The Unusual Life of Edna Walling

A biography

Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book The Unusual Life of Edna Walling by Sara Hardy, Allen & Unwin
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sara Hardy ISBN: 9781741156461
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Publication: April 1, 2005
Imprint: Allen & Unwin Language: English
Author: Sara Hardy
ISBN: 9781741156461
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Publication: April 1, 2005
Imprint: Allen & Unwin
Language: English

Edna Walling designed over 300 gardens between 1920 and 1960 when most women were homemakers. Today her gardens are still considered to add value to real estate. Her achievements and the gardens themselves are well documented, yet despite the fact she was a fabulous self-publicist and a very unusual woman in her time, Edna's private life has remained a mystery.

Actress and playwright Sara Hardy was compelled to find out what made Edna tick when she was cast as Miss Walling in a play in 1989. Keen to research her character, she discovered that the available material was all about the gardens.

And so began a journey of discovery. Hardy has unearthed amazing primary sources: letters, photographs, stories told to her by Edna's niece, and has been wholeheartedly supported in her quest by the two main documenters of the gardens, Peter Watts and Trisha Dixon. Covering Edna's childhood in Devon and the family's migration to New Zealand and then Australia, Hardy tracks the aspiring designer through the horticultural course at Burnley and charts her transformation from the girl gardener' for the ladies of Toorak to designer of large-scale gardens for wealthy Victorians. She tackles the burning question of Edna's sexuality, and reveals the other women who supported Edna in her extraordinary endeavours.

A deeply personal portrait, The Unusual Life of Edna Walling reveals not so much what Edna Walling did, but who she was as a woman.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Edna Walling designed over 300 gardens between 1920 and 1960 when most women were homemakers. Today her gardens are still considered to add value to real estate. Her achievements and the gardens themselves are well documented, yet despite the fact she was a fabulous self-publicist and a very unusual woman in her time, Edna's private life has remained a mystery.

Actress and playwright Sara Hardy was compelled to find out what made Edna tick when she was cast as Miss Walling in a play in 1989. Keen to research her character, she discovered that the available material was all about the gardens.

And so began a journey of discovery. Hardy has unearthed amazing primary sources: letters, photographs, stories told to her by Edna's niece, and has been wholeheartedly supported in her quest by the two main documenters of the gardens, Peter Watts and Trisha Dixon. Covering Edna's childhood in Devon and the family's migration to New Zealand and then Australia, Hardy tracks the aspiring designer through the horticultural course at Burnley and charts her transformation from the girl gardener' for the ladies of Toorak to designer of large-scale gardens for wealthy Victorians. She tackles the burning question of Edna's sexuality, and reveals the other women who supported Edna in her extraordinary endeavours.

A deeply personal portrait, The Unusual Life of Edna Walling reveals not so much what Edna Walling did, but who she was as a woman.

More books from Allen & Unwin

Cover of the book MoVida: Meat by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book Call Me Cruel by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book Speaking Persuasively by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book Sign by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book The Australian Book of Disasters by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book Black Politics by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book The Grand, Genius Summer of Henry Hoobler by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book Master of the Ceremonies by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book The Life and Death of Harold Holt by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book Kick with my Left Foot by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book Don't Look Now Book 1: Falling For It and The Kangapoo Key Ring by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book The Gentleman's Garden by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book Puzzles and Words by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book A Life in Frocks by Sara Hardy
Cover of the book On Time On Target by Sara Hardy
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy