Local author & gardener Page Dickey has edited a new book called Outstanding American Gardens which she will be signing at Pergola in New Preston on October 3rd.

The National Garden Conservancy runs the “Open Days” program of private gardens open to the public, a very popular program in the area with many notorious gardens open to the public. They have just published a new book called Outstanding American Gardens: A Celebration – 25 Years of the Garden Conservancy.

This book marks the 25th year of the conservancy, and is edited by Page Dickey who founded the Open Days program. Page is a greatly respected figure in the gardening world, and is a Falls Village resident. There are a few local gardens featured in this new book, such as the garden of Lee Link in Sharon, the garden of Bunny Williams in Falls Village, and Hollister House Garden in Washington.

This book really is the new, definitive book on distinctly American gardens. Pergola in New Preston will be hosting a book signing with Page Dickey on Saturday, October 3.

Following is a conversation with Page Dickey and a few examples of the beautiful gardens appearing in the book.

Where are you from? Can you tell us a bit about your background? 

Page: I grew up in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire in a gardening family.

When did you start gardening? 

Page: I had plants in my bedroom as a small child and dug my first garden at age 12. Always had the bug.

Did you have a gardening mentor? 

Page: My aunt taught me all the wildflowers and was a passionate gardener. Other mentors were garden writers I loved, such as Louise Beebe Wilder and Russell Page.

Did you study gardening or writing, or both? 

Page: No, I studied art in school, but started reading voraciously about gardening in my twenties and have never stopped.

In addition to your books, you have written articles on gardening for magazines as well. Do you have a preference? Is one format more statisfying than the other? 

Page: Books are more satisfying to write than magazine articles. You have more freedom to express yourself because books aren’t necessarily driven by pictures—most magazines are.

Do you design private gardens as a practice? 

Page: I have designed a number of gardens over the years, but do only occasionally now.

What is your favorite garden in the world? 

Page: That is as difficult to answer as the question what is my favorite flower. I have a number of favorite gardens, some right here in the “hood” and actually give an illustrated talk on the subject.

In editing Outstanding American Gardens, did you find that there is a strong type of garden that is uniquely American? How are these gardens different than British or Italian gardens? 

Page: I think American gardens are much more varied, more eclectic than English or Italian gardens. In their individuality they reflect all the different habitats and styles of our vast country.

Is the Northwest Corner an easy place to garden, considering its harsh winters? 

Page: The Northwest corner is a glorious place to garden and is rich in wonderful examples. We can grow such a wonderful variety of plants despite our cold winters—and great gardeners seem to settle here, probably because of the beauty of our open rolling landscape.

You are an Honorary Member of The Garden Cub of America, and you serve on many boards of gardens and the Garden Conservancy. You are an accomplished author and gardener. Is there something you haven’t done yet that you would like to do? 

Page: Oh, my, there are so many things I haven’t done yet, so much more to learn! And I am incredibly excited about our new place in Falls Village—discovering treasures in the woods, adding favorite flowers and shrubs, learning about what thrives here—a new adventure!

Page Dickey is the author of seven books, including Gardens in the Spirit of Place, the award-winning Breaking Ground: Portraits of Ten Garden Designers, and Inside Out: Relating Garden to House. Her first book, Duck Hill Journal, and her most recent, Embroidered Ground, are about Duck Hill in New York, where she lived and gardened for thirty-three years.
See more of Page’s work at Pagedickey.com
and on Instagram: @pagedickey