Portland Public Library

Emily Dickinson's gardening life, the plants & places that inspired the iconic poet, Marta McDowell

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 234-248) and index

mapsillustrations

index present

non fiction

Emily Dickinson's gardening life

bibliography

1078886283

Marta McDowell

the plants & places that inspired the iconic poet

Emily Dickinson was a keen observer of the natural world, but less well known is the fact that she was also an avid gardener--sending fresh bouquets to friends, including pressed flowers in her letters, and studying botany at Amherst Academy and Mount Holyoke. At her family home, she tended both a small glass conservatory and a flower garden. In Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life, award-winning author Marta McDowell explores Dickinson's deep passion for plants and how it inspired and informed her writing. Tracing a year in the garden, the book reveals details few know about Dickinson and adds to our collective understanding of who she was as a person. By weaving together Dickinson's poems, excerpts from letters, contemporary and historical photography, and botanical art, McDowell offers an enchanting new perspective on one of America's most celebrated but enigmatic literary figures

Preface to the revised edition -- Introduction -- The turning of the year -- Early spring : A gardener's home and family -- Late spring : The education of a gardener -- Early summer : A gardener's travels -- Midsummer : A gardener's ground -- Late summer : A hedge away -- Autumn : A gardener's town -- Winter : Requiem for a gardener -- A poet's gardens -- Planting a poet's garden -- Visiting a poet's garden -- An annotated list of Emily Dickinson's plants -- Afterword -- Sources and citations -- A note on the botanical artists -- Acknowledgements -- Photo and illustration credits -- Index