Portrait of a Garden ~ Excerpts from a New Zealand Garden Diary
Written and Illustrated by Kerry Carman
Preloved, hardcover book with dust jacket. Has a name written in pen on inside front page.
When Kerry Carman's life was suddenly disrupted by a serious injury, her garden offered therapy and solace. She had ample time for reflection and was able to observe her environment closely and without interruption. Nothing escaped her notice: the growing tip of an early snowdrop piercing the cool earth; an autumn-tinted leaf drifting silently to the ground; the daily activities of a pair of blackbirds that courted, mated, built a nest and raised their young within the branches of a tree outside her hospital window.
Throughout the seasons her pen and brush lovingly recorded the effects of soil and weather, the detail of flower and leaf, until twelve years' diaries were filled.
This book is an intimate descriptive and visual record of her garden, drawn from personal observation and the diaries themselves. It contains much practical information on cultivating many different types of plants, including old and unusual species and New Zealand natives. As well, there are snippets of folklore and recipes old and new which embody the "taste" of a particular season.