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Rhapsody in Green: The Garden Wit and Wisdom of Beverley Nichols
Beverley Nichols (1898–1983) was a prolific author, playwright, composer, and media personality. Though much of his work has been forgotten, his garden writing has stood the test of time. His amusing anecdotes, poetic contemplations, and penetrating observations speak to all gardeners—from houseplant killers to nursery professionals—and capture the joy, heartache, and hilarity of gardening.
Rhapsody in Green speaks to the true spirit of Beverley Nichols. Compiled by Roy C. Dicks and drawn from fifteen of his best titles, these carefully selected passages offer a tantalizing taste of Nichols's humor, passion, and poetry. Designed for easy browsing and casual reference, it is organized by subject, including favorite plants, despised plants, and the secrets to successful gardening. Readers will also delight in William McLaren's original line drawings spread throughout the text. A must-have for Nichols fans, gardeners, and plant lovers.
Rhapsody in Green speaks to the true spirit of Beverley Nichols. Compiled by Roy C. Dicks and drawn from fifteen of his best titles, these carefully selected passages offer a tantalizing taste of Nichols's humor, passion, and poetry. Designed for easy browsing and casual reference, it is organized by subject, including favorite plants, despised plants, and the secrets to successful gardening. Readers will also delight in William McLaren's original line drawings spread throughout the text. A must-have for Nichols fans, gardeners, and plant lovers.
135 pages, Hardcover
First published February 2, 2009
3 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Beverley Nichols
100 books149 followersJohn Beverley Nichols (born September 9, 1898 in Bower Ashton, Bristol, died September 15, 1983 in Kingston, London), was an English writer, playwright, actor, novelist and composer. He went to school at Marlborough College, and went to Balliol College, Oxford University, and was President of the Oxford Union and editor of Isis.
Between his first novel, Prelude, published in 1920, and Twilight in 1982, he wrote more than 60 books and plays on topics such as travel, politics, religion, cats, novels, mysteries, and children's stories, authoring six novels, five detective mysteries, four children's stories, six plays, and no fewer than six autobiographies.
Nichols is perhaps best remembered as a writer for Woman's Own and for his gardening books, the first of which Down the Garden Path, was illustrated — as were many of his books — by Rex Whistler. This bestseller — which has had 32 editions and has been in print almost continuously since 1932 — was the first of his trilogy about Allways, his Tudor thatched cottage in Glatton, Cambridgeshire. A later trilogy written between 1951 and 1956 documents his travails renovating Merry Hall (Meadowstream), a Georgian manor house in Agates Lane, Ashtead, Surrey, where Nichols lived from 1946 to 1956. These books often feature his gifted but laconic gardener "Oldfield". Nichols's final trilogy is referred to as "The Sudbrook Trilogy" (1963–1969) and concerns his late 18th-century attached cottage at Ham, (near Richmond), Surrey.
Nichols was a prolific author who wrote on a wide range of topics. He ghostwrote Dame Nellie Melba’s "autobiography" Memories and Melodies (1925), and in 1966 he wrote A Case of Human Bondage about the marriage and divorce of William Somerset Maugham and Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo, which was highly critical of Maugham. Father Figure, which appeared in 1972 and in which he described how he had tried to murder his alcoholic and abusive father, caused a great uproar and several people asked for his prosecution. His autobiographies usually feature Arthur R. Gaskin who was Nichols’ manservant from 1924 until Gaskin's death from cirrhosis in 1966. Nichols made one appearance on film - in 1931 he appeared in Glamour, directed by Seymour Hicks and Harry Hughes, playing the part of the Hon. Richard Wells.
Nichols' long-term partner was Cyril Butcher. He died in 1983 from complications after a fall.
Between his first novel, Prelude, published in 1920, and Twilight in 1982, he wrote more than 60 books and plays on topics such as travel, politics, religion, cats, novels, mysteries, and children's stories, authoring six novels, five detective mysteries, four children's stories, six plays, and no fewer than six autobiographies.
Nichols is perhaps best remembered as a writer for Woman's Own and for his gardening books, the first of which Down the Garden Path, was illustrated — as were many of his books — by Rex Whistler. This bestseller — which has had 32 editions and has been in print almost continuously since 1932 — was the first of his trilogy about Allways, his Tudor thatched cottage in Glatton, Cambridgeshire. A later trilogy written between 1951 and 1956 documents his travails renovating Merry Hall (Meadowstream), a Georgian manor house in Agates Lane, Ashtead, Surrey, where Nichols lived from 1946 to 1956. These books often feature his gifted but laconic gardener "Oldfield". Nichols's final trilogy is referred to as "The Sudbrook Trilogy" (1963–1969) and concerns his late 18th-century attached cottage at Ham, (near Richmond), Surrey.
Nichols was a prolific author who wrote on a wide range of topics. He ghostwrote Dame Nellie Melba’s "autobiography" Memories and Melodies (1925), and in 1966 he wrote A Case of Human Bondage about the marriage and divorce of William Somerset Maugham and Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo, which was highly critical of Maugham. Father Figure, which appeared in 1972 and in which he described how he had tried to murder his alcoholic and abusive father, caused a great uproar and several people asked for his prosecution. His autobiographies usually feature Arthur R. Gaskin who was Nichols’ manservant from 1924 until Gaskin's death from cirrhosis in 1966. Nichols made one appearance on film - in 1931 he appeared in Glamour, directed by Seymour Hicks and Harry Hughes, playing the part of the Hon. Richard Wells.
Nichols' long-term partner was Cyril Butcher. He died in 1983 from complications after a fall.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 19, 2020
Are you familiar with that Crown Prince of garden writers, Beverley Nichols? If not, here's the perfect introduction to his witty and enchanting world. It's a book to pick up and put down (an excellent choice to leave in the bathroom), and you will find it in turns funny, a bit twee, wicked, nostalgic and practical. But even better than this compilation, go find a copy of Merry Hall or In a Thatched Cottage.
If you enjoy the novels of E.F. Benson and P.G. Wodehouse, you will be delighted by Mr. Nichols, to whom I'll give the last word: "If all men were gardeners, the world would be at peace."
If you enjoy the novels of E.F. Benson and P.G. Wodehouse, you will be delighted by Mr. Nichols, to whom I'll give the last word: "If all men were gardeners, the world would be at peace."
May 13, 2018
I find Nichols' most amusing writing in his anecdotes about neighbors and other people, but this collection of quotes from him about gardening does very well, especially when read in the gloaming.
March 22, 2018
Editor Roy Dicks has taken quotes from Beverly Nichols garden writings and put together a slender volume in remembrance of one long forgotten. I had just started reading all of Nichols' writing and I fear I've taken on more than I realized in that 1) it's going to be difficult to find most of these books and 2) he wrote over 60 books. While he is noted best for his garden books, he also wrote non-fiction, fiction, biographies, plays and a variety of styles. If you go to Google Images and type in Nichols names, you will see photographs of him, but also of his highly stylized book covers. He seems to have used the illustrator William McLaren. He was President of the Oxford Union during his school years. Had several homes over time that he devoted to landscaping. Known homosexual that made a failed pass at Cecil Beaton (they became friends in old age.) He is highly quotable.
"Light in a garden is but a quarter of the battle. Another quarter is the soil of the garden. A third quarter is the skill and care of the gardener. The fourth quarter is luck. Indeed, one might say that there were four L's of gardening, in the following order of importance: Loam, Light, Love and Luck."
"It is a very good thing to keep a gardening notebook. If it were not for my gardening notebook, I should not have planted those daffodils in the further meadow, in a bold, brave line, like a golden sword slashing through the fields of spring. I should never have beribboned the banks of the brook with bluebells...I should have forgotten the scarlet oaks, which blaze so fiercely in October that a man may warm his hands at them."
"It has taken me over thirty years of tireless experiment to discover the glory of grey in the garden, to reach the stage where I can write that it now seems to me as important as any of the colours on the gardener's palette, and maybe even more important."
"Even a single shop carnation in a country bunch seems to put the whole thing out of focus, like a woman in a Dior dress at a meeting of the parish council."
The author has a genuine passion for Nichols and wants other to learn about this man. I'm game.
"Light in a garden is but a quarter of the battle. Another quarter is the soil of the garden. A third quarter is the skill and care of the gardener. The fourth quarter is luck. Indeed, one might say that there were four L's of gardening, in the following order of importance: Loam, Light, Love and Luck."
"It is a very good thing to keep a gardening notebook. If it were not for my gardening notebook, I should not have planted those daffodils in the further meadow, in a bold, brave line, like a golden sword slashing through the fields of spring. I should never have beribboned the banks of the brook with bluebells...I should have forgotten the scarlet oaks, which blaze so fiercely in October that a man may warm his hands at them."
"It has taken me over thirty years of tireless experiment to discover the glory of grey in the garden, to reach the stage where I can write that it now seems to me as important as any of the colours on the gardener's palette, and maybe even more important."
"Even a single shop carnation in a country bunch seems to put the whole thing out of focus, like a woman in a Dior dress at a meeting of the parish council."
The author has a genuine passion for Nichols and wants other to learn about this man. I'm game.
July 7, 2019
A nice selection of quotes and excerpts representative of Nichols as a gardener and writer. You will not find practical how-to's as in standard gardening books. Rather, he was a master of the literary genre in writing about the pleasures of gardening and many of his charming bon-mots as well as thoughtful reflections are very well sampled in this collection.
Among his gardening passions, one of the best known was his penchant for winter gardening as in this quote:
“I refused to admit that there was ever a time of the year when the garden need cease to bloom, that there was not a single day, even in the snow, when it must be shrouded in dust sheets…. The best gardeners are three-hundred and-sixty-five-day-a-year gardeners, for long experience has taught them that some of the darkest days can also be among the brightest.” (from his Garden Open Today)
Or the wisdom from his life-long gardening experience:
“Light in a garden is a quarter of the battle. Another quarter is the soil of the garden. A third quarter is the skill and care of the gardener. The fourth quarter is luck. Indeed, one might say that these were the four L’s of gardening, in the following order of importance: Loam, Light, Love and Luck.” (Laughter on the Stairs)
And many of his witty passages as this one:
“I wonder if I am the only gardener who has sometimes sunk so low as to nip a seed-pod from a public garden? Obviously it is not a habit to be carried to extremes, but are there not occasions when it might be justified? … One says to oneself: ‘I came to this place in a heavily taxed car, using heavily taxed petrol, which I paid for out of a heavily taxed income. I am bowed down with taxes, and I need flowers to help me to survive’…. So one takes it, and as one does so one goes scarlet in the face and one’s heart beats a violent tattoo, and for weeks afterwards every ring at the door suggests a visit from the police.” (Forty Favourite Flowers)
4 out of 5 stars only because it is always better to read an entire book by Nichols rather than excerpts. All the same, this collection could serve as a well-selected invitation to his writings.
Among his gardening passions, one of the best known was his penchant for winter gardening as in this quote:
“I refused to admit that there was ever a time of the year when the garden need cease to bloom, that there was not a single day, even in the snow, when it must be shrouded in dust sheets…. The best gardeners are three-hundred and-sixty-five-day-a-year gardeners, for long experience has taught them that some of the darkest days can also be among the brightest.” (from his Garden Open Today)
Or the wisdom from his life-long gardening experience:
“Light in a garden is a quarter of the battle. Another quarter is the soil of the garden. A third quarter is the skill and care of the gardener. The fourth quarter is luck. Indeed, one might say that these were the four L’s of gardening, in the following order of importance: Loam, Light, Love and Luck.” (Laughter on the Stairs)
And many of his witty passages as this one:
“I wonder if I am the only gardener who has sometimes sunk so low as to nip a seed-pod from a public garden? Obviously it is not a habit to be carried to extremes, but are there not occasions when it might be justified? … One says to oneself: ‘I came to this place in a heavily taxed car, using heavily taxed petrol, which I paid for out of a heavily taxed income. I am bowed down with taxes, and I need flowers to help me to survive’…. So one takes it, and as one does so one goes scarlet in the face and one’s heart beats a violent tattoo, and for weeks afterwards every ring at the door suggests a visit from the police.” (Forty Favourite Flowers)
4 out of 5 stars only because it is always better to read an entire book by Nichols rather than excerpts. All the same, this collection could serve as a well-selected invitation to his writings.
Read
July 9, 2009Taking the best thoughts from all of Beverley Nichols garden series - uplifting, funny and outrageous! Just like the man himself!
January 27, 2010
cute gift book. A lot of gardening quotes from an early 20th century English writer. He belongs to a group of people who really knew gardens. Sweet and inspirational in the winter.
April 13, 2025
"When I begin to write about flowers, I lose all sense of restraint, and it is far, far too late to do anything about it."
"CELEBRATED ENGLISH AUTHOR Beverly Nichols is one of the best loved and most quoted gardening writers of the twentieth century. His entertaining anecdotes, witty asides, and strongly held opinions about everything range from poignant to high-spirited, and are often wickedly funny.
"These carefully selected passages offer a tantalizing taste of Nichols' humor, passion, and poetry, and are tailormade for reading out loud as they crescendo theatrically towards their punchline. Designed for casual browsing and easy reference, this book contains the very best of Nichols's thoughts on subjects such as awkward neighbors, favorite plants, and garden visiting.
"Gardeners, plant-lovers, raconteurs, and many others will find the quotes contained here perfect for speaking occasions of all kinds; endlessly useful for inscribing onto gifts, birthday cards, and other greetings; and irresistible for dropping into conversation with fellow gardeners. Anyone moved top 'listen with the flowers' will discover in Nichols a kindred spirit and perhaps even find themselves -- as Nichols suggests -- 'bursting into a sort of lunatic laughter at the sheer prettiness of things.' "
~~front flap
I'm not a gardener 0r raconteur but I am a plant lover, so I though I'd enjoy this book. But I didn't especially. Probably because I'm not a gardener, let alone an English gardener. But I do have awkward neighbors, and I did find myself laughing out loud several times, so it wasn't a total loss.
"CELEBRATED ENGLISH AUTHOR Beverly Nichols is one of the best loved and most quoted gardening writers of the twentieth century. His entertaining anecdotes, witty asides, and strongly held opinions about everything range from poignant to high-spirited, and are often wickedly funny.
"These carefully selected passages offer a tantalizing taste of Nichols' humor, passion, and poetry, and are tailormade for reading out loud as they crescendo theatrically towards their punchline. Designed for casual browsing and easy reference, this book contains the very best of Nichols's thoughts on subjects such as awkward neighbors, favorite plants, and garden visiting.
"Gardeners, plant-lovers, raconteurs, and many others will find the quotes contained here perfect for speaking occasions of all kinds; endlessly useful for inscribing onto gifts, birthday cards, and other greetings; and irresistible for dropping into conversation with fellow gardeners. Anyone moved top 'listen with the flowers' will discover in Nichols a kindred spirit and perhaps even find themselves -- as Nichols suggests -- 'bursting into a sort of lunatic laughter at the sheer prettiness of things.' "
~~front flap
I'm not a gardener 0r raconteur but I am a plant lover, so I though I'd enjoy this book. But I didn't especially. Probably because I'm not a gardener, let alone an English gardener. But I do have awkward neighbors, and I did find myself laughing out loud several times, so it wasn't a total loss.
April 4, 2024
The art works in this is beautiful. I also love the section about the cats.
This is my favorite part about this book because I still believe that to be true to this
day
IF WEEDS ARE indeed flowers, and often very beautiful flowers, are we justified in excluding them from the gar- den scene? Does not the very fact that we do so argue a regrettable lack of imagination?... It forces us to exam- ine our whole sense of aesthetic values; it obliges us to ask whether we still have that 'innocence of eye' which is the essential of all artistic perception. (GOTM, 138)
THE PRETTIEST DEFINITION of a weed that I ever read was coined by a learned director of Kew Gardens, Sir Edward Salisbury, who wrote, 'A weed is a flower in the wrong place. Or, more generally, A plant growing where we do not want it.' (GOTM, 135)
This is my favorite part about this book because I still believe that to be true to this
day
IF WEEDS ARE indeed flowers, and often very beautiful flowers, are we justified in excluding them from the gar- den scene? Does not the very fact that we do so argue a regrettable lack of imagination?... It forces us to exam- ine our whole sense of aesthetic values; it obliges us to ask whether we still have that 'innocence of eye' which is the essential of all artistic perception. (GOTM, 138)
THE PRETTIEST DEFINITION of a weed that I ever read was coined by a learned director of Kew Gardens, Sir Edward Salisbury, who wrote, 'A weed is a flower in the wrong place. Or, more generally, A plant growing where we do not want it.' (GOTM, 135)
September 19, 2018
This collection of quotes was a rather disjointed read - probably better suited to dipping into intermittently. It offers a perfect introduction to his work for anyone new to Nichols and has some choice quotes, of which the following two are probably the most famous:
“I would rather be made bankrupt by a bulb merchant than by a chorus girl.”
“Never trust a man or a woman who is not passionately devoted to geraniums.”
It would make a lovely present for a gardener and might entice them into reading more of Nichols’ books on flowers and gardens.
“I would rather be made bankrupt by a bulb merchant than by a chorus girl.”
“Never trust a man or a woman who is not passionately devoted to geraniums.”
It would make a lovely present for a gardener and might entice them into reading more of Nichols’ books on flowers and gardens.
December 26, 2024
A Christmas present from my dear daughter, who knows how much I love Beverley Nichols books.
Came home from my Christmas visit with her and immediately started reading.
This is a wonderful compilation of some of Nichols insights on all things horticultural amassed from his many gardening novels. His writing is by turns witty, clever, philosophical and moving.
This is definitely a keeper on my bookselves ❤
Came home from my Christmas visit with her and immediately started reading.
This is a wonderful compilation of some of Nichols insights on all things horticultural amassed from his many gardening novels. His writing is by turns witty, clever, philosophical and moving.
This is definitely a keeper on my bookselves ❤
September 2, 2023
'Know thy soil' is as vital injunction to the gardener as 'Know thyself' to the philosopher.
This is just one of many thoughtful and charming quotes from Beverley Nichols. The entire book is as beautiful as I envision his garden must have been. I enjoyed it so much I think I shall add it to my garden library!
This is just one of many thoughtful and charming quotes from Beverley Nichols. The entire book is as beautiful as I envision his garden must have been. I enjoyed it so much I think I shall add it to my garden library!
September 27, 2017
Amazing collection.
October 8, 2023
i brought this book to work. it took me awhile to read bc i was choosing to work over reading.
with that said, there are a few stanzas that deserve to be read over and over again
with that said, there are a few stanzas that deserve to be read over and over again
Read
March 15, 2024Quotes, anecdotes, and wisdom from one of the most cherished authors on gardening of the 20th century, Beverley Nichols. Charming sketches throughout this small book. 128 pages.
January 27, 2016
Rhapsody in Green is filled with many of the beloved whimsical and humorous quotes from Beverley Nichol's numerous books on gardening. His descriptions are so charming and thought provoking and you can feel his intense passion for flowers in the beautiful way he describes them. Most of his books were written between the 1930s to 1960s, and while you can tell he was a very fashionable and classy man, he never talks down to the reader as many gardening authors do. He embraces his failures and missteps and advises that mistakes are the greatest stepping stones for learning. I highly recommend his work to anyone with a love of gardening and humor. This book is a great starting point to get a feel for his wit and passion that comes through so clearly in his writing.
August 25, 2011
Having enjoyed several of the author's gardening books, I thought I'd try this. It's actually a book of excerpts from his other books. While I enjoyed it, if you really want to get a taste of the author's writing and wit, you must read the actual books.
May 21, 2012
a lovely garden book. i like to read these types of books right before sleep as i find them calming and put my mind in the garden. as this was another authors compilation of quotes i'm going to ask santa for a few of mr nichols books this christmas...never too early to think about it!
October 4, 2012
This is just a collection of Beverley Nichols' quotes about different plants and garden things. I bought it because it was cheap but I'm going to read all his books cover to cover because he's such an entertaining writer.
October 9, 2019
A fantastic way to celebrate the changing of the seasons, any season!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews