Vita Sackville-West’s
In Your Garden

Over the past year, I’ve delved deep into historic garden design books and visited some of the most breathtaking gardens to uncover what makes a garden truly exceptional. Today, I’m excited to share one of my favorite finds with you: Vita Sackville-West’s book In Your Garden.

You might think a garden design book published 74 years ago wouldn’t have much to teach us today, but In Your Garden is a treasure trove of wisdom. Vita Sackville-West, an English author and celebrated garden designer, fills this book with brilliant plant combinations that still inspire gardeners today.

Vita Sackville-West wrote my favorite garden design book — Vita Sackville-West photo source: Wiki Commons

Born into an aristocratic family, Vita’s passion for writing and gardening shaped her remarkable career. Her weekly gardening column in The Observer from 1946 to 1961, based on her own gardens at Sissinghurst Castle, resonated deeply with readers for its practical advice and vivid storytelling.

Sissinghurst Castle White garden covered in Vita's garden design book — Vita Sackville-West’s White Garden at Sissinghurst Castle

In Your Garden isn’t just a collection of gardening tips; it’s a glimpse into Sackville-West’s commonsense approach to gardening. She believed in planting large patches of a few varieties for maximum impact and advocated for focusing on single colors to create originality in your garden design.

What sets this book apart is Vita’s infectious passion for plants and her poetic writing style, which brings each page to life. In a world dominated by quick edits and instant gratification, In Your Garden feels like a step back into a quieter time, where each plant and its story mattered.

I’ve been inspired to start a blue and white garden

I placed tabs in my copy of the book In Your Garden to mark the subjects I wanted to share with the Wintertime garden design book club. Just take a look at all those tabs in the photo below.