Presented by Marta McDowell
When we think of Beatrix Potter, we imagine blue-jacketed bunnies and other cute animals. But Potter, an intriguing character in her own right, was also quite interested in plants. Join historian Marta McDowell for an exploration of Potter’s botanical art, the flora and horticulture that appears in her “little books,” and her gardening and conservation efforts in England’s Lake District.
Marta McDowell teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and consults for private clients and public gardens. Her latest book is Unearthing The Secret Garden, about the inspiration for the classic children’s book. McDowell’s new book about garden themes in crime fiction, Gardening Can Be Murder, is due out from Timber Press in September. Timber Press also published Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life, The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder, New York Times-bestselling All the Presidents’ Gardens, and Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life, now in its ninth printing. McDowell was the 2019 recipient of the Garden Club of America’s Sarah Chapman Francis Medal for outstanding literary achievement.