Book Review: Paradise and Plenty

Paradise and Plenty: A Rothschild Family Garden by Mary Keen; Photographs by Tom Hatton

Published by The Pimpernel Press

 

If you love all things Anglo, Gardening, Design, Downton Abbey, and the Royals - well, you're in luck! If you could pile all of those things into one book, a book beautiful enough to be a coffee table book, but resourceful enough to be a certifiable how-to guide on when, what, and how to plant a productive, yielding, beautiful garden, and you illustrated all of that in the stunning photography of a private manor garden, kept intensely private until you had this magical book ... well, you'd have the masterwork of Garden Designer Mary Keen and photographer Tom Hatton, Paradise and Plenty: A Rothschild Family Garden.

 

The book, published by The Pimpernel Press, is the window into the private garden of Lord Rothschild's private house, Eythrope in Buckinghamshire, England, where flowers, fruits, and vegetables are produced year round under the watchful leadership of renowned head gardener Sue Dickinson. Eythrope is the dower house for the Rothschild family's high Victorian chateau, Waddesdon Manor. 25-Years ago, Mary Keen, author of Paradise and Plenty, designed the walled gardens surrounding Eythrope, and introduced Dickinson to Jacob (Lord) and Serena (Lady) Rothschild.

 

Waddesdon Manor, Cecile Hofer, 1885 - from Paradise and Plenty: A Rothschild Family Garden

 

Eythrope is never open to the public. It is, and has always been, a private residence. If you've been impressed by the gardens, and interiors of the country houses of Downton Abbey, Eythrope and Waddesdon are certainly to be in your favor! Let's take a little peek inside the gardens of Eythrope shall we?

 

Photo credit: Tom Hatton from Paradise and Plenty: A Rothschild Family Garden

Photo credit: Tom Hatton from Paradise and Plenty: A Rothschild Family Garden

Photo credit: Tom Hatton from Paradise and Plenty: A Rothschild Family Garden

Photo credit: Tom Hatton from Paradise and Plenty: A Rothschild Family Garden

Photo credit: Tom Hatton from Paradise and Plenty: A Rothschild Family Garden

Photo credit: Tom Hatton from Paradise and Plenty: A Rothschild Family Garden

 

Photo credit: Tom Hatton from Paradise and Plenty: A Rothschild Family Garden

 



Indeed, a beautiful photographic journey through the tailored topiary gardens, flower cutting gardens, and highly productive and organic vegetable gardens and fruit orchards,  Paradise and Plenty: A Rothschild Family Garden is packed with inspiration on every page. A wealth of practical information and guidance in gardening, and tips on improving your own garden (or starting one), the book is a true asset to any gardener, and a lovely journey into the world of the British elite and the English countryside for those of us who love a book on history, houses, gardens, and design. Take a look for yourself, and grab a copy via the amazon link below: