Women Who Shaped Garden History
Elizabeth Lawrence wrote about gardens in the American South with a literary quality that elevated garden writing into an art form. Her close observation of seasonal change, her knowledge of both common and rare plants, and her graceful prose influenced a generation of garden writers.
Lawrence was one of the first women in the South to earn a degree in landscape architecture, from North Carolina State College in 1932. She practiced briefly before devoting herself to writing and gardening. Her first book, A Southern Garden (1942), was the first comprehensive guide to year-round gardening in the South and has never been out of print.
Lawrence's books combine horticultural precision with literary grace. The Little Bulbs (1957), about small spring-flowering bulbs, is considered a masterpiece of the genre. Gardens in Winter (1961) explored a season that most garden writers ignored. She also wrote a garden column for the Charlotte Observer for nearly two decades, building a network of correspondents across the South who shared plants, observations, and encouragement.
Lawrence's garden in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been preserved and is open to visitors. Her papers are held by the University of North Carolina, and her books continue to be read and admired by gardeners and writers. She demonstrated that garden writing could be literature, not just instruction.