Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again (Hardcover)
Staff Reviews
Page Dickey has written pretty much the perfect garden book. For 34 years she gardened intensively on three acres in New York's Westchester County, her renowned garden becoming increasingly crowded with carefully curated, and often rare annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees. In her 70s-and with her husband even older--she decided to find a new place that acknowledged their aging knees and financial necessity. But instead of trading down in space, she traded up--to 17 acres in rural Connecticut. There is something in her book for every gardener, particularly those of us who toil to make their yards more beautiful in hardiness zones 4 to 7.
Her new garden exhibits the biggest trend that I see in the gardens that I visit: not just mixing perennials and shrubs, or edibles with ornamentals, but natives and non natives. Along with adding native plants, these gardeners are carefully accepting new "improved" cultivars of old plants, and those from other countries, but they are paying attention to the habit of each, mindful of invasive plants like buckthorn and Japanese honeysuckle, that have been loosed from our landscapes into our wilderness, crowding out wildflowers and plants needed by insects that support all of the other wildlife.
Each chapter, although written as a whole, could standalone as an essay. There's a great index filled with great plants (e.g. 4 solidagos and 5 Sanguisorbas), inspirational photos of both her old place and her new, and cautionary advice on greenhouses, new garden beds, the elusive meadow, and keeping unspoiled native plant areas. Winter is coming:
"I, for one, am more than ready to take a break from gardening in winter, relieved to be forced by frozen soil and single-digit temperatures to call it quits. What a pleasure it is to read books without the weeds calling, to bake cakes and slow cook stews, to daydream about flowers. I have time to scheme about gardens, to change my mind multiple times on how to improve their design, to plot what plants to add next spring, what seeds to order."
Buy (or gift) this now for scheming and dreaming.
— From Carla's Picks (2013-2020)
Gardener Page Dickey reflects on what it means for a gardener to start again. Follow her journey as she searches for a new home, discovering the ins and outs of the landscape surrounding her new garden, establishing the garden, and learning how to be a different kind of gardener. "Pretty much the perfect garden book." -Carla
— From Gifting Books - Holiday 2020“Uprooted reveals how a late-life uprooting changed Dickey as a gardener.” —The Wall Street Journal
When Page Dickey moved away from her celebrated garden at Duck Hill, she left a landscape she had spent thirty-four years making, nurturing, and loving. She found her next chapter in northwestern Connecticut, on 17 acres of rolling fields and woodland around a former Methodist church. In Uprooted, Dickey reflects on this transition and on what it means for a gardener to start again.
In these pages, follow her journey: searching for a new home, discovering the ins and outs of the landscape surrounding her new garden, establishing the garden, and learning how to be a different kind of gardener. The surprise at the heart of the book? Although Dickey was sad to leave her beloved garden, she found herself thrilled to begin a new garden in a wilder, larger landscape.
Written with humor and elegance, Uprooted is an endearing story about transitions—and the satisfaction and joy that new horizons can bring.
Page Dickey is a garden designer and author of multiple books, including Gardens in the Spirit of Place, Inside Out, and Embroidered Ground. She lectures around the country about plants and garden design, and has written articles for House and Garden, Architectural Digest, Horticulture, Fine Gardening, and Garden Design. Her former garden, Duck Hill, has been featured in the New York Times, Elle Décor, and Vogue. She now lives and gardens in Falls Village, Connecticut, on 17 acres with a view of the Berkshire hills.
"Page Dickey’s quiet and contemplative journey from her iconic first garden, Duck Hill, to create something entirely new at Church House should be required reading for anyone seeking the courage to begin again or the inspiration to live within the spirit possessed by the land where one lives.” —Daniel J. Hinkley, gardener, plant explorer, and author of Windcliff
“An unfeigned account of a gardener’s transition in life and place. Wonderfully written, richly illustrated, grounded in personal, horticultural and cultural history. If you are wondering if classical horticulture and native plant functionality can coexist, this book is for you.” —Douglas W. Tallamy, author of Nature’s Best Hope and Bringing Nature Home
“In Uprooted, one of America’s most engaging garden writers discovers the role of the natural world—the soils, the plants, and the critters with which she shares her piece of New England paradise—in creating a garden that suits its place—and befits our time.” —Richard G. Turner, Jr., editor emeritus, Pacific Horticulture
“Practical and poetic, this paean to nature is an epicurean adventure of a horticultural life well-lived.” —Tania Compton, garden designer and author of The Private Gardens of England
“Part memoir, part garden design, part future plans for a life continuing on in a new home, this is more than a book on planting or revamping a garden… Even nonhorticultural patrons will find this a gently enthralling read, and will finish with a renewed sense of wonder at the natural world and gratitude to Dickey for having written about it once more.” —Library Journal
“Richly complemented with photographs by Ngoc Minh Ngo and Marion Brenner, the rewards of this book are in the reading.” —The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries
“I encourage everyone to read this heart-lifting book.”—Garden Design Online
“This wonderful book is a must for anyone who contemplates a change in their life. It is not only about creating a new garden but leaving a beloved house to start again. It is so heartwarming and special.” —Bunny Williams
“A photo-rich book… the message here is to let wild enough alone and let Mother Nature control the big picture.” —The News Tribune
“This is a book about transitions and what happens when you leave a beloved garden and embark, at the age of 74, on making a new one… Dickey has an intimate, almost mesmerising, writing style and this book is full of observations on life, plants and starting anew.” —The Times
“If you’re looking for a peaceful ramble via Dickey’s observant gaze and deep love of nature… you’ll likely enjoy this book.” —Digging
“A beautifully written story.” —The Oregonian
“A beautifully written memoir about starting over later in life that also offers plenty of insight for seasoned gardeners to apply in their own yards.”—The Orange County Register
“Dickey’s beautiful descriptions of discovering nature’s seasonal surprises hidden in her new woods, wetlands, and pastures will provide lovely images to brighten gray winter days.” —Triangle Gardener
“A beautifully written memoir about starting over later in life that also offers plenty of insight for seasoned gardeners to apply in their own yards.” —Mercury News
“Illustrated by color photographs by Ngoc Minh Ngo and Marion Brenner, Uprooted reveals how a late-life uprooting changed Dickey as a gardener.” —The Wall Street Journal
"Page Dickey’s quiet and contemplative journey from her iconic first garden, Duck Hill, to create something entirely new at Church House should be required reading for anyone seeking the courage to begin again or the inspiration to live within the spirit possessed by the land where one lives.” —Daniel J. Hinkley, gardener, plant explorer, and author of Windcliff
“An unfeigned account of a gardener’s transition in life and place. Wonderfully written, richly illustrated, grounded in personal, horticultural and cultural history. If you are wondering if classical horticulture and native plant functionality can coexist, this book is for you.” —Douglas W. Tallamy, author of Nature’s Best Hope and Bringing Nature Home
“In Uprooted, one of America’s most engaging garden writers discovers the role of the natural world—the soils, the plants, and the critters with which she shares her piece of New England paradise—in creating a garden that suits its place—and befits our time.” —Richard G. Turner, Jr., editor emeritus, Pacific Horticulture
“Practical and poetic, this paean to nature is an epicurean adventure of a horticultural life well-lived.” —Tania Compton, garden designer and author of The Private Gardens of England
“Part memoir, part garden design, part future plans for a life continuing on in a new home, this is more than a book on planting or revamping a garden… Even nonhorticultural patrons will find this a gently enthralling read, and will finish with a renewed sense of wonder at the natural world and gratitude to Dickey for having written about it once more.” —Library Journal
“Richly complemented with photographs by Ngoc Minh Ngo and Marion Brenner, the rewards of this book are in the reading.” —The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries
“I encourage everyone to read this heart-lifting book.”—Garden Design Online
“This wonderful book is a must for anyone who contemplates a change in their life. It is not only about creating a new garden but leaving a beloved house to start again. It is so heartwarming and special.” —Bunny Williams
“A photo-rich book… the message here is to let wild enough alone and let Mother Nature control the big picture.” —The News Tribune
“This is a book about transitions and what happens when you leave a beloved garden and embark, at the age of 74, on making a new one… Dickey has an intimate, almost mesmerising, writing style and this book is full of observations on life, plants and starting anew.” —The Times
“If you’re looking for a peaceful ramble via Dickey’s observant gaze and deep love of nature… you’ll likely enjoy this book.” —Digging
“A beautifully written story.” —The Oregonian
“A beautifully written memoir about starting over later in life that also offers plenty of insight for seasoned gardeners to apply in their own yards.”—The Orange County Register
“Dickey’s beautiful descriptions of discovering nature’s seasonal surprises hidden in her new woods, wetlands, and pastures will provide lovely images to brighten gray winter days.” —Triangle Gardener
“A beautifully written memoir about starting over later in life that also offers plenty of insight for seasoned gardeners to apply in their own yards.” —Mercury News
“Illustrated by color photographs by Ngoc Minh Ngo and Marion Brenner, Uprooted reveals how a late-life uprooting changed Dickey as a gardener.” —The Wall Street Journal