Folk Tales from the Garden

Folk Tales from the Garden follows the twelve months of the gardening year, combining traditional stories with observations, poems, garden lore and legends. Donald Smith draws attention to the plants, birds, animals and insects encountered in gardens and parks, while Annalisa Salis provides illustrations. The stories come chiefly from Britain and Ireland, with some traditions from further afield.

Among the book’s subjects are pixies sleeping in tulips, the tale of the Creator painting her birds, the supposed merits of kissing an old toad and an unusually large turnip. Alongside these tales, Smith records seasonal changes in his Edinburgh garden and considers how private gardens, allotments, community plots and public green spaces connect everyday life with the natural world.