We’ve got a million books in our house. I’m not kidding. So I didn’t have to go far to come up with a list of floral and garden themed books that I thought might be fun to pass along, in the event that you have some time on your hands during this unprecedented time…

CATEGORIES

1. BIOGRAPHY

2. HISTORY

3. HISTORICAL FICTION

4. TRAVEL (YES, WE WILL TRAVEL AGAIN!!)

5. GARDENING AT HOME

BIOGRAPHY

Meryl Gordon’s 2017 book, Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend is one that I recommend right out of the gate.

I thought of this book as soon as I found out that Historic Garden Week in Virginia was going to be cancelled this year. After all, Mrs. Mellon’s gardens at Oak Spring Farm were to be THE hot ticket to Virginia’s annual display of beautiful houses and gardens. Alas, since Garden Week is not happening, we must all look elsewhere for the inspiration and education that we usually come away with after that glorious week in Virginia. So, how about turning to some books?

When I attended Ms. Gordon’s book talk for this book at the Nantucket Atheneum, I was positively riveted with the story of how she came to write the book. Mrs. Mellon’s well known south shore estate had just been sold (2014)—fortunately with rigid conservation restrictions that would save the land from being subdivided or otherwise destroyed—and everyone who loves the drive through her property on the way to the south shore beaches would certainly be interested in what Ms. Gordon would have to say. And they were. It was standing room only and one of the best author talks I’ve ever attended.

A horticulturalist and fervent gardener known for her work at the White House (with her redesign of the Rose Garden, yes, but also for her work as an advisor on White House art and antique acquisitions) as well as for her work on the magnificent gardens at her own Oak Spring Farm and the gardens of many of her friends, Mrs. Mellon was also known for having amassed an extensive library of books on nature and horticulture, with titles going back to the 1500s. In addition to her love for gardens, horticulture and books related to both, Mrs. Mellon was also an art collector; a jewelry collector (and a jewelry lover who had great fun commissioning pieces from the very best designers…the VMFA exhibited her Schlumberger collection back in 2016 or 2017, and it was tremendous!!); and a philanthropist.

Having read each of Ms. Gordon’s other books, Mrs. Astor Regrets and The Phantom of Fifth Avenue, I was excited to get my hands on this one—which I did that very night! It did not disappoint. With cooperation from Mrs. Mellon’s family, Ms. Gordon had access to a plethora of primary sources. A meticulous researcher and beautiful writer, Ms. Gordon used all of the resources at her disposal, from personal interviews (with the subject herself, with friends and family members, with acquaintances, and with those from “outside” of Mrs. Mellon’s circle, as well) to diaries, calendars and other ephemera to present us with a detailed, fascinating and intimate look at a woman who was known to be at once polarizing and cruel by some (we’ve all heard the stories of how she treated family and friends—she was famous for her mercurial ways long before the book was even a thought) and yet also beloved and admired by others (think Jackie Kennedy, Florist Robert Isabell, and then later, through a decorator’s introduction, the former—and disgraced—politician John Edwards). A definite study in contradictions. And, to me, a very lonely soul whose life was ultimately filled with betrayal and loss.

For a little preview of the book, or as a little warm up, I suggest the following articles. The first is a photographic look at Oak Spring Farm from Garden & Gun. The second is an interview conducted by Ms. Gordon (not only a longtime journalist and NYT Bestselling Author, but also a poet!) in 2011. I’ll call that article “Before the Book”. It’s a two minute read that will give you a little glimpse into the character of the woman who would become the subject of the 2017 book.

So don’t wait another day. If you have this book at home and have yet to crack it open, I suggest you go delve into it. And if you don’t have it, it’s a great one to order. And while you’re at it, I would HIGHLY recommend both of Ms. Gordon’s other books —she has a way of capturing what’s truly going on in her subjects’ lives and relaying it in a very human, very compelling way. I will definitely be the first in line when her next book comes out.

History

I can’t tell you how much I loved Andrea Wulf’s 2010 book The Brother Gardeners. One would think that I would take one look at the cover and say “No thanks….do you have something more like a beach read?” Well, let me tell you, don’t let the cover fool you! Though it’s a beautiful cover, it’s not one that would necessarily invite the casual reader to jump right into the action. (The same could be said for her book Founding Gardeners. I’m in the midst of reading that one right now, and I am loving every second of it!)

But if you take the leap, you’ll discover a fascinating cast of characters; treasure ship treachery (where the treasures were plants and seeds, not gold or jewels!); and a fascinating slice of history that was—to me, at least—counterintuitive. For example, did you know that what we think of today as the famous “English Garden” was actually the product of many foreign seeds and plants brought to England from abroad from places like AMERICA?!? YES!! Before America, English gardens had relied on and attempted to copy the styles of the Dutch (who also introduced hot houses to England with William & Mary’s move to Hampton Court), the Italian and the French. They had no real style that belonged to them. But that would change in the mid to late 1700s. In her book, Ms. Wulf highlights six men who created that change by revolutionizing horticulture from America outward.

The introduction of Philip Miller, a naturalist and lifelong gardener who came from a family of gardeners, comes early in Ms. Wulf’s book, as it should. Mr. Miller is credited with popularizing gardening in England with the publication of his 1731 book Gardener’s Dictionary. This book was the first book that explained gardening in practical terms, providing the names of plants and flowers based upon a system of his own creation (which became more than a bit cumbersome); information about what we now know as “zones” and what to grow where; advice on the practical “how to"s of planting and cultivating; and general scientific information gathered from well known treatises on science. Gardener’s Dictionary was THE book to have, and every book that came after it owed its popularity to the gardening craze that Mr. Miller had initiated with Gardeners Dictionary. Ms. Wulf’s pages on Mr. Miller are informative, fascinating and filled with so much “new to me” history, including lists of Miller’s “firsts”, that I’m almost embarrassed when I look at my physical copy of the book and see all of the flagged pages, underlines and notes I’ve made in the margins—within the first 50 pages of the book!

Though all of the men about whom Ms. Wulf writes are important to understanding the history of horticulture, I do have a favorite. It’s almost like having a favorite member of a boy band. “Who was your favorite Beatle?” “Who do you like….Jagger or Richards?” Same thing. My favorite naturalist of the bunch, John Bartram, was an American from Pennsylvania who was really the leader of the garden movement. A naturalist who spent his life traveling and drawing, writing about and picking up specimens or seeds of native plants, Bartram was also an international dealer in plants and such a celebrity that he was named the “Royal Botanist” by King George III. His work with another important figure in the international plant trade, Peter Collinson, who was based in London, assured that Bartram’s plants ended up in many a beautiful garden on the other side of the Pond, and his friendship and scholarly pursuits with Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and, of course, Thomas Jefferson, made him just as well known at home. His life’s work was continued and stewarded along by several later generations of his family, as well as by a group of people outside of the family once his original farm was sold. At that point, a railroad magnate, a nursery owner and botanists in Philadelphia and Boston came together to create a public trust to preserve the Bartram garden in Philadelphia.

Aside from Bartram and Collinson, who did have a bit of an on-again/off-again relationship and were known to bicker, Ms. Wulf also writes of later botanists, including Daniel Solander and Joseph Banks. For some reason, I was not as interested in these later botanists (despite Banks’ trip on Captain Cook’s ship). However, I was consistently fascinated by the Swedish scientist Carl Linné (Carl Linnaeus). Yes, the same Linnaeus we all learned about back in school. The one who came up with the two part naming system to classify all living things—the classification system that became the international standard. But he was particularly interested in botanical life. (See his books Systema Naturae and Species Plantarum). I found myself actually commenting and laughing aloud when reading about Linnaeus—“No way. Are you kidding? I had no idea! What a total narcissist!!!!" Though utterly self absorbed, his classification systems were adopted and are still in use today, and he did contribute more than a little bit to our understanding of the natural world around us. In his own words, “No one has been a greater botanist or zoologist. No one has written more books, more correctly, more methodically, from personal experience. No one has more completely changed a whole science and started a new epoch.”

With a character like Linnaeus featuring so prominently in The Brother Gardeners, how could you possibly NOT read it?

HISTORICAL FICTION

Though not a “garden” book, I am excited to include Kerri Maher’s second work of historical fiction as part of my Quarantine Collection (her first one, The Kennedy Debutante, was also wonderful). The Girl in White Gloves is a thoroughly researched, beautifully written account of Grace Kelly and of the life of a woman who has been idolized by so many for so long. The fact that Grace Kelly adored roses (and gardening!) helped when I was looking for a way to include this little gem on my list of heavily horticultural reads!

A fellow Westonite, Ms. Maher is lovely, funny, and—much like Meryl Gordon—a truly authentic person. I first met her at a very small book talk for her book on Kick Kennedy. She was so refreshingly honest about her process and her thoughts about her subject matter that I couldn’t wait to read the book! (Yes, it was terrific!) And it’s her own authenticity, I think, that allows her to see her subject matter as “real” and undeniably “human” and to then pass that view along to us as readers.

Beginning with her descriptions of Ms. Kelly’s childhood in Philadelphia and throughout the entirety of the book, Ms. Maher’s words dance off of the page and draw the reader in so that we feel like we’re along for the ride, learning about Grace Kelly along with Ms. Maher. For instance, I thought I knew a fair amount about Grace Kelly—-but I had no idea that what she really wanted was a career on Broadway. I had just always assumed that she had been born and bred to move to Hollywood and become a “star” during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Learning about her time in the entertainment industry and then about her life as the wife of Prince Rainier of Monaco disavowed me of that notion. Much like Bunny Mellon, Grace Kelly was a woman whose image did not match her actual life experience. Like Bunny Mellon, Grace Kelly suffered from betrayal, loss, self doubt and loneliness. But she was also strong willed, focused and determined to live her life on her own terms and to be viewed as something more than just a pretty face.

Ms. Maher’s lilting prose helps the reader through the difficult aspects of Ms. Kelly’s life, but it’s her research, combined with her deft use of imaginative details, that really make this book a great read.

Travel

(Because we will eventually travel again!)

The next time you take a driving trip around New England, you must have this book with you. In fact, you might even decide to plan your driving trip around this very book! Because the itinerary is arranged by region for easy driving, you couldn’t go wrong…

Written by a retired physician, Willit Mason, Guidebook to Historic Houses and Gardens in New England: 71 Sites from the Hudson Valley East is a true labor of love and an indispensable resource for those who love touring historic houses and gardens. While Dr. Mason informs us that not every garden listed in his book is connected with a house, and that some destinations might not be star destinations for everyone, his decision to include a few of these lesser known (for lack of a better way to describe them) sites resulted from the thought that people’s interests vary and that, because of their proximity to more well known sites, some of these lesser visited sites might just catch a traveler’s eye and be deemed worthy of a visit. From my read of this guidebook, and based on my years of exploring New England with my historic house and garden loving husband, I can say that Dr. Mason did a terrific job of highlighting both the well known houses and gardens as well as those that might otherwise be left to be appreciated by the “locals”. For example, I pass the Codman Estate in Lincoln all the time, as I like to walk in Lincoln—and it’s on the way to Concord, as well. My husband and his band used to play band gigs at Codman Farm, and the whole place is just so quintessentially New England that I was happy to see it in the Guidebook!

Each listing in Dr. Mason’s Guidebook provides the basic information that any traveler would need to know up front. (It’s good to know when a house museum is closed on Tuesdays, right?) In addition to the basics, Dr. Mason provides a bit of history for each site, as well as a photo in most cases. In his own words, he worked to “…give the highlights of both the house[s] and gardens, define their geographic context and summarize their particular strengths.” Where a property is more historical in nature and less horticulturally focused, he notes that for the traveler. Likewise, when a property is more horticulturally important than historically important (or interesting), he notes that for us, as well. In addition, at the end of each write up, he sums up the important attributes of each site, which helps when time is limited and travelers must make decisions about whether they wish to stop or move along to the next destination. Honestly, I wish I’d had this guide years ago!

While I would love to take a few of Dr. Mason’s destinations and do separate write ups on them based on my own recollections of them, I will refrain. I will only say that you can read about the Hill-Stead Museum here on my blog. It’s one of my favorite house museums, and it has beautiful grounds, including a Beatrix Farrand designed sunken garden. It is also home to Rooms In Bloom, for which I was fortunate to have been asked to design several floral arrangements last year. This year, we were thwarted by the Coronavirus, but there’s always next year! In the meantime, I will be putting some of Dr. Mason’s sites on my list. Because while I’ve covered maybe 50 of them, there are plenty that I have not yet had the opportunity to see…and now I’ll have all I need to plan a little tour when we get the all clear!

Gardening at Home

With all of this time on our hands, many of us will be out in our gardens. I have yet to get out into our garden because it’s been either too cold or too rainy. Plus, I generally don’t plant anything before Memorial Day up here in Boston. But YOU can go to town on your garden….or at least start planning. And I have one resource that governs everything I do when it comes to the garden. Yes, I have millions of gardening books, but this one….well, this one travels with me. It’s been to Nantucket and back countless times, and it’s also been to Virginia and California. It’s a bit unwieldy, but it’s THAT GOOD. Ready for it?

The Garden Primer.

You can thank me later…in the meantime, go grab this book to round out your Quarantine Collection.

Stay well,

xoxo

betsy