Launching the 2024 spring season of its popular WellSpring Series, The Osborn will host author and horticulturist Marta McDowell discussing her book, Gardening Can Be Murder: How Poisonous Poppies, Sinister Shovels, and Grim Gardens Have Inspired Mystery Writers, on Wednesday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public, the event will be held in The Osborn’s Auditorium at 101 Theall Road in Rye.

From Edgar Allan Poe to Agatha Christie to modern bestsellers, many of our greatest mystery writers have found inspiration in the sinister side of gardens. Gardening Can Be Murder is the first book to explore this genre’s many surprising horticultural connections. Marta McDowell teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden where she has been named Instructor of the Year. The author of five books, she was the 2019 recipient of the Garden Club of America Sarah Chapman Francis Medal for outstanding literary achievement.

The event is free to attend.