Vintage Garden Books that are Fun to Read

Vintage Garden Books that are Fun to Read. March 1, 2024.

Lately I have been reading books on gardening history. After wandering down the rabbit hole I began looking at other garden books to read and eventually stumbled onto the Modern Gardening Library series. They looked fun, so I picked up several of these books. These were much older books which I generally love but had not dabbled in garden fiction/nonfiction for entertainment yet, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. They turned out to be very enjoyable and sent me hunting for more. If you have ever read Peter Mayle’s “A Year in Provence” then think of that kind of book only with a garden instead of a house. And having a garden should include a sense of humor for all the elements a gardener faces in the challenge.

Vintage Garden Books that are Fun to Read

The first, “Old Herbaceous” by Reginald Arkell, is a fiction about a cranky old English gardener and his life at a manor garden. His employer is a discerning newly married woman who meets him when he is quite young after he has entered a flower competition. She recognizes his raw talent and doesn’t hesitate to scoop him up before anyone else can. The rest is his career at her manor developing her garden into a thing of beauty. It is a light and delightful read that I highly recommend. It is also only about 150 pages and you can read it for free here.

The second book is called “Down the Garden Path” by Beverly Nichols, one of the original Bright Young Things who’s writing style is quite hilarious as he details his spontaneous decision to buy a cottage and have a garden. This book had me chuckling a lot as I recognize the intensity of the gardener spirit in myself. The challenges may seem insignificant to the many, but to the gardener it is about winning the war. His many anecdotal stories about his failures and successes as well as the lengths he went to ring genuine in the ears of the true garden lovers. It is a charming read and was delighted to find he has written other gardening books that I have already earmarked to read. You can read this for free right here.

Have a beautiful day!