . The photos and facsimiles are captioned and provide insight into Burnett's life, family, and social circles. There are also numerous excerpts from personal correspondence and news and other print media appearances, being one of the most highly paid authors of her time.

Five stars. I found the book engaging, well written, beautifully illustrated and full of both biographical narrative and gardening inspiration.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This book was fantastic. In addition to an abbreviated biography of Frances Hodgson Burnett, we got to know about some of the 3 gardens in her life, particularly her garden in England.

I grew up watching The Secret Garden as a child religiously and it had a deep impression on my life. I recently reread the book as an adult by listening to it on audiobook but I have to admit that the descriptions of flowers and plants went over my head. I was focusing more on plot. This book inspired me to go back and do a close read.

In this book McDowell talks about Hodgson Burnett's love for a robin that was raised in the garden of her English home. I'm assuming her story, My Robin, was a fictionalized version of her relationship with this bird. It was so sweet and heartwarming to read about it. It definitely made me want to go down the rabbit hole of reading more of her work, particularly her nonfiction work. This book mentions the fact that Hodgson Burnett wrote nonfiction pieces that detailed gardening. I haven't been able to find an autobiography from her but I do know that she wrote a series of six gardening essays called “Gardening for Everybody” in The Country Gentleman, a popular magazine. I'm now determined to track down any nonfiction work she wrote about flowers and plants.

I don't have a plot of land of my own and this book made me long for a garden like I haven't in years. All I could think about was the magic of The Secret Garden, my childhood memories, my love for gardening, and the magic of spring. I felt so inspired reading this book and I would recommend it for any garden lover.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED The Secret Garden as a kid and remember watching one of the movie versions with my Dad. My Dad was a gardener and I remember us going to visit gardens on the weekends and looking for one like The Secret Garden with a brick wall enclosure. Frances Burnett had a very interesting life, especially for the time as a woman. She was very successful as a writer and worked all the time, but also devoted lots of time to gardening and planning her gardens. This book is divided into 4 sections - about each of her three homes and the gardens she kept there and how they inspired her to write The Secret Garden. The final section is some of her other writings including a precious story of the robin who inspired the robin in The Secret Garden book. The final chapter is written by Frances's great-great-granddaughter Keri Wilt about her great-great-grandmother's gardening inspiration in their family. Overall, it was a great book about Burnett's love of gardening and how that inspired one of the world's most beloved children's books. If you're a fan of The Secret Garden AND a gardener then this is the perfect book for you. It reminded me a lot of Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life by Marta McDowell.

A quote I liked:

"And as long as you have a garden you have a future, and as long as you have a future you are alive." (p. 267)

[SarahJessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new friend, Miriam, lent this to me after visiting my garden as part of our new neighborhood garden meet up group. To be lent a book so perfect for your interests, by someone you have spent only a few hours with, is a truly remarkable gift. I feel so seen! Miriam is a gift, as is this book.

This treasure covers The Secret Garden author Frances Hodgson Burnett's life in roughly three stages, including the manor house and grounds that inspired The Secret Garden. There is a fourth section which includes some of her additional writings about gardens, and I'd never known about them and enjoyed them so much. Her tale of her rhapsodic relationship with a robin is not to be missed. And there is a fantastic list of what plants the author could glean from FHB's correspondence at the end, too, which I will obviously now try to see if I can replicate in my yard. I absolutely tore through this in a couple of days, aided I suppose by the abundance of illustrations from various versions of The Secret Garden and of plants.

My only question now is do I buy a copy for my very own off of the Great Satan or do I wait patiently for it to show up on Thriftbooks?

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyably, beautifully put together. Each chapter invites the reader into the garden with an illustration of Mary at the door to her secret garden. The book goes on to be be generous with more illustrations from the various editions and photos of Burnett (in the garden in a big hat and fancy dress), Burnett's various gardens, and the flowers and birds that were in them. The book is nicely organized into sections headed before, inside, after, and outside the garden and around the the three gardens Burnett had in England, New York, Bermuda. The last section, outside the garden, includes some of Burnett's other garden writings. "My Robin" tells about Burnett's friendship with robin: "Birds are creatures who must be wooed, and it must delicate and careful wooing which allures them into friendship" (237).

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a child I loved the Secret Garden and Little Lord Fauntleroy. This was a good opportunity to learn more about the author. She was self-made and the breadwinner of her family. She reminded me of Lucy Maud Montgomery, another female writer a few years after. Both are not considered "great writers", but they were self-made and faced obstacles. Lucy Maud Montgomery had a difficult childhood, was saddled with a depressive husband, and worked (wrote) constantly to support herself and family. Frances Burnett was able to divorce her husbands and was rich enough to have homes in England, Bermuda, and the US. Nonetheless, she was a working-writer, suffered depression, etc. This particular book focused on Burnett's gardens, which reminded me of Beatrix Potter.

[Becky Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely book and especially delightful for garden lovers and fans of “The Secret Garden.” The illustrations were so pretty and the pictures of Frances Hodgson Burnett were really fascinating. I had the print copy and also read parts of the book on my Kindle. The ebook was really well done- the pictures were clear and bright even on a phone.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet book about the life of Frances Hodgson Burnett, the 3 homes she lived in, and the gardens she loved. The book has essays by Frances that I had not seen before, also many references to The Secret Garden, and pictures from different editions.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would've been better if the author had kept their opinions to themselves. I think it was supposed to be informal?, but often came across as down right condescending eg: "oh, Frances, what were you thinking?"
Stick to the facts, not making judgements on people you never even met!

[Merilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful pictures, photos, and illustrations about Frances Hodgkin Burnett’s gardens, including her Secret Garden story.

[Linda Rowlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a Herb Society book club in conjunction with reading The Secret Garden. Learning about Burnett’s life was enlightening. I believe creating the character of Colin must have been something of catharsis for her, saving a child after her own son had died. Burnett wove elements of her life and gardens into her novel. Even after reading this book, however, I still question her characters’ treatment of the impoverished family on the moors. Burnett had known poverty herself.

Marta McDowell seemed to think her book needed padding. She added some lesser known of Burnett’s nonfiction pieces. She added a note by Burnett’s great great granddaughter.

I loved all the photographs.

Favorite line from an essay by Burnett included in this book: “As long as one has a garden one has a future, and as long as one has a future one is alive.”

[Meg GlitteryOtters · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden remains one of my most beloved books of all time, both in childhood and now as an adult. It contributed to my curiosity and imagination as a child...I secretly named sloughs, houses and park walkways pretty names, as she did. And still do! Gardening was essential for Hodgson Burnett's mental and physical health and taught her more about nature and life than any education could. This delightful book describes snippets of her childhood and in greater detail her gardening/horticulture/writing life. Her flowery and insightful writing was remarkable a century ago, remains lovely to this day and surely will in the future. So easy to lose oneself in.

Marta McDowell writes about Hodgson-Burnett''s marriages and children, one of whom sadly died as a youth. Her personal fears, sorrows and joys are described as she moves from home to home and plans her gardens. Leaving her beloved Maytham must have been utterly crushing. As a master gardener myself, the glorious descriptions and photographs about America lindens, chestnuts, roses, delphiniums and zinnias fill me with happiness. Oh, to have gardens as she did! And the roses...I could almost smell them when reading. McDowell really made Hodgson-Burnett's life come to life in an all-sensory way. But it's more than that...it's the cover, The Secret Garden illustrations, botanical art, dinner guests' sketches and quotes which all come together to create a very aesthetically and emotionally enchanting read. Not only was she besotted with roses but also cheery robins and garden critters. The photos of her in her gardens with her fancy hats and dresses definitely tell of a different time, but such a fascinating time! As if this beauty weren't enough, McDowell also includes short works by Hodgson-Burnett. I love the stories about her generous rose cuttings and practical tips but most of all, the insight into her story. The most breathtaking photograph is that of the cascading roses over the blue door. This is precisely how I imagined The Secret Garden to look.

"Garden where you are. Garden with what you have. Simply garden." Brilliant. And so very true. All fans of Frances Hodgson-Burnett ought to read this book. And if you haven't yet read The Secret Garden, you are never too old.

My sincere thank you to Timber Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this astounding book about one of the most deliciously descriptive authors ever!

[Samantha Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lovely history book, in the guise of a gardener’s guide. The author/researcher charts the gardens that inspired Burnett’s writing, particularly “The Secret Garden.” So much of Burnett’s personal life went into the creation of her enchanting stories—I learned a lot about her and I’m grateful for that. I loved reading The Secret Garden when I was a little girl and the movie left a lasting mark. Did I pick up this book expecting it to be a how-to guide for creating my very own Secret Garden? Yes. But was it a fine read? Very much.

[Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This included a nicely-written biography, gorgeous pictures, and quite a lot of information about the plants that Frances Hodgson Burnett grew in her various gardens.

There was a theme of how Mrs. Burnett worked very hard to earn a good income, and then enjoyed her earnings by spending them on fine clothes, travel, houses, and above all, gardens. I was happy to learn that she'd had a number of years during which she'd been able to indulge in the things that made her happy.

I first read The Secret Garden as a small child, and certainly liked the idea of a garden of roses and flower bulbs, and various other kinds of flowers. Now, many, many years later, and after the considerable efforts I've put into collecting Old Garden Roses and heirloom varieties of bulbs, I had the tools for critical analysis. Mrs. Burnett seemed to use the best roses available to her in the first couple of decades of the 20th century, and, in temperate climates, annual flowers that would bloom all summer. I just had the same experience of how the begonias I put in various shady spots around the yard bloomed all summer, and filled in the areas between small new shade perennials.

Not only the flower colors but the fragrances of the flowers were important to Burnett and her son Vivian. She mentions a few times in letters the fragrance of certain roses. I'm not personally familiar with much in the way of roses from the early part of the 20th century, but I've seen color pictures of them, and read descriptions of their forms and fragrances. She was able to grow China and Tea roses in Kent, which apparently has a mild climate. Mrs. Burnett also used roses such as 'Red Radiance.'

When she moved to Long Island, I get the impression that she needed plants that were a little hardier than those in her garden in England. But there were also quite a wide variety of garden plants available to her at that time. Mrs. Burnett also got a house in Bermuda, so she could avoid the cold weather and snow of a Mid-Atlantic state winter. I was jealous. :) She learned about tropical plants in Bermuda, and grew hibiscus and many other plants that do well in that climate. This included China and Tea roses again.

Alth0ugh Burnett didn't keep lists of her plants in the same way some gardeners do, the author made a list with documentation from her correspondence, and a note of which of the flowers were in the Secret Garden. Most of the list looked reasonable to me. I saw pear tree listed as a vine, so that was an error, but otherwise the list was informative.

The book went well with my interests, and I enjoyed it.

[Louise (Bookmarks and Stages blog) Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated on my blog as 4 1/2 stars...
Peel back the cover and enter the hidden entrance into the world of Frances Hodgson Burnett, a greatly celebrated author, and discover a world of gardens and writing and more and uncover some new information...Unearthing The Secret Garden is a lovely and interesting book for gardeners, fans of Frances Hodgson Burnett and of course - The Secret Garden. The book seems well researched and well thoughtout. It's part biograpghy and part about the plants that inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett whilst writing this much treasured children's book, that has indeed become a much-loved classic that's even inspired films.

The book provides a glimpse into her life and her gardens and the flowers she liked so well. The flowers are simply beautiful and there are even some useful tips, making this attractive to any gardener reading this book.

The book tells of how she was born in Manchester, England in 1849 and later became friends with Little Women series writer - Louisa May Alcott when her and her mother moved to the USA after the death of her father

It tells of how she started writing young and yet hadn't actually created her own garden until she was middle-aged. She infact created many gardens. There are interesting articles that have been reproduced for this book, which add a bit of depth and what's even more special is, it of course adds her voice as it were, her first hand accounts. There are also photos of her gardens, including Maytham in the UK, how they are presently. The book tells of Maytham being inspirational for transforming for The Secret Garden, into being called Misselthwaite Manor.

There is much love and heartbreak that is shown in Frances Hodgson Burnett's life, including family as well as the homes she lived in between the UK and US. It shows within times of upheaval and sadness, how gardens became a place of solace and brought something positive again into her life. The book also looks into her writing life and tells of some, perhaps lesser known books, which is a lovely touch and may inspire readers to explore those too.

It's overall a fascinating read that has passion from page to page and you can tell that a whole lot of research went into creating this beautiful book that gives a sizeable glimpse into life - both personal and writing life and her gardens.

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 5 out of 5]

At risk of alienating myself from book lovers everywhere, I have only read The Secret Garden once and that was last year, and honestly, I didn’t think much of it. I absolutely adored the Maggie Smith film version from my childhood, but I didn’t find the book that special. But that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in the book’s history and how Frances Hodgson Burnett depicted such an absorbing garden.

In Martha’s book, she has provided some of the original illustrations from The Secret Garden which are just simply delightful and make me feel like a child again. Frances came to gardening relatively late and I think that’s why her descriptions of the garden and the imagery portrays a very warm, innocent, almost childlike view.

I know you run the risk of spoilers (can you really spoil a book that came out in 1911?) but I wonder if it would be more beneficial to read this book before reading The Secret Garden? I personally feel I have a more thorough understanding of Frances and her love of flowers that I might give the original text another go as I think I’ll get more out of it.

The way Marta describes France’s hometown of Rolvenden makes it sound like the most magical place and I even went property searching there as it sounded wonderful - we’ll ignore the fact that the house I fell in love with was over half a million pounds.

I love that Marta included some of Frances’ other, less known writings so we can see the woman behind The Secret Garden. She seemed like such a warm and loving woman.

One of the latter sections which documents every plant either mentioned or planted by Frances is absolutely amazing and a godsend for bibliophiles and gardeners. The time and effort that must have taken is commendable. You can really see Marta’s passion for the topic.

Also in her acknowledgments, she mentions that her mother’s grandfather was Vivien, Frances’ son, which makes Frances Marta’s great, great grandmother, so it’s not wonder she’s this passionate.

[Olde American Spirit · Rating 5 out of 5]

☕ FAVORITE QUOTE? “I adored stories in which people had parks or gardens or lived in rustic cottages or walked in forests, or across moors, or climbed blue hills.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett

Unearthing the Secret Garden was published in 2021 by Marta McDowell.

*[I published a new YouTube video this morning that includes a review and rating for this and a few others] *

📚WHAT’S TO LOVE? I appreciate the way the book is separated into four sections:
Before The Secret Garden, Inside The Secret Garden, After The Secret Garden, and Outside The Secret Garden.

This book shows the places and plants that inspired her works of art!

I was surprised to discover that it also goes into much detail about her childhood, coming of age, successes, grief, and failures. I’m one to enjoy the backstory of those I admire. This book has that!

It’s quite a thick book, but I adore the hardcover edition that I bought and it will be a reference book for many years to come. 💕

CAUSE FOR PAUSE? While I do love details and backstory, this book went into SO many more details that any of us need to know.

However, this detailed list of FHB's plants and trees of each of her three gardens is a wonderful resource.

CONSIDER READING IF… you are a ‘Secret Garden’ fan, a lover of incredible children’s fiction, an aspiring writer, AND/OR an enthusiastic gardener with a whimsical heart.

I’m stingy with those stars, but this one gets five!

MY RATING 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

☕📚

[Phillip Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the book "The Secret Garden" so I was interested in reading about the life of the author Frances Hodgson Burnett. She was born in Manchester, England in 1849. Her and her mother moved to Knoxville, Tennessee after the death of her father. Burnett began writing stories at the age of 19 and she published a dozen novels before her greatest successes - "Little Lord Fauntleroy" (1886) and "The Secret Garden" in 1911. During her time, she was one of the highest paid writers in the country. Burnett herself was a colorful figure, a world traveler, entertainer and friends with Henry James and Louisa May Alcott. She was almost 50 before she created her own garden at a country estate she purchased in Kent, England. Her experiences in that garden greatly influenced "The Secret Garden". In addition to the biographical details, the book also reprints several articles Burnett wrote including an account of the robin who plays a big part in "The Secret Garden". A list of the plants she grew in her gardens (she later lived in New York and Bermuda) is also included. The book is nicely illustrated with portraits of Burnett, her gardens and illustrations from editions of "The Secret Garden".