author
Eleanour Sinclair Rohde
A gifted British gardening writer and designer, she helped bring herbs, scented plants, and garden history to a wide popular audience. Her books blend practical know-how with a deep delight in the character and story of plants.
1 Audiobook
The Old English Herbals
by Eleanour Sinclair Rohde
About the author
Born in 1881, Eleanour Sinclair Rohde was a British gardener, garden designer, and horticultural writer whose work reached a wide audience in the first half of the twentieth century. She wrote around thirty gardening books between 1913 and 1948, and she is especially remembered for The Scented Garden.
Her interests ranged across herbs, vegetables, and the history of gardens, and her writing is often noted for making older gardening traditions feel lively and usable. She also worked as a designer, with the herb garden at Lullingstone Castle among the projects associated with her, and she was the first woman to design a show garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in 1921.
Rohde's books remain appealing because they are both knowledgeable and welcoming: she wrote for readers who loved plants, but also for anyone curious about how gardens carry memory, flavor, and everyday pleasure.