Jean Cooke (1927–2008): Ungardening – A Quiet Revolution Jean Cooke was born in London on February 18, 1927, to Arthur Oregon Cooke and his wife. Arthur owned a shop in Blackheath, London where he sold hardware supplies and groceries. Until she was about 6+1⁄2 years old, Cooke spent a lot of time in her father’s shop. Her mother saw little value in education and kept her out of school until then. Her mother had an artistic spirit, creating “beautiful colours to decorate the walls by subtly mixing odd touches of paint.” As a young girl she drew, painted and modeled figures and heads in plasti…