Garden historian, author Marta McDowell to explore Beatrix Potter's botanical art

1:31 p.m., Oct. 14, 2014--Garden historian, horticulturist and author Marta McDowell will explore Beatrix Potter's botanical art in a University of Delaware Botanic Gardens (UDBG) presentation from 7-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 28, in the Townsend Hall Commons.

McDowell will lead the audience on an exploration of the flora and horticulture that appears in Potter’s "little books" and her garden at Hill Top Farm in England's Lake District. 

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Potter may conjure up images of blue-jacketed bunnies and other fuzzy fauna, but she was also a gardener whose interest in plants and gardens is evident in her skillful botanic drawings. Her life at Hill Top Farm and the modest cottage garden she created there served to nurture a lifelong interest in gardening and land conservation. 

The cost is $10 for UDBG Friends and $15 for nonmembers. Call 302-831-2531 or email BotanicGardens@udel.edu to reserve a spot.

McDowell lives, gardens and writes in Chatham, New Jersey. Her garden is included in the Smithsonian’s Archive of American Gardens. She teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden. 

Her book, Emily Dickinson's Gardens, was published by McGraw-Hill in 2005, and she was an adviser for the New York Botanical Garden's 2010 exhibit “Emily Dickinson’s Gardens: The Poetry of Flowers.” 

Timber Press published her new book, Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life, in November 2013. It won the Gold Award from the Garden Writers Association in August 2014.

To enjoy exclusive member benefits, join the UDBG Friends online, or contact Melinda Zoehrer at 302-831-0153 or BotanicGardens@udel.edu. 

The gardens are open year round to provide ideas and inspiration, or for a quiet stroll. UDBG contributes to an understanding of the relationships between plants and people through education, research, cooperative extension, and community support.