We all know that education is by no means a mere matter of books and that aesthetic environment contributes as much to mental growth as facts assimilated from a printed page. No life is well-rounded without the subtle inspiration of beauty. —- Beatrix Ferrand

Who is Beatrix Ferrand? I found out recently while scrolling through Brit Box (via Prime Video) for something, anything, to watch about gardening or gardens. I’ve been rather surprised by HGTV completely ignoring the explosion of gardening going on in this country since the pandemic began. Thank goodness for Brit Box and Acorn so we gardeners can get our infusion of gardening tv. During the past almost two years I have watched every season of Gardener’s World available and I believe that is at least 10. I continue to watch the current season that airs every Friday night. The Brits are avid gardeners and I find their gardening shows are filled with practical and useable information, unlike our (few) shows that are geared toward Disneyland-like makeovers few people can afford to do – or even want. (Bring back Curb Appeal!)

Back to Beatrix. I stumbled on this documentary, Beatrix Farrand’s American Landscapes, and was blown away by the life of this woman I had never heard of. She was the first recognized female landscape architect. She accomplished so much through sheer force of will, hard work, and perseverance. She didn’t let anything get in her way of achieving her goals in a time when women could scarcely get educated. I highly recommend this documentary to gardeners, women, or anyone inspired by dogged determination. We need more of that in our society. Less whining, more action. 😊