Diary of a Keen Gardener

Mary Keen is the Annie Ernaux of the herbaceous border. She has vast reserves of knowledge, an exemplary eye and best of all a roving curiosity and rare openness to experiment and change. A gorgeous, constantly thought-provoking book, beguiling for gardeners and readers alike – Olivia LaingIn her diary of a year in her Somerset garden, Mary Keen is an utterly beguiling mixture of the expert, the enthusiast and the evangelist – Richard EyreA gem of a book. Full of wisdom, warmth and inspiration. I learned something from every page * Nigel Slater *A delightful book - warm, witty and wise – Alan TitchmarshA beautiful refraction of a year, encounters with plants and friends and gardens in the terrific company of Mary Keen. Her diary is a pure delight * Edmund de Waal *A sparkling gem, an exquisite, intimate joy of a book! To be immersed in Mary Keen’s gardening year, guided by her expert and passionate voice, is a gateway into a profound celebration of the magic of the earth and the deepest kind of happiness. I lingered over every sentence, and then went back to read it all over again * Juliet Nicolson *An engaging and evocative distillation of a lifetime’s experience in the garden * Sue Stuart-Smith *Funny and honest, written in prose as dazzling and meticulous as her garden-making, Diary of a Keen Gardener celebrates the ephemeral while addressing big ideas with analytical intelligence. It is a book I love and that will reward constant revisiting - a treasury * Isabel Bannerman *Beginning in November and continuing month by month for a year, [Mary Keen] shares her growing know-how and celebrates plants and the people that grow them in this gorgeous, informative book. * The Simple Things *

Mary Keen is an internationally known designer who has worked on gardens in France, Corfu and America as well as for many high-profile clients in England. She has made several gardens for Lord Rothschild and she also designed the gardens around the new opera house at Glyndebourne. She has lectured in New York, Chicago, Seattle, Vancouver and South Africa as well as in England. For twenty years, she was a member of the National Trust Garden panel which advises on the care of important and historic gardens.