Of Flowers & a Village

Of Flowers and a Village: An Entertainment for Flower Lovers by Wilfrid Blunt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Of Flowers and a Village: An Entertainment for Flower Lovers is written in the form of chatty letters from a doting godfather to his goddaughter, Flora, an enthusiastic (if inexperienced) gardener who is recovering from an illness that has left her temporarily bedridden. Along with snippets of history, lore and practical gardening knowledge, "Wilfrid Sharp" (the author's thinly disguised persona) paints a vivid picture of life in the village of "Dewbury", home to a large cast of eccentric inhabitants. There is Admiral Downes, whose favorite pastimes are cutting down trees and tippling at parties; Susannah Tumaniantz, an Armenian emigree who adores tulips and avant-garde art and writes terrible poetry ("Spring in Mush"); the sweet-natured Delia Lovell, who calls everyone "darling" and whose dogs are nammed Hither and Thither; the dreadful Mrs. Moon, who runs roughshod over everyone in her path; and the even more dreadful Mrs. Putterham, a righ vulgarian whose inexplicably nice son, Oliver, likes music and gardening.

Although we learn a great deal about the daily life of Dewbury, the subject never strays far from gardening -- by the novel's end, both Flora and the reader have received a gentle but thorough horticultural education. Never has learning about gardening been so much fun.
~~ front flap

It's a lovely book. Charming, and certainly a snapshot of the quintessential English village. And gardening. For my tastes, I could have done with a bit less gardening and a bit more village, but it's lovely all the same. Enjoy!