The garden mail cometh: Books

While I wait for the weather to get warm enough and dry enough to let me do more than pick up fallen twigs and branches, I'm gardening in the pages of books.

. . . 

"A Time to Plant: Life and Gardening at Holker" by Hugh Cavendish with photos by Grania Cavendish.

Published in the UK in 2012 by the great Frances Lincoln, the source of many favorite reads. This one is a book for serious gardeners and Anglophiles. We're the only people who want to hear about gardening on historic estates and are willing to go on a plant-by-plant guided literary tour.

I cut out an article about Hugh and Grania Cavendish (owners of Holker, above at a garden event) from Vogue magazine in May, 1987 because their house and garden looked so luscious. So I've been waiting for this book for almost 30 years. Interesting, informative, a bit boring at times. But I got it after it was on its 3rd markdown on Amazon so no complaints.

In the years since I first read about Holker (pronounced Hooker, in that confusing UK style), they've instituted a great many festivals and fairs and assorted events to draw people to the garden. Early on, Hugh Cavendish realized a nice garden was not enough to keep people coming back. Today they have a three day Garden Festival (in its 24th year), tea and touring with the head gardener, a food market and Holker will be the site of Antiques Roadshow on July 6 this summer. In 2014 Cavendish turned over the reins of the estate to his daughter Lucy (above).

"A Rage for Rock Gardening: The Story of Reginald Farrer" by Nicola Shulman.

A delightful little gem published by David R. Godine in 2004. Entertaining (sometimes laugh out loud) and educational. A great read about one of the many folks who went plant hunting in Asia in the early part of the 20th century. Romantic, fantastic adventures that resulted in the introduction of many new plants now well-known to us. Farrer also figured how to successfully grow Alpine rock garden plants and this book has convinced me not to go there.

He is also the person whose writing style was totally new and became the standard by which all other garden writers measured themselves. Yes, even the great Vita! I only wish Schulman had written more than two books. I'd love to read a whole series of short little treasures like this on all the early 20th C. names in gardening and horticulture. (Farrer in Chinese costume, below).

Comments

[Jenny]

I did a little more research on Holker Hall and found it is only a few miles from where I grew up. We may just pay a visit when we are over this summer. Thanks for the introduction.

[Lisa at Greenbow]

They both sound interesting.

[Linda from Each Little World]

Jenny — ​The book is heavy on plants and I would have liked a bit more about the nuts and bolts of running such an estate. Really looks more like a corporation as far as I can tell. Holker has a quarry on site which has been a big boon financially and they also have a race course which I believe is also on site. So they have more financial resources than many big houses. I also really would have liked to know more about why he picked his daughter and what that means, how he's handing the reins over etc. I will look forward to your future visit. It is always much more interesting to see what hands-on gardeners have to say when they visit such places!

[Erin @ The Impatient Gardener]

I always love your book recommendations. On a completely different topic, did you know Jim Baughman from UW at all? I'm so sad that he died over the weekend, as did Jim Harrison. Two Jims who couldn't have been more different from one another and who profoundly affected my life (one, obviously, more directly than the other).

[Linda from Each Little World]

Erin — ​I did not know Jim B. but saw lots of remembrances of him among my FB friends. I never took any journalism classes at UW. As for the other Jim, I saw the film version of Legends of the Fall but have never read any of his books. I read his obit in the NYTimes and could not decide if I would like his books or not. Have you read any?