‘Gardening is a really interesting activity to do alongside writing,’ says author, Olivia Laing when we speak before the release of her latest book, The Garden Against Time. ‘You're editing all the time and you're making something, then you're looking at it and seeing what doesn't work and stripping it away. Gardens are really interesting, because they pull you into the present moment. That's very relaxing when we're thinking about the future all the time. But also they're cyclical. So there's a sense that things decline, but then they return - I have found that deeply uplifting, especially during the conditions of the pandemic and everything that followed it.’
The garden felt like a natural focus for Laing, who began to restore her own walled garden in Suffolk in 2020. Once a magical, wild sanctuary, it had endured years of neglect by the time Laing moved in. Overwhelmed and inspired, she determined to document not only the progress of the garden itself, but also trace its place in history, digging through its social, political and historical roots.
