Guided Discovery of Gardening : Knowledge, Creativity and Joy Unearthed

For some, gardening is a mysterious activity involving muck, unfathomable know-how and physical labor. To others, it is a gateway to creativity, well-being and magic. Julia Atkinson-Dunn knows what it is to stand on both sides of this fence and has channeled her discovery of gardening into a book to aid and inspire others in their own. 

A Guided Discovery of Gardening is a comprehensive partner in creating a garden, arranged to sweep beginner and progressing gardeners through informative basics to fascinating insights laid bare through Julia’s casual, friendly and often personal writing. From introductions to plant types and taking cuttings to valuable tips for home buyers and the curation of seasonally responsive planting. Particularly relevant to temperate regions around the world including the US and Canada, rich doses of handy knowledge are intermingled with reflective essays and visual visits to some of her favourite New Zealand gardens, as well as her own.

“Treat this book as your trusted friend. A place you can return to time and again for positive reinforcement as you embark on your own journey of discovering the beautiful rewards found in creating a garden, just as I have." Julia Atkinson-Dunn

On moving into the house of her dreams in her mid-30s, designer, artist and writer Julia Atkinson-Dunn stared wide-eyed at the clean slate of her boring backyard with a bubbling excitement that felt foreign. Her passion for beautiful spaces had only ever been held for interiors, or so she thought. Over six years she clawed forward with dirt under her nails and a toppling pile of gardening books by her bed, pursuing a vision that simply seemed to reveal itself as she went. The flower beds ebbed, flowed and expanded with her experimentation, buoyed by her new gardening friends and backstopped by her constantly gathered experience.

Julia lives with her husband in Christchurch, New Zealand from where she has authored and photographed Petal Power and Flowers for Friends, maintaining an ongoing conversation with her fellow keen gardeners via her Instagram, newsletter and column. She works closely with the garden community as a speaker and host at festivals and events, advocating the magic of gardening to her peers. Her garden has opened further doors aiding her art practice concentrated on mixed media botanical still lifes and painted landscapes.