The site of the garden lovingly portrayed by Elizabeth von Arnim in her 1898 best-selling book Elizabeth and her
German Garden needs urgent attention to prevent it from disappearing forever.
Elizabeth, born Mary Annette Beauchamp in Australia in 1866, moved to London when she was three years old. She married the Count von Arnim in 1891 and later went to live at his neglected estate at Nasseheide, then in Germany but now
in Poland, where she created and wrote about her
'German Garden'. The book is a fusion of the literary and the horticultural, blending humorous tales of gardening experiences with those of a young Englishman trying to live the life of a countess in a remote part of Germany at the end of the 19th century.

Her naturalistic planting ideas, as described in this book, and its sequel, The Solitary Summer, stem from her love of nature and Romantic literature.
Nassenheide was also owned at the end of the 18th century by Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck, a plant-loving explorer who collected seeds from all over the world, some of which were planted on the estate.
Elizabeth and her family left the estate 100 years ago to return to England. Of her 21 novels, The Enchanted April is probably the best known today.
The ravages of two world wars and the communist régime have taken their toll. All that is now visible of her garden is the huge semi-circle that once contained a formal rose garden, and some of the original spectacular lilacs. The old mansion lies in ruins, covered by briars and nettles.
But enough remains amply to repay research and investigation. In a remote corner of Poland lies an undiscovered piece of English literary and horticultural heritage. I wonder if anyone might want to follow this up?

Jennifer Walker (May 2009)

Elizabeth and her German Garden can be read at www.gutenberg.org