I spotted a copy of The Wonderful World of Bulbs by Bebe Miles (1963) at a local antique mall the other day and wondered why I'd never heard of the author. Then I picked up the book, opened it, lost my footing, so to speak, and tumbled down another rabbit hole in search of Bebe Miles, another Lost Lady of Garden Writing. I read her official author biography on the cover of her book so I know that Bebe was "a resident of Wayne, Pennsylvania, is a free-lance writer who loves to garden." … [Read more...] about Lost Ladies of Garden Writing: Bebe Miles
lost ladies of garden writing
Lost Ladies of Garden Writing: Josephine Nuese
In January, a popular garden meme makes its way around the internet with a quote that may or may not be attributed to its author, Josephine Nuese, my next featured Lost Lady of Garden Writing. The familiar quote is, "Anyone who thinks that gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year. For gardening begins in January, begins with the dream." Gardeners trot that quote out every January as though it was a decoration of the season and post it … [Read more...] about Lost Ladies of Garden Writing: Josephine Nuese
Lost Ladies of Garden Writing: Mildred Luedy
In my stack of Christmas-y gardening books is a slim book, The Christmas Rose, written and published in 1948 by Arthur E. and Mildred V. Luedy. 'Tis the season for Mildred to be my latest lost lady of garden writing. In the foreward, Mildred and Arthur wrote, "The authors have set down herein some of their experiences in growing The Christmas Rose, Helleborus niger altifolius, over the past quarter century, in the hope that some who may not have known this most enchanting flower … [Read more...] about Lost Ladies of Garden Writing: Mildred Luedy
Lost Ladies of Garden Writing: Lizzie Page Hillhouse
I recently received a box of old gardening books that someone offered me, knowing that I've often claimed my library is a sanctuary for old gardening books. The last book I pulled out of the box was House Plants and How to Succeed With Them by Lizzie Page Hillhouse (A.T. de la Mare Ptg. and Pub. Col. Ltd., 1897). There I stood between two rabbit holes—how did they tend house plants 125 years ago and who is Lizzie Page Hillhouse? Lizzie is another Lost Lady of Garden Writing. Like … [Read more...] about Lost Ladies of Garden Writing: Lizzie Page Hillhouse
Lost Ladies of Garden Writing: Buckner Hollingsworth
I wrote about Buckner Hollingsworth back in 2014 but decided to post about her again today because she deserves a place amongst the Lost Ladies of Garden Writing. Buckner, or Buckie to her friends and family, was born on December 20, 1892 in Baltimore, Marland. She served in the Red Cross in World War I, attended Bryn Mawr College, and later married the artist Will Hollingsworth with whom she had one one son, Kirk. Eventually Will and Buckner bought a house on Main Street in … [Read more...] about Lost Ladies of Garden Writing: Buckner Hollingsworth
Lost Ladies of Garden Writing: Mrs. Francis King
Our next Lost Lady of Garden Writing is Mrs. Francis King. She was the editor and sometimes the author behind all of the books in The Little Garden series published in the 1920s. Truth be told, she's not lost! Not like the other garden writers we've been looking for this summer. Mrs. Francis King was easy to find. In an article published by the New York Botanical Garden, they revealed that at one time she was considered "the fairy godmother of gardening". Quoting that … [Read more...] about Lost Ladies of Garden Writing: Mrs. Francis King
