Kathleen Ashby Atkins makes photographs of many subjects, especially wildlife, botanical life, and architecture.

Her pictures have been shown and sold at Fetherston Gallery in Seattle. They have been included in group shows at Benham Studio Gallery in Seattle; at the gallery at the Photographic Center Northwest, also in Seattle; and at Whimsey, in Bellingham. Heron Habitat Helpers, a nonprofit environmental and wildlife advocacy group, uses her heron photographs regularly for its marketing efforts and on its Facebook and Twitter pages.

A few words from the artist:


She invites readers to an opening reception at the Miller Library this Friday, July 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. The library opens at 4 p.m. that day.

At the recent Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries conference hosted by the Schilling Library at Desert Botanical Garden in Arizona, Brian Thompson gathered these quotations from the authors and editors of the winning books:

“Libraries and archives are gateways to knowledge and culture for all of us in the 21st century.” —Staci Catron, Mary Ann Eaddy, and James R. Lockhart, authors of  Seeking Eden: A Collection of Georgia’s Historic Gardens

 

“We send our heartfelt thanks to the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries for the 2019 Award of Excellence in Botanical Art and Illustration, of which we are all very proud.” —Philip Watson, Commissioning Editor; Thames & Hudson of  Joseph Banks’ Florilegium: Botanical Treasures from Cook’s First Voyage

 

“We hope that all of the books that were nominated receive ample exposure and attention, for we believe that each book is a work of love and passion, and that practitioners and lovers of the natural world should be made aware of their availability. We would like to re-emphasize our thanks to the Council of Botanical and Horticultural libraries for having nodded in our direction.” —Gerould Wilhelm, co-author of Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis (read by his daughter, Sue Khorasani, at the presentation)

“She [Maria Sybilla Merian] would have been delighted by the riches of our current botanical and horticultural libraries—and delighted to know that her books are now treasured volumes therein.” —Joyce Sidman, author of  The Girl who Drew Butterflies

 

“This is certainly great news and will give our spring planting an added joy.” —William Woys Weaver, author of Heirloom Vegetable Gardening: A Master Gardener’s Guide to Planting, Seed Saving, and Cultural History, new edition.

“We wish Wilhelmina Jashemski could be present. As a pioneer of the archaeobotany of ancient gardens, she would have been particularly thrilled by this award.” —Kathryn Gleason, co-editor of Gardens of the Roman Empire

Here is light summer reading, in which the main attraction is Elizabeth’s delight in her garden. Billed as a novel, the text reads as a year of journal entries by Elizabeth, and the situation follows von Arnim’s life situation as wife of a German baron. She was born Mary Annette Beauchamp (later changing her name to Elizabeth) in Australia and raised in England. She describes convincing her husband to spend more time in their country estate, which had been neglected for 25 years. There was no garden left, and she had no experience as a gardener but was eager to have one. The book describes her efforts and failures and renewed efforts, particularly with roses but with many other plants as well, flowers, bushes, and trees. Patience and failure, she says, are the lot of the gardener. The garden becomes her place of refuge and delight, as she spends most of her days outdoors.

The reader will need to return to the world of Downton Abbey, except that the point of view is restricted to the upstairs, not the downstairs. There is much talk of problems with cooks, maids, and, of course, gardeners.  Von Arnim writes with a light touch and includes many set pieces such as sleighing to church wrapped in furs, and Christmas with the children, especially the staff children.

Most frustrating for her is that she can’t do the gardening herself. A baroness must not garden. She must hire gardeners and tell them what to do, not an easy task. Once she sneaks out when no one is looking and digs a little.  Her work, then, consists of ordering seeds and supervising. But she loves being in the garden as it develops, and resists going to town, much to the amazement of German women visitors, who think city life is far superior (as in Jane Austen novels). Her husband, known to us only as “the Man of Wrath,” does not seem wrathful, just scornful of women, whom he regards as children. Elizabeth does not contest with him, she just acts independently. He does not approve of large expenses for gardens, so she buys seeds with her “pin money” and frets that she may have to cut back ordering dresses for herself.

The reader won’t learn how to plant a garden from this book but will have fun seeing Elizabeth’s grow and sharing her pleasure.