“With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?”
~ Oscar Wilde
It's the time of year when Florida bursts into bloom. Everywhere you turn the azaleas are smiling at you, the bougainvillea are radiant, and the fragrant white viburnum are winking in the background. In the spirit of a beautiful spring day, here is a collection of books that call on you to sit in the garden and smell the blossoms.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what’s been missing in her life.
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean Determined to clone an endangered flower—the rare ghost orchid Polyrrhiza lindenii—John Laroche leads Orlean on an unforgettable tour of America’s strange flower-selling subculture, through Florida’s swamps and beyond.
The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
For Yun Ling Teoh, gardening is a way to rediscover her sense of self and try to atone for the survivor’s guilt she feels after losing her sister during their time in a Japanese internment camp. Brimming with intrigue, this novel delves into the history, cultures, and injustices of World War II, and how life goes on for some in the aftermath.
The Plant Messiah by Carlos Magdalena Carlos Magdalena is a man on a mission: to save the world's most endangered plants. In The Plant Messiah, Magdalena takes readers from the forests of Peru to deep within the Australian outback in search of the rare and the vulnerable.
The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
A transfixing glimpse into a small American town where a mysterious, magical garden holds the truth behind three hundred years of passion, dark secrets, loyalty, and redemption.
The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
Penelope is a retired mother of three who is doing her best to live out the rest of her years doing what she loves most – gardening at her humble home in England – if only her three grown children would leave her in peace.
Our Life in Gardens by Joe Eck and Wayne Winterrowd
An entertaining, fascinating, and unexpectedly moving book about the life and garden they share. Our Life in Gardens is a deeply satisfying perspective on gardening, and on life.