How old is Dickon in The Secret Garden?

Martha says her brother Dickon is twelve years old. Later he describes himself as “twelve goin’ on thirteen.”

What animals does Dickon have?

Dickon has a pony and is friends with many wild creatures. In the book you meet a fox cub, a crow, a squirrel and a lamb that trust him.

What does “wick” mean in The Secret Garden?

In Yorkshire speech, “wick” means alive or lively. Dickon uses it to tell Mary that the rose bushes are not dead, only sleeping.

From The Secret Garden

Dickon Sowerby

Animal whisperer • Friendly and wild

Martha’s brother, a friendly moorland boy who can charm birds and animals.

Who is Dickon Sowerby?

Dickon Sowerby is Martha’s brother, a gentle boy from the moor who can make friends with wild animals. A crow, a squirrel, a lamb and a fox cub all trust him. Dickon brings Mary garden tools and flower seeds, keeps her secret, and helps her wake up the sleeping garden. Later he wheels Colin outdoors and helps him grow strong.

Dickon Sowerby is a character in The Secret Garden, the 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.

What is Dickon Sowerby like?

Gentle
Cheerful
Trustworthy

Dickon Sowerby’s story

Dickon Sowerby is twelve years old and lives in a small cottage on the moor with his mother, father and many brothers and sisters. He seems to understand wild creatures as if they were friends. Mary first meets him in the garden, where a crow, a fox cub and a squirrel follow him around, and he tells her the plants are not dead, only sleeping.

Dickon brings spades, seeds and know-how, and he promises never to tell Mary’s secret. With him, Mary learns how to look after a garden, and the two of them plant flowers where the weeds had been. He is also the first person Mary trusts enough to tell about Colin.

When Colin wants to see the garden, it is Dickon who pushes his chair, and his calm, cheerful way helps Colin to breathe, to relax and to try. At home he works in the family vegetable plot, and his mother says anything will grow for him.

“It’s as wick as you or me”

Dickon Sowerby, about a bare-looking rose bush. From the original 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

A moment to remember

Dickon scrapes a little gray bark off an old rose bush and finds juicy green wood underneath, proving the garden is only asleep.

Martha Sowerby: his sister
Susan Sowerby: his mother
Mary Lennox: his gardening friend
Colin Craven: the cousin he wheels into the garden

Talk about it

The animals trust Dickon because he is so calm and gentle. How can you be gentle with an animal or with a friend who feels shy?

Questions about Dickon Sowerby

How old is Dickon in The Secret Garden?: Martha says her brother Dickon is twelve years old. Later he describes himself as “twelve goin’ on thirteen.”
What animals does Dickon have?: Dickon has a pony and is friends with many wild creatures. In the book you meet a fox cub, a crow, a squirrel and a lamb that trust him.
What does “wick” mean in The Secret Garden?: In Yorkshire speech, “wick” means alive or lively. Dickon uses it to tell Mary that the rose bushes are not dead, only sleeping.