The Secret Garden
Where the Story Came From
The Secret Garden was written by Frances Hodgson Burnett, an Anglo-American author who loved gardens, nature, and stories of transformation. Born in industrial Manchester in 1849, Frances experienced both the grey skies of England and the green landscapes of rural America after her family moved there when she was a teen. This shift from city to countryside planted the seeds for her lifelong appreciation of nature’s healing power — a key theme in the book.
Burnett wrote the story while surrounded by real gardens. One inspiration was a walled garden she encountered at Great Maytham Hall in Kent, England: its hidden door and overgrown walls felt like a secret world waiting to be rediscovered — much like the garden in the book.
Originally serialised in The American Magazine in 1910–1911, The Secret Garden was then published as a book in 1911 in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Where the Story Went Next
The Secret Garden wasn’t an instant success when it was first published, but over the 20th century it quietly grew into a well loved classics in children’s literature.
The story has been retold many times on screen and stage. It first appeared as a silent film in 1919, followed by well-known versions like the 1949 MGM film with its clever use of black-and-white and colour, the much-loved 1993 film, and later TV adaptations in the UK. Most recently, a 2020 film gave the story a modern look, while a Broadway musical in 1991 helped the garden sing its way into theatres around the world.
The novel’s portrayal of disability is frequently criticised from a modern perspective for implying that a “happy ending” depends upon the “curing” of disability. The novel has also been criticised for presenting colonial stereotypes, with Indian characters and culture placed in an exotic, inferior light compared with the English characters’ growth and “civilising” journey.
Associated Stories
Frances Hodgson Burnett was a prolific writer, creating more than forty books for both adults and children. Alongside The Secret Garden, she also gave the world much-loved classics like Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess, stories that share her signature mix of heart, hope, and young people discovering their inner strength.
The magic of The Secret Garden has continued to bloom in later books inspired by its themes. The Painted Garden by Noel Streatfeild, which imagines a child actor finding life lessons while filming the 1949 movie. Return to the Secret Garden by Holly Webb is a World War II–era sequel passing the garden’s wonder to new children,while Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline (2023) is a modern reimagining set in early 20th-century Canada that explores friendship, identity, and healing through the power of a garden.