Published in 2005
This Other Eden: Seven Great Gardens & 300 Years of English History (2005)
With Emma Gieben-Gamal
Published by Little Brown
This Other Eden is a captivating narrative of seven great gardens, beautiful canvases that represent not just pleasure grounds but a country’s evolution. Showpieces of grand design, they are also barometers of social change; lasting reflections of intellectual endeavour, of religion and philosophy, science and technology, art and literature – from Robert Cecil’s garden at Hatfield House, conceived by the famous botanist and plant-collector John Tradescant, who travelled widely to seek out unusual specimens, to Capability Brown, who ‘improved’ upon nature to create the archetypal English parkland; from Joseph Paxton, whose engineering feats at Chatsworth mirrored the great Victorian age of technology, to Getrude Jekyll, who turned back to nature and designed the English cottage garden renowned the world over.
Reviews
‘Masterfully told history of English gardens’ – Financial Times
‘This is a smart and readable combination of social history, politics, biography and drama … written with real enthusiasm and expertise … This Other Eden is a delightful hybrid of novel and reference book’ – The Guardian
‘Delectable, serious and beautifully illustrated’ – Literary Review
‘Skilful story-telling’ – Architects’ Journal
‘A book of considerable charm, an ideal present not only for those with a declared interest in garden history’ – House & Garden
‘A truly fascinating book to read before visiting one of these great gardens’ – The Lady
‘A tale of plants, politics and passion’ – Sunday Express
‘I have no doubt this book will become a ‘must read’ for gardening enthusiasts everywhere in the years to come … It was fascinating to read’– Kim Wilde
Interview
Financial Times: “Mowing the lawn for freedom” Simon Busch interviews Andrea Wulf
This Other Eden on Radio 4
This Other Eden was turned into a six-part series on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. I went to six gardens and told their story and their place in English history, culture and society while walking through them. There are also interviews with the head gardeners. To listen to the programmes click on the name of the garden that you are interested in.
