This is a book about a woman who truly loves gardening. It is full of pictures of her home and garden--some color, some black and white. She has the wisdom that comes from gardening and solitude.

Her book drew me in immediately. "Stony-Brook Cottage Becomes Mine" in Chapter One. She speaks of getting exactly the property that you want and describes how...."first, put down a sizable advance payment on a house and lot that doesn't quite suit you...then return to your city apartment and read the real estate ads to find a description of a place with a rushing brook...". Ms. Van Pelt Wilson did not even take much note of the house, the brook won her over.

I enjoyed very much seeing how she transformed the home and gardens. She told of her early fervor and how she scaled back some of her early gardens to ground cover.

Her book is beautifully written for gardeners, those who love solitude and nature, and for those who might find themselves alone suddenly, and wonder if there is anything worthy for them left to do in life. It was inspirational to me.

Helen Van Pelt Wilson writes about her perennial gardens in such a way as to make one want to be out in the garden even as one reads the book. Read from cover to cover, or jump around the chapters - any way at all, it is the best reference book for gardeners I have ever found. And it reads so well - my friends always ask to borrow it again.