"[Thaxter] wrote about her garden with the wonder of a newly sprouted seed and the poetry of a poppy in bloom." — Irene Virag, Newsday

Originally published by Houghton Mifflin in 1894, An Island Garden has been a beloved classic among gardeners, essayists, and artists for more than one hundred years. This new slipcased facsimile edition, containing the original chromolithographs by esteemed painter Childe Hassam and a new introduction by Tasha Tudor, promises to delight Thaxter's fans while winning the hearts of a new generation.

An enchanting example of horticultural writing at its best, An Island Garden chronicles a year in the life of Thaxter's garden on Appledore Island, one of the Isles of Shoals off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. Thaxter's family bought the island in 1848, establishing a summer resort hotel that drew many of the most celebrated writers, musicians, and artists of the time, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Hassam. As an adult, Thaxter hosted a salon each summer on Appledore with poetry readings, storytelling, and music. Her colorful garden became the centerpiece of life on the little island, garnering almost as much fame as the celebrity guests who strolled its paths.

"Ever since I could remember anything, flowers have been like dear friends to me, comforters, inspirers, powers to uplift and to cheer."

Only 50 feet long and 15 feet wide, Thaxter's garden at Appledore was home to nearly 60 varieties of vibrant flowers, including roses, lilies, lavender, poppies, and wisteria. An Island Garden's inspiring prose, demonstrating Thaxter's deep love of plants and gardening, is accompanied by the stunning paintings of Hassam, an American impressionist whose work captured the color, depth, and intensity of his friend's garden. Many of the original paintings reproduced in the book now hang in the Smithsonian.

After Thaxter's death in 1894, her garden fell into disrepair, but volunteers have restored it to its original glory. Now maintained by the Shoals Marine Laboratory of Cornell University on nearby Star Island, the garden is open to visitors during the summer months.