Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women follows the lives of four sisters during the American Civil War. The March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—write stories, work at various jobs, fall in love, and share hobbies as they grow from girls to women.
As detailed in Alcott’s book, one of their seasonal hobbies is gardening. Genteel American women like the Marches interacted with plants in many ways in the 1800s. They cultivated gardens and created botanical artwork. Flowers were especially important because a flower could be a message or a way to understand someone’s personality. There were even books about the secret meanings of flowers.
It’s no surprise that Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy had gardens as different as their personalities, and Alcott details each sister’s plot.
Most of the plants the Marches grew can be found at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Look at their choices and consider which would suit your gardening style. Would you plant traditional and lovely roses like Meg, or wild sunflowers like Jo? Perhaps you adore sweet peas like sweet and gentle Beth, or would prefer a charming and graceful bower like Amy.
Meg
Meg’s had roses and heliotrope, myrtle, and a little orange tree in it.
Roses
The Cranford Rose Garden has a variety of beautiful and colorful roses in the spring and summer. What color roses do you think Meg chose?
Heliotrope
This dainty ‘Marine’ heliotrope can be found in the Fragrance Garden in the summer.
Orange Tree
Can you spot these bright oranges fruiting in the Conservatory?
Jo
Jo’s bed was never alike two seasons, for she was always trying experiments. This year it was to be a plantation of sun flowers, the seeds of which cheerful and aspiring plant were to feed Aunt Cockle-top and her family of chicks.
Sunflower
Keep an eye out for these bright willow-leaved sunflowers in the Plant Family Collection.
Beth
Beth had old-fashioned fragrant flowers in her garden, sweet peas and mignonette, larkspur, pinks, pansies, and southernwood, with chickweed for the birds and catnip for the pussies.
Sweet Pea
Sweet peas like these in the Fragrance Garden bloom in late spring.
Mignonette
Find these tall white mignonettes swaying in the wind in the Herb Garden under the summer sun.
Pinks
Pinks, which refer to several members of the Dianthus genus, can be found among the roses in the Cranford Rose Garden.
Pansies
Varieties of this classic garden flower can be found throughout the Garden, including in the Annual Border. What other colors do they come in?
Chickweed
As the name says, this plant is a weed. It’s also edible, making it a perfect nibble for birds.
Amy
Amy had a bower in hers, rather small and earwiggy, but very pretty to look at, with honeysuckle and morning-glories hanging their colored horns and bells in graceful wreaths all over it, tall white lilies, delicate ferns, and as many brilliant, picturesque plants as would consent to blossom there.
Honeysuckle
Dainty honeysuckles can be found in the Plant Family Collection in the spring.
Morning Glory
Most commonly pink and purple, morning glories are climbers. Imagine them climbing the bower!
Lily
Lilies of many colors, such as pink and orange, are found all around the Garden in summer. These white lilies can be spotted in the Plant Family Collection.
Fern
The Garden has all kinds of ferns, both indoors and outside. You can find this interrupted fern in the Native Flora Garden.