Tasha Tudor’s Garden & Life (Rare Video Included)

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A brief look at the creative life and garden of Tasha Tudor, her books and crafts, and how she inspired generations of gardeners, artists, and makers.

If you want your own Tudor-inspired cottage garden, see flowers for a cottage-style garden and how I started mine with delphiniums.

Tasha Tudor in her garden. — Tasha Tudor in her garden

The Creative World of Tasha Tudor

Collage showing Tasha Tudor in her garden and large pink hollyhock flowers. — Tasha Tudor (1915-2008)

My first glimpse into Tasha Tudor’s garden—or more accurately, her deep love of gardens—came through her children’s book illustrations.

I was never drawn to the stories, but even as a child, I’d study the garden scenes closely.

I can’t share the images here due to copyright, but you can easily find them online or at your local library.

I think part of the appeal was how much her Vermont plants resembled what I knew from home in Canada—like the big, old-fashioned peonies and hollyhocks my mother grew. It really stirred something in me and I knew I had to have my own flower-filled garden one day.

Tasha Tudor at Home

In the early 1990s, several books were published featuring the gardens, daily life, and handwork of Tasha Tudor—and they became a huge source of inspiration for me.

The combination of Tasha’s lifestyle & creations, Richard Brown’s beautiful photography, and the writing of Tovah Martin (still a favorite garden writer of mine) was pure magic. If you’re a lifelong gardener or someone who loves making things by hand, there’s so much to enjoy in those pages.

Around that same time, rumors began to circulate about bad business dealings or partners with questionable intentions trying to take advantage of Tudor. What fans hoped would become a longer book series eventually came to a halt. I’m not sure how those books would feel to fresh eyes today, but back then they were a delight—and I suspect they’re still sparking the imagination of new gardeners now.

These are the books I recommend:

Tasha Successful Garden (Japanese Edition)

A few years later, this Japanese version appeared, titled “Tasha’s Successful Garden,” again with Richard Brown’s photography.

In a rare impulse buy, I pre-ordered a copy through the Tudor website.

Tasha's Successful Garden (Japanese edition) — Tasha Tudor in her garden

When it arrived, I was very pleased to see Tasha’s autograph inside:

Tasha Tudor Signature — Tasha Tudor’s signature

I never had any fantasies of meeting her—not at a speaking engagement or on a garden tour—because I recall reading that she insisted girls dress a certain way. And there’s no way this Empress is putting on a dress or skirt for anyone! Sometimes it’s best to admire our inspirations from a distance—where they can go on inspiring, unchallenged.

Video of Tasha Tudor’s Garden

Today, the family manages the Tasha Tudor estate (“Corgi Cottage”) and there are exclusive tours of the home and garden each year.

If you are lucky enough to get a ticket, know that cameras and other electronic devices are not permitted on the tour.

Because I am so dependent on photos to recall and re-enjoy experiences like that, I would never want to go. I get so overwhelmed in gardens that I can hardly absorb what’s going on! It would just be frustrating not to be able to take pictures to review at home. That said, I understand why they have the policy: this is their livelihood and they need to protect it. But, poor me! It would be neat to see. 🙂

Here’s the video. It’s extra special because there is aerial drone footage, long before drones were so popular (as they are today).

The narration is in Japanese. Please note that the this sort of footage is not available in English so enjoy it because it’s all we’ve got! If you’re really curious, I’m sure Google translate can help.