Dear Miss Jekyll,
Although we live an ocean and a continent away, not to mention a century of time apart, I felt I must write and tell you how much I have admired your writings. I feel a kindred spirit with you. In fact, it was because of your elegant way of writing about flowers and gardens that made me realize that I wanted to become a garden writer, too. Not that I am anywhere near the category of quality and emotion that invades all your writings. I can only aspire to be as talented and as knowledgeable as yourself.
But I do have an abiding love of plants and gardens. Looking for new plants and design ideas is a favorite pastime of mine, as well. I even enjoy weeding. And I look forward each day to walking through my garden, accompanied by my dog, and taking in what happens to be growing at the time. I wonder, sometimes, were you ever inspired in your writings while walking your dogs through your gardens?
I am such a fan of yours that I have tracked down and purchased every book you have written. In your day, this might have seemed a gargantuan task. However, in modern day America, we have something called the Internet which makes purchasing books – and just about anything else from all over the world– very easy.
I have also made pilgrimages to several of the gardens you designed in England, including ones in your hometown of Godalming. I think my favorite of your gardens is Hestercombe House in Somerset. I was very impressed with the size of the property and could only think of the time it must have taken you to design the borders there. As a tribute to your beloved home, Munstead Wood, I have named our tiny home by the sea “Munstead Cottage.” I hope you don’t mind.
Oh, how I wish you were here so I could show you our beautiful Oregon gardens! I think you would be surprised at how lush they can be, even in August. Part of that is the abundance of rain we get here along the coast. Our climate is very similar to your English climate, so you would be familiar with many of our plants: hosta, delphinium, and roses, of course, and carnations, and lilies. But I would imagine you would be surprised at the color variations that growers have created to whet the gardeners’ appetites. The variety of colors and shapes of roses alone would surprise you. There are even some roses and hydrangeas that are repeat bloomers! This makes our growing season last even longer.
Of course, there have been many horticultural improvements since you designed your gardens in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. We now have wonderfully diverse Coral Bells (Heuchera) that have been developed right here in Oregon. They are not only slug resistant, they have colorful foliage that lasts through the year. The flowers may be inconsequential, which I know you would consider a drawback, but these plants bloom in clouds of small white or pinkish flowers that seem to float above the garden. After all, one does not plant hosta for their flowers either.
But while I have your attention, there is one thing in your books with which I must take umbrage. From your writings, I take it you are not enamored of late July and early August gardens, considering them to be a transition period between the blowsy summer blooms of July and the autumnal blooms of September. I must disagree… at least in our part of the world. The Oriental and Asian lilies are tall, elegant and colorful at this time of year, and the dahlias are starting to parade their showy colors. Monk’s hood (Acontium) now lends a blue tone to an otherwise hot-colored garden. Summers on the north Oregon coast on the west coast of North America come late, thus our flowers may take a little longer to bloom, but the wait is worth it.
I will close now, as I fear I have taken up too much of your time with my ramblings. Please know that you are not forgotten and I am among many who still revere your wonderful garden designs as well as your writings.
Sincerely,
Carla Albright
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