Island Gardens | The Botanical Library

Eight Gardens. A Thousand Reasons to Look Closer.

There is something wonderfully familiar about a northern garden. The anticipation of spring. The uncertainty of what winter may have changed. The quiet satisfaction of discovering that a plant has returned, a little stronger and more established than the year before.

These are experiences Canadian gardeners know well.

And although Island Gardens takes us across the sea to Estonia, the gardens within its pages speak a language many of us will recognize. Here, gardeners work with the conditions they have rather than trying to overcome them entirely. The climate and soil help determine what grows. Plants are chosen for their ability to thrive without constant attention. Biodiversity is welcomed, and the garden is understood as a shared home for birds, insects and other small creatures.

Not every corner needs tidying. Not every unexpected arrival needs removing. And not every beautiful thing happens according to plan.

Through Krista Keltanen's photography, we discover eight gardens, each with its own character and lessons to offer. Some reveal the thoughtful hand of their gardener. Others demonstrate the beauty that emerges when nature is given a little more freedom. What connects them is an understanding that a garden cannot be hurried into becoming itself.

It must be lived with. Observed. Allowed to change. And perhaps that's the loveliest lesson of all.

Island Gardens isn't simply an invitation to admire beautiful places elsewhere in the world. It's an opportunity to return to our own gardens with fresh eyes. To appreciate the plants that thrive without fuss. To notice the creatures that have made themselves at home. And to remember that the garden we have today is only one chapter in a much longer story.

• Title: Island Gardens
• Publisher: Cozy Publishing, Finland
• Photography: Krista Keltanen
• Subject: Eight gardens in Estonia
• Themes: Northern gardens, garden design, biodiversity, resilient planting, naturalistic gardening and seasonal change
• ISBN 978-952-423-010-0

For the Gardener Who Loves to Linger

Keep Island Gardens beside a favourite reading chair, where a quiet afternoon can become a journey through Estonia's remarkable garden landscapes.

Place it on a coffee table alongside a small botanical arrangement or a treasured object gathered from the garden. Its pages offer a lovely invitation for visitors to sit, browse and discover.

In a sunroom or garden room, it makes a thoughtful companion to the seasons unfolding just beyond the window.

And for someone who spends more time dreaming about next year's garden than planning this evening's dinner, it would make a particularly meaningful gift.

A book to return to in winter, when the garden is resting and our imaginations are already growing.