Tasha Tudor lived her life in the simplicity of 19th-century New England, raising children in a home without electricity or running water -- a style reflected in her charming illustrations for The Secret Garden and other books. But the aftermath of her 2008 death at age 92 (New York Times obit here) has been anything but simple and charming.

The Boston Globe reports that her four children have been fighting in Vermont Probate Court over an estate worth more than $2 million, and cannot even agree on a proper burial ceremony (she was cremated.)

Her will left most assets to son Seth and his son, who have been involved in strengthening her legacy through Tasha Tudor & Family, which offers tours or her Marlboro, Vt., garden as well as crafts workshops. But her other three children, who were estranged frm her, are challenging the will.

A sad ending for the artist, who, the Globe reports, "asked to be put to rest beneath the Mystery Rose in her garden in Marlboro, Vt., along with the remains of her beloved dogs and her pet rooster, Chickahominy."