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The Arts Intel Report

George Harrison: A Gardener's Life

George Harrison, c. 1970.

534 Mound St. Sarasota, FL 34236, United States

Everyone has hobbies, even a former Beatle. Besides being the lead guitarist in arguably the biggest rock band of all time, George Harrison also had a green thumb. The seed was planted in 1970, after the group disbanded and Harrison bought an estate in Oxfordshire, England—a Victorian mansion with 32 acres of grounds and gardens, all of it in disrepair. With the help of his wife, Olivia, Harrison began the slow process of bringing it back. As one does, he learned while doing and became an accomplished gardener with a distinct thumbprint. For the ninth installment of the Jean & Alfred Goldstein exhibition series, the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, in Sarasota, celebrates Harrison’s achievement with horticultural vignettes. There are also displays of Harrison’s music and lyrics alongside flora, as well as excerpts from Came the Lightening, a book of poems by his widow, Olivia Harrison. —Carolina de Armas