The book will focus on the gardens that Shakespeare knew, including the five gardens in Stratford upon Avon in which he gardened and explored. From his birthplace in Henley Street, to his childhood playground at Mary Arden's Farm, to his courting days at Anne Hathaway's Cottage and his final home at New Place - where he created a garden to reflect his fame and wealth. Cared for by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, these gardens are continually evolving to reflect our ongoing knowledge of his life. The book will also explore the plants that Shakespeare knew and wrote about in 17th century England: their use in his work and the meanings that his audiences would have picked up on - including mulberries, roses, daffodils, pansies, herbs and a host of other flowers

Introduction A biography through gardens; a literary flowering; a picture of Shakespeare   SHAKESPEARE’S WORLD • Tudor Gardens The royal palaces; Dudley’s Kenilworth; patterns woven in silk and thread   THE STRATFORD BOY • Shakespeare’s Birthplace The Shakespeares in town; useful herbs; the making of a Victorian garden   A COUNTRY CHILDHOOD • Mary Arden’s Farm Food and Tudor vegetable growing; farming; the art of husbandry   YOUTH AND ROMANCE • Anne Hathaway’s Cottage The rise of the cottage garden; wild flowers; Ellen Willmott and the Edwardian garden   THE GARDEN VISITOR • Shakespeare in London The Inns of Court, gardens for pleasure; John Gerard’s herbal   IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH • Hall’s Croft The power of plants; medicine, drugs and cures; Doctor Hall and his patients   A MAN OF PROPERTY • New Place Garden The search for Shakespeare’s last home; Nash’s House and the Great Garden   Endnotes Bibliography Chronology of Shakespeare’s works Visiting details Index Acknowledgments