A Peek Inside Tasha Tudor's Garden

If you have been following mypiggywiggy for awhile, then it is no great secret how much Tasha Tudor has inspired and influenced me. I can't exactly recall when I first saw or heard of Tasha Tudor, though I do recall first seeing a photo of her in her garden and thought someone had colorized a photo from the 1800s. I quickly came to find that the photos were from the 1990s (not the 1890s) and Tasha Tudor was a children's book illustrator and a master gardener who also had a penchant for living her life as if it were the 1850s. 

Who was this woman!? And how could I become more like her?

These are photos from the delightful book "Tasha Tudor's Garden" with text by Tovah Martin and absolutely exquisite photos by Richard W. Brown. The book was first published in 1994 by Houghton Mifflin Company. I found a copy of this book at a local antique shop and sadly it does not have the cover. 

It was very difficult for me to narrow down which photos from the book I wanted to share as the entire book is filled with such gorgeous imagery that I found myself wishing beyond hope that I could insert myself into the pages and be among Tasha's garden that is lost in time.

The book is divided into monthly/seasonal sections and describes all the ways Tasha prepares and works her garden and the different blooms and flowers that grow in her secluded south Vermont property. Throughout the book are little quips and quotes from Tasha which reveals to the reader how proud Tasha is of her garden and how immodest she is about the different rare varieties her garden boasts. You will also find many of Tasha's floral illustrations peppered throughout the book featuring flowers from her garden.

Coming from a generational family of gardeners, it is in Tasha's blood to have such a golden green thumb and throughout the book you are told the great lengths Tasha has gone through to procure rare seeds and flowers.

“I enjoy solitude. It's probably selfish, but why bother about it. Life is much too important, as Oscar Wilde said, to be taken seriously. I feel so sorry for those mothers who are devastated by loneliness when their children fly the coop and don't want to live at home anymore. They feel lost, but look what exciting things can be done. Life isn't long enough to do all you could accomplish. And what a privilege to be alive. In spite of all the pollutions and horrors, how beautiful this world is. Supposing you only saw the stars once every year. Think what you would think. The wonder of it!” - Tasha Tudor