Literary Gardens: The Imaginary Gardens of Writers and Poets

Gardens both real and imagined have long captured our imaginations. They are places of mystery and magic, beauty and danger, romance and revelation; writers have used them to reflect longing and create unforgettable moments of drama, escape, and wonder.

Literary Gardens explores thirty of the most atmospheric and emotionally charged gardens in literature. From The Secret Garden and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to Rebecca and The Great Gatsby, these fictional gardens capture the atmosphere and emotion of the stories they belong to. Some feel peaceful or nostalgic, others are rich with mystery or unspoken tension - each is shaped by the characters and moments that are revealed within them. In Literary Gardens, readers will uncover new stories and rediscover old favourites, guided by Sandra Lawrence’s lyrical storytelling and Lucille Clerc’s evocative vision.

Literary Gardens is a tribute to the spaces that have stayed with us long after the final page - a perfect gift for yourself, or anyone who has ever wanted to step through the page and into another world.

Sandra Lawrence is an author and journalist with over 20 years’ experience in the field. She has written about gardens for, among others, the Telegraph, Times, English Garden, LandScape, Garden News, Modern Gardens, Hortus and British Heritage. Her seventeen books include The Witch’s Garden (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/ Welbeck, 2019), The Magic of Mushrooms (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Welbeck, 2022), and Anthology of Amazing Women (20-Watt, 2018). She is also the author of Miss Willmott’s Ghosts (Blink, 2022).