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Barbara Paul Robinson

by Penny Michels

Barbara Paul Robinson, Esq. has just authored a book, “Rosemary Verey: The Life and Lessons of a Legendary Gardener," that is rich with design tips, full of great stories, and describes the gardening experiences common to all Berkshire gardeners.

In 1991 Robinson, an accomplished lawyer and former president of the New York City Bar Association, took a break from her work at Debevoise & Plimpton where she is a partner, to live and learn gardening skills firsthand with one of England’s most celebrated designers, Rosemary Verey.

One predictable consequence of her “sabbatical” was an extensive redesign of Brushhill Gardens with her husband, artist Charles Raskob Robinson, at their home in Washington, CT. Another is the publication of a gardener’s garden book that all but channels the great Rosemary Verey herself. This is not only a book for collectors, it is a biography full of personal details and of the challenges and triumphs that faced one of the great icons of English garden design. It is also the chronicle of a great friendship.

Robinson also maintains a lively blog on her website and has contributed articles to “Horticulture Magazine," the “New York Times” and “Fine Gardening." She generously shares her knowledge at speaking engagements nationwide, and conducts tours of her beautiful gardens for selected events.

Robinson enjoys the solitude of time spent in her gardens. As she put it, “Plants don’t talk or argue. Gardens are part of their landscape and my own garden has been very much shaped by the stone walls, woodlands and fields of this area.” Some of her favorite Berkshire Gardens are in Washington. “The garden at George Schoellkopf’s Holister House is currently being preserved with the help of the Garden Conservancy. The plant intensive garden of Peter Wooster is also a favorite, but there are so many more, including Linda Allard’s beautiful walled garden nearby.”

“I have just written a biography of Rosemary Verey so of course, I know all eighteen of her books intimately and love her writing. They speak directly to the reader and are so encouraging and hands on practical.” Other garden writers Robinson recommends include Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, who has written a book about garden writing, and Paula Deitz “Of Gardens," a recently published selection of her elegant essays written over thirty years.

“Rosemary Verey: The Life and Lessons of a Legendary Gardener” is the first and only biography of the gifted English garden designer. It can be found in bookstores throughout the Berkshires and on Amazon.com.

www.brushhillgardens.com

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