Dear Friend and Gardener
Letters on Life and Gardening
by Beth Chatto; Christopher Lloyd
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Pub Date May 04 2021 | Archive Date Mar 30 2021
Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion | Frances Lincoln
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Description
As Christopher Lloyd and Beth Chatto convey their gardening experiences, share gossip and discuss life and nature, the horticultural expertise of these two long-established friends and distinguished gardeners gives these inspirational letters a life of their own.
Beth Chatto’s garden in East Anglia is a place of pilgrimage for plant lovers, while Christopher Lloyd was one of the major figures in twentieth century gardening, transforming the gardens of his home Great Dixter in East Sussex.
Friday 16 February
Dear Beth,
Today was straight out of my idea of heaven – the first such day this year and the first time that all the winter crocuses have opened wide, in appreciation. Armed with my kneeling pad, I dropped to my knees to savour the honey scent of C. chrysanthus ‘Snow Bunting’. Rosemary Alexander, who spends more and more time at Stoneacre (the National Trust property near Maidstone, which she rents), expressed doubts on whether it wouldn’t be better to concentrate on snowdrops, seeing that crocuses spend so much of their time in an obstinately closed state, loudly proclaiming ‘this isn’t good enough for me’. I can see her point, of course. […]
Tuesday 20 February
Dear Christo,
What a good thing you enjoyed your crocuses when you had the chance! Today we are blanketed in snow once more, with a wild north wind hurling stinging dry snow horizontally past the windows. Your way of having crocuses (and many other bulbs) naturalized in short grass is a far more effective way of growing them than in conventional borders. Left to seed themselves in little knots and ribbons of colour they appear like embroidery across a carpet before something else takes over the design. […]
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780711255807 |
| PRICE | $14.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 304 |
Featured Reviews
Lauren J, Book Trade Professional
I was hoping this would be focussed on their gardens and plants, but the letters are largely about gossip amongst the gardening community and the social scene of them and their peers. This was an interesting insight into their lives in an exciting time in botanical culture, but I was more interested in the gardening discussions specifically.
Brenda C, Reviewer
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.
Amy D, Reviewer
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.
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