Beth Chatto's Garden Notebook

Beth Chatto's Garden Notebook was originally published in 1988 as the third in a trilogy documenting the creation of her famous gardens at Elmstead Market in Essex. Arranged according to the months of the gardening year, the Notebook gently draws the reader into the rhythms of Mrs. Chatto's life. It describes the routines and chores that go with running a nursery; the tending of the display beds; and the pleasures and crises of a busy family. Through it all she shares with the reader the joy she finds in her gardens and her unquenchable curiosity about plants and planting. This is the Chatto philosophy in a nutshell, and her wisdom and advice are applicable to gardens in any part of the world, not just her dry and windy corner of Essex. Thomas Fischer, in a delightful new introduction to this edition, describes Chatto's remarkable career and explains why her design philosophy as well as the practical advice she offers is so appealing to American gardeners.