In conversation with William Baldwin. Emily Whaley's garden on Church Street in Charleston, South Carolina, may be the most visited private garden in the country. And no wonder. It is the life's work of a vibrant, sociable, opinionated, determined, forceful woman who has spent the last eighty-five years cultivating whatever life offered her. MRS. WHALEY AND HER CHARLESTON GARDEN captures and preserves Emily Whaley's distinctive voice and braces us with a clear understanding of how one might cultivate a practical personal philosophy alongside one's garden. "An ageless and captivating visit." --Publishers Weekly; "South Carolina gardener grows into phenom." --USA Today, cover story; "Emily Whaley is wonderful, both in and out of her garden."--Rosemary Verey, author of THE AMERICAN WOMAN'S GARDEN. As seen on CBS Sunday Morning. Now in its 6th printing.
Mrs. Whaley and Her Charleston Garden
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
In the event a visit to coastal South Carolina is not possible, the next best thing is an introduction to Mrs. Whaley by way of William Baldwin's engaging conversation with this grande dame of Charleston's gardening world. Mrs. Whaley, who has reached her eighty-fifth year, is happy to share details of a rich, full life, and her thoughts meander through an extensive range of topics. Baldwin's approach is to let Mrs. Whaley do all the talking, so the narrative is her's alone--and a delightful, rather breathless account it is, incorporating the evolution of her own renowned garden with reminiscences of childhood and a personal history of southern life lived most graciously. Gardens cultivated by other generations of her family feature prominently in Mrs. Whaley's tales, and as she reveals how the gardening tradition fostered her own avid dedication, it is apparent how tending one's plants can enrich the spirit and forge admirable connections with friends and acquaintances. Alice Joyce
From Kirkus Reviews
A sweet but slight bouquet: a gardening memoir told in a Southern drawl. Whaley, an 85-year-old South Carolina gentlewoman, sits down, as it were, in her Charleston garden to summon up memories of camellias past. Baldwin, a South Carolina architect and novelist (The Fennel Family Papers, 1996, etc.), observes that she ``moves with the imperial bearing of a grand Southern matron. But on the inside she's a knobby-kneed 14-year-old country girl.'' The matron's account of life and gardening can come across as regrettably mild. ``It's an awful lot of fun to live into your eighties,'' she declares. ``It helps to have some money, though.'' Likewise, she remarks, ``People are the greatest--the most fun that life offers.'' But Whaley also delivers some choice comments and vignettes: ``Dad said if everything Nan planted had taken, a rabbit couldn't have run across the yard.'' And she can be folksily tart: ``You have a muscle here between your ears. When you play tennis, when you do exercises, you use muscles. The muscle up top is the same. Unless it's used it is going to be flabby.'' Whaley devotes chapters to her rural childhood, her parents, and her lawyer husband; she also offers her thoughts on her dog, on self-esteem, and on her favorite recipes. Discussions of her Charleston garden, measuring 30 by 110 feet, takes up about a third of the book, and though her description of it is charming, one doesn't walk away with a convincing sense of place. Her gardening advice is pretty basic: ``DO water your plants in the morning so that the leaves are dry by nightfall. You'll have less trouble with fungal diseases.'' And too many of the non-gardening vignettes seem slender, unrevealing. It would have been better to drench those portions with details, which count for as much in life stories as they do in gardens. (illustrations, not seen) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By B. Ward
Format:Paperback
While reading this book, I felt as if I was sitting in a backyard garden on a lovely iron park bench with a glass of lemonade in hand, visiting with Emily Whaley herself. Opinionated, honest and full of Southern charm, Emily is a woman of character who has been blessed with the gift of gardening and a heritage of living right. When I first began reading, I expected gardening tips and descriptions of prolific gardens, which I was given. Yet delightfully surprising was having the lessons she had learned in her life unpretentiously and often humorously passed down to me by way of uncluttered recollections. She taught me to "find my own charms" in life and to "compete only with myself" to name so very few. This is one book I will certainly re-read the pages of often throughout my life.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Mr. Whaley has a wonderful way of drawing you into her stories about learning from her family and friends how important gardens and gardening is to life in South Carolina. You feel as if you are sitting at her knee listening to her tell her stories, rather than reading a book.
I have been to her garden and met her and she truly is a marvel. A true South Carolina gardener and gentlewoman.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A small town girl makes it big in downtown Charleston, SC without becoming part of the sophisticated establishment. She is refreshing and free in her opinions and plantings. From simple potted plants to ancient camellias and restful blue hues, Emily gives anyone a sense of peace in her garden. She relates the destruction of three feet of saltwater from Hugo in her garden and how nature bounced back with tender care. Enjoyment in her 80's is contagious for all ages. As I walk the sidewalks in April and see the lavender blossoms from wysteria, I think of young at heart Mrs. Whaley.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must have book for devoted gardeners!
Wonderfully told about a remarkable woman and how she created one of the treasured gardens of Charleston. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Cornelia Verdery
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful reflection on gardens and life
This is a lovely book about gardens and life. I enjoyed reading about how a garden is designed, how it changes over time, and the role a garden can play in your life.
Published 2 months ago by Carrie Cupcake Plum
5.0 out of 5 stars
A little gem....
I've read a great many books about gardening, garden designers and other related topics. This is one of my favorites! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Annetta Hegam
4.0 out of 5 stars
Delightfully charming!
I put off reading Mrs. Whaley and Her Charleston Garden by Emily Whaley (in conversation with William Baldwin) because I assumed it was mostly fluff. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Cynthia K. Robertson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great reading
I bought the Kindle edition for a recent vacation trip to the beach. I found it to very interesting and easy to read on the kindle. Read more
Published 9 months ago by skates
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Jewel
I have a special interest in Mrs Whaley's Charleston Garden. Loutrel Winslow Briggs, the landscape architect involved in the design was my father's cousin. Read more
Published on July 10, 2010 by Joy E. Thacher
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mrs. Whaley's Garden does not disappoint!
Having recently had the opportunity to tour Mrs. Whaley's real Charleston garden, I was most interested to read her book about the creation of the garden itself. Read more
Published on April 22, 2010 by C. Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lovely chat
Mrs. Whaley grew up in the same small village where I grew up. It was a thrill to read this book. If you aren't from the south it might be a southern thing, but talking about your... Read more
Published on September 20, 2006 by R. Miles
2.0 out of 5 stars
Never cook chicken for 10-12 minutes!
Geez, I actually used one of the recipes in this book, put in towards the back. I believe its one of the authors favorites.... Read more
Published on July 4, 2001 by A. Y. Smittle
5.0 out of 5 stars
Relax and enjoy a leisurely walk through present and past.
Mrs. Waverly lets you walk not only through her relaxing back yard full of wonderful plants and landscaping ideas, but she also transports you back in time to the wonderful... Read more
Published on March 9, 1998 by lorien@favorites.com
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