Something was definitely growing in the minds of Auburn residents and students Friday when author Andrea Wulf planted seeds of knowledge while talking about her new book "The Brother Gardeners."
Wulf is a journalist who has written two books about the history of gardens in England.
Wulf said that many of her friends in Germany laugh at her for being interested in the history of gardening.
"They laugh because gardens in Germany are just a few flowers and mostly evenly cut hedges," Wulf said.
She is also a trained design historian from the Royal College of Art in London. She now is working at the Royal College of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Her books are "The Brother Gardeners" and "This Other Eden."
Wulf also writes for several publications including The Guardian, Times Literary Supplement and the Mail on Sunday.
Wulf's latest book, "The Brother Gardeners," is about the British obsession with gardening and the men behind the centuries long history.
Wulf, born in Germany, moved to England 13 years ago.
"The first thing I noticed about the English is that they are crazy about gardening," Wulf said. "A bit mad really."
Tom Westmoreland, a part time employee for Project Uplift from Opelika is an admirer of Wulf's work.
"I think it is so interesting how she talks about men being key behind a movement that is today, it feels, dominated by women," Westmoreland said.
Westmoreland is an avid gardener and attends master gardener meetings where he said he is often in the minority.
Cameron Guthrie, a senior biomedical sciences student, said he had eagerly been looking forward to Wulf's book discussion.
"I have always had a hidden passion for gardening from days when I helped my grandmother in her award-winning garden," Guthrie said.
Guthrie said he was eager to get to speak with Wulf and ask what made her interested in her specialty.
"It's such an odd interest to not have some deeper meaning for her," Guthrie said. "You just wouldn't expect someone to say that they were an expert in the history of British gardens."
The Auburn University Bookstore offers a free potted herb with the purchase of Wulf's book.
Wulf's visit was sponsored by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities.
Wulf will be returning to the U.S., in November, following her book tour, to start work on her next book about colonial American gardening called, "The Founding Gardeners: How the Revolutionary Generation Created the American Eden."
More information about Wulf and her work can be found at her Web site andreawulf.com.
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