"What is gardening, after all, but stories?" asks Mike McGrath, former editor-in-chief of Organic Gardening Magazine and host of radio show "You Bet Your Garden."

In the writings collected in this book, the stories of gardening unfold in the full palette of color and character, of wild imagination and bone-wearying hard work, of fabulous growth and humbling failure. Filled with wit and warmth and a companionable engagement with the land in all its moods and seasons, this wonderful book will see any start-up gardener or seasoned veteran through the most riotous summer of growth or the coldest winter months of waiting and dreaming about what to plant next. Contributors include contemporary essayists Michael Pollan, author of Second Nature and Botany of Desire, Anna Pavord, author of The Tulip, Jamaica Kincaid, author of My Garden (Book), and Diane Ackerman, author of Cultivating Delight. In addition, renowned gardeners and designers—from Vita Sackville-West and Beverley Nichols to Ann Lovejoy and Tovah Martin—eloquently share their experiences “in the dirt” with humor and passion.

Botanical drawings, beautifully illustrated vintage seed catalogs, postcards, and photography by world-renowned gardening photographers Jerry Harpur, Jane Booth, and Richard Brown accompany the text.

Set down that trowel, pull off those garden gloves, kick up your feet, and grab a copy of The Gardener’s Bedside Reader. Don’t be afraid to get a little dirt on the pages as you read stories from your favorite writers at your garden bench. Or turn to this book for inspiration before going to sleep at night during the darkest, coldest days of winter.

Step into the gardens of celebrated authors and renowned gardeners such as Michael Pollan, who reveals his torrid love affair with old roses, join Beverley Nichols as he restores his faded cottage garden at Glatton to its original splendor, and laugh as Ann Lovejoy sings the praises of her new, red “Slug Boots.” Jamaica Kincaid, Diane Ackerman, Susan Orlean, Tovah Martin, Wayne Winterrowd, Joe Eck, Dan Hinkley, Anna Pavord, and Suzy Bales also share their experiences “in the dirt” with humor and passion.

Illustrated with vintage advertisements, gardening memorabilia, lovely botanical drawings, and stunning color photography, The Gardener’s Bedside Reader is sure to inspire everyone from the beginning gardener to the most seasoned gardening veteran.

Set down that trowel, pull off those well-worn garden gloves, kick up your feet, and grab a copy of The Gardener’s Bedside Reader, a lavish and entertaining look at gardening through the ages.

This collection of stories and essays, illustrated with vintage advertisements, gardening memorabilia, botanical drawings, and stunning color photography, is sure to inspire everyone from the beginning gardener to the most seasoned gardening veteran.

Step into gardens of celebrated authors and renowned gardeners such as Michael Pollan, Jamaica Kincaid, Diane Ackerman, Susan Orlean, Beverley Nichols, Ann Lovejoy, Tovah Martin, Wayne Winterrowd, Joe Eck, Dan Hinkley, Anna Pavord, and Suzy Bales as they share their experiences “in the dirt” with humor and passion. Whether exploring personal and spiritual connections or reflecting on the art of the flower, reviewing the trials and joys of designing one’s own garden space or reminiscing on past gardens visited and loved, the story they tell is universal and poignant.

Sumptuous illustrations, from the brilliant colors of modern photography by Jerry Harpur, Richard Brown, and Jane Booth, to the subtleties of botanical illustrations and the vintage artwork featured in garden catalogs and on seed packets, accompany the text.

The Gardener’s Bedside Reader promises a little something for every gardener.

Kari Cornell lives in Minneapolis.

Contents 

Chapter 1: The Perfect Garden

Arcadia by Dan Hinkley

The Garden I Have in My Mind by Jamaica Kincaid

How Does Your Garden Grow? Any Way You Choose by Henry Mitchell

In Your Garden, Excerpt from February 1948 by Vita Sackville-West

Chapter 2: The Nitty-gritty

Slug Boots by Ann Lovejoy

The Delights of Weeding by Suzy Bales

Growing Regret by Dan Hinkley

The Vine by Sigrid Arnott

Among Heirlooms, Tread Lightly by Laura Billings

Chapter 3: Gardens of Lore

Tasha Tudor: Springs Eternal by Tovah Martin

The Visitors by Joe Eck

Down the Garden Path by Beverley Nichols

Chapter 4: Vegetable Heaven

The $64 Tomato by William Alexander

Vegetables Again by Lee May

Gardening in the Supermarket by Wayne Winterrowd

Chapter 5: Ode to a Flower

Into the Rose Garden by Michael Pollan

The Tulip by Anna Pavord

Daylilies by Sydney Eddison

Cultivating Delight by Diane Ackerman

Chapter 6: On the Mend in the Garden

A Garden Cultivates Pure Joy by Dayle Allen Shockley

In Grammy’s Garden by Lela Nargi

Ashes to Ashes by Domenica Di Piazza

Listening to My Garden by Kathie Bailey