"Open Books" noted that to "open "Charming Gardeners" is to unwrap a packet of letters, all written by an attentive and contemplative poet".In her interview with David Biespiel for NPR's State of Wonder, April Baer noted the "subjects of Biespiel's new book of poetry, "Charming Gardeners", are friends of his from every corner of the U.S., including his wife and son, writers like Christian Wiman, and intellectual adversaries like William F. Buckley and Cesar Conda.