Why Women Grow

<p><b>Alice Vincent</b> is a journalist and the author of three books including<i> Rootbound: Rewilding a Life</i> which was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize and named as one of the books of 2020 by the <i>Financial Times </i>and the <i>Independent</i>. A self-taught gardener Alice is a columnist for <i>Gardens Illustrated</i> and writes for titles including <i>Vogue</i> and the <i>New Statesman</i>. She has been documenting her gardening online since 2015 and has since launched a newsletter and podcast. She lives in South London.<br><br> @noughticulture | @alice_emily</p> <p><b><i>THE TIMES</i> / WATERSTONES TOP 10 BESTSELLER</b><br><b>AN <i>INDEPENDENT</i> BEST BOOK TO READ IN 2023</b><br><b>A <i>STYLIST </i>NONFICTION MUST-READ FOR 2023</b><br><b>A <i>SUNDAY TIMES </i>GARDENING BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2023<br></b><br>Women have always gardened but our stories have been buried with our work. Alice Vincent is on a quest to change that. To understand what encourages women to go out work the soil plant seeds and nurture them even when so many other responsibilities sit upon their shoulders. To recover the histories that have been lost among the soil.<br><br> <i>Why Women Grow</i> is a much-needed exploration of why women turn to the earth as gardeners growers and custodians. This book emerged from a deeply rooted desire to share the stories of women who are silenced and overlooked. In doing so Alice fosters connections with gardeners that unfurl into a tender exploration of women's lives their gardens and what the ground has offered them with conversations spanning creation and loss celebration and grief power protest identity and renaissance.<br><br> Wise curious and sensitive <i>Why Women Grow</i> follows Alice in her search for answers with inquisitive fronds reaching and curling around the intimate anecdotes of others.</p> <b>A stunning meditation on why women are drawn to the soil featuring contributions from Ali Smith Hazel Gardiner and Cosey Fanni Tutti</b> A compelling enriching read. Above all this is a wonderful tribute to the perseverance and tenacity of women . . . a joy full of restless curiosity about gardening life the longing for meaning and the simple yet quietly feminist act of creating a space for yourself <i>Why Women Grow</i> shows the beauty and grit of tending the soil in difficult times. Alice Vincent shows us that the cure for uncertainty is to get mud under our nails A poignant exploration of the relationship between healing and growing and the power and mystery of nature Both tender yet fierce this book is written with an acute sense of women's relationship to the land and how vital that is. I loved it Alice Vincent delves into what it is that makes women want to garden uncovering what drives the urge to sow seeds and nurture plants and by doing so goes on her own journey of discovery A conversational odyssey from a Canary Wharf balcony to Charleston the Bloomsbury set's hangout and a windswept smallholding in Denmark. <i>Why Women Grow</i> is the splendid-looking account of these encounters. The narrative unfurls like a vagabond anthology of potted biographies confessions jostling alongside social commentary . . . If you enjoy window-shopping other people's lives you'll relish this staggeringly diverse array of individuals. Vincent's affection for her subject is infectious A beautiful meditation on the overlooked history of female gardeners tracing how women have drawn strength and power from the natural world Alice's writing is sublime. Gentle yet certain warm yet fierce. <i>Why Women Grow</i> is an exquisite exploration of our many womanhoods and the reasons why some of us find our steadiness and solace in our relationship to the earth. I adored it One of those rare and special books that reminds you why especially during trying times you might suddenly find more joy in caring for a plant or seeing the turn of Spring. Highly recommended! Beautifully written Vincent sympathetically draws out the women who speak about loss abusive relationships and racial prejudice . . . she brings women and their problems to life A glorious sweet-scented joy of a read it's the literary equivalent of a stroll through a cornflower meadow on a warm summer's evening <i>Why Women Grow</i> is a wonderful ode to gardening in which Alice charts her own emotional gardening journey but also that of dozens of other women of all ages and backgrounds. Whether you're a gardener or not it will make you think about why and how we grow The history of horticulture has often overlooked the contribution made by women and this book offers a timely antidote Reading this is pure poetry <p><b>LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING</b><br><b><i>THE TIMES</i> / WATERSTONES TOP 10 BESTSELLER</b><br><b>AN <i>INDEPENDENT</i> BEST BOOK TO READ IN 2023</b><br><b>A <i>STYLIST </i>NONFICTION MUST-READ FOR 2023</b><br><b>A <i>SUNDAY TIMES </i>GARDENING BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2023<br></b><br>Women have always gardened but our stories have been buried with our work. Alice Vincent is on a quest to change that. To understand what encourages women to go out work the soil plant seeds and nurture them even when so many other responsibilities sit upon their shoulders. To recover the histories that have been lost among the soil.<br><br> <i>Why Women Grow</i> is a much-needed exploration of why women turn to the earth as gardeners growers and custodians. This book emerged from a deeply rooted desire to share the stories of women who are silenced and overlooked. In doing so Alice fosters connections with gardeners that unfurl into a tender exploration of women's lives their gardens and what the ground has offered them with conversations spanning creation and loss celebration and grief power protest identity and renaissance.<br><br> Wise curious and sensitive <i>Why Women Grow</i> follows Alice in her search for answers with inquisitive fronds reaching and curling around the intimate anecdotes of others.</p>