Bartlett Book Club: Gardening can be murder in Stamford

The Bartlett welcomes bestselling author Marta McDowell for a wide-ranging and lively discussion of gardening, murder, and writing.

What makes gardens so suitable for literary murders? Perhaps it is the poisonous plants, sharp tools, shady corners and ready-made burial sites that make gardens a staple of the crime genre. Perhaps it is the gardens (and the authors) themselves, with their “natural malice towards weeds, rodents and other garden undesirables. Hardly any gardener can approach a snail without harboring murderous intentions.”

From Edgar Allan Poe to Agatha Christie to today's bestselling authors, hundreds of our greatest crime writers have found inspiration in the spooky side of gardens. Gardening Can Be Murder is the first book to explore the genre's many surprising horticultural connections.

About the author

Marta McDowell lives, gardens, and writes in Chatham, New Jersey. She consults with public gardens and private clients, writes and lectures on gardening topics, and teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden, where she studied landscape design. She is particularly interested in authors and their gardens, and the connection between pen and trowel.

Member Tickets: Ticket only: $10, Ticket + Book: $20.

Tickets for non-members: Ticket only: $20, Ticket + book, $30.

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