A rich exploration of the garden Welty tended with her mother and how that work affected her writing.

By the time she reached her late twenties, Eudora Welty (1909-2001) was launching a distinguished literary career. She was also becoming a capable gardener under the tutelage of her mother, Chestina Welty, who designed their modest garden in Jackson, Mississippi. From the beginning, Eudora wove images of southern flora and gardens into her writing, yet few outside her personal circle knew that the images were drawn directly from her passionate connection to and abiding knowledge of her own garden. This book contains many previously unpublished writings, including literary passages and excerpts from Welty's private correspondence about the garden.

The authors of One Writer's Garden draw connections between Welty's gardening and her writing as they present her garden's history--and the broader story of how American gardens evolved in the early twentieth century-- with images from contemporary garden literature, seed catalogs, and advertisements, as well as unique historic photographs. Noted landscape photographer Langdon Clay captures the restored garden through the seasons.