Name: JASNA-WI Spring Luncheon: Peonies, Berries, and Bees: Jane Austen’s Cottage
Start: 2025-04-26T11:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-04-26T15:00:00-05:00
Location: Blackhawk Country Club

$JASNA-WI Spring Luncheon: Peonies, Berries, and Bees: Jane Austen\u2019s Cottage$

Join author and JASNA Life Member Kim Wilson for an exploration of cottage gardens during the Regency period.
About this Event

Peonies, Berries, and Bees: Jane Austen’s Cottage Gardens

In Jane Austen’s day cottage gardens were a pleasing medley of flowers, herbs, fruit, and vegetables, combining beauty with utility. At most of their homes the Austen family grew not only ornamental flowers, but also fruits and vegetables, as well as keeping poultry and bees.

Cottage gardens of all sizes appear in Austen’s works, from the tiny gardens of villagers to the grander gardens at the so-called “cottages” of the wealthy. In this talk, Kim Wilson explains what Regency cottage gardens were really like, and examines how the Austen family and some of the characters in Austen’s novels grew and enjoyed their cottage gardens. Kim will share period gardening tips and techniques and herbal recipes for Regency cosmetics.