Five books as recommended by garden enthusiast and CEO of National Centre for Writing, Peggy Hughes.
Ahead of our forthcoming workshop in which you are invited to step into the sights, sounds and smells of the garden for a morning of creative writing with horticultural writer and author Gail Harland, Peggy shares garden-themed books that make her want to flee from her desk and stop to smell the daisies.
From poetry to essays, gardening tips to memoir inspired by gardens, here is a list to please anyone.
Our garden at Dragon Hall is a thing of beauty every day, and though there are many highlights as the seasons turn, in my opinion it never looks better than in the early summer, when the roses and white borders burst into action (along with the family fun day beanbags and hula hoops), and the sun lingers long throughout the day.
In the Garden: Essays on Nature and Growing by various contributors (Daunt Books)
A stunning collection of essays in which some favourite writers reflect on what gardens mean to them (they’re all great, but please join me in especially loving Victoria Adukwei Bulley on the humble weed).
‘A garden, no matter how good it is, must never completely satisfy‘ – Jamaica Kincaid
Uprooting by Marchelle Farrell (Canongate)
In this Nan Shepherd Prize-winning debut memoir, therapist, writer and gardener Marchelle Farrell moves between Trinidad and an idyllic English country garden in a search for home.
‘A beautiful memoir that shows how gardens can be a place to plant our most troubled feelings, to put down roots and to find peace.’ – Katherine May
There are always flowers for those who want to see them.
Rural Hours: The Country Lives of Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Townsend Warner and Rosamond Lehmann by Harriet Baker (Penguin)
A stunning exploration of three separate lives through the lens of their relationships with the rigours and comforts of a rural life.
I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree – A Nature Poem for Every Day of the Year by Frann Preston-Gannon & Fiona Waters (Nosy Crow)
A beautifully illustrated gift book treasury of 366 poems – one for every day of the year, including leap years, filled with familiar favourites and new discoveries. Poems to savour and share, whatever age you are!
Give it a Grow by Martha Swales (Penguin)
A practical guide full of illustrations full of simple gardening projects from window sill produce growing and creating a pond to attract wildlife.
In Full Bloom: Garden-Inspired Writing with Gail Harland
Join horticultural writer and author Gail Harland for a morning of creative writing in the sunshine.
In this hands-on workshop, you’ll discover how to bring your love of gardens to life on the page. Step into the beautiful Dragon Hall garden and take a closer look at the landscapes, plants, birds, and insects that make these spaces sing.
Wednesday 9 July, 10am – 12.30pm, National Centre for Writing, Dragon Hall
Drop-in and enjoy our garden
Our beautiful garden is the perfect place to relax in Norwich UNESCO City of Literature. Bring a coffee and a book – or some writing – and unwind.
Dragon Hall is open to the public three days a week. Free drop-in hours run from 10am to 3pm, Sunday to Tuesday, continuing through November 2025.
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