The first four decades of this century provided the average American with the best magazines published in this country, as well as our most distinguished garden writing. The first national medium of mass communication, these journals had a formative influence on American culture. Many of their garden articles were by authors we recognize today as singularly fascinating voices: Louise Beebe Wilder, Grace Tabor, Fletcher Steele, Wilhelm Miller, and Mrs. Francis King. But some of the best were by amateurs who wrote about their gardens with wonderful enthusiasm and intelligence while earning their livings in other professions -- as artists, librarians, drama critics, dieticians, college professors, and clergymen.

Bring in the energy of wild places and work in harmony with the land to grow your own food and live sustainably. In this beautifully illustrated book, award-winning garden designer Mary Reynolds encourages us to create a bond with the land to restore its health and feel its energy. Drawing inspiration from permaculture traditions as well as the ancient multi-tiered approach of forest gardening, Mary demonstrates how to create a magical garden that is an expanding, living, interconnected ecosystem. The Garden Awakening is both art and inspiration for any garden lover seeking to create a positive and natural space while incorporating sustainable living such as growing your own food. It combines practical step-by-step instructions with spiritual, ancient Celtic stories to help you awaken any garden space, nurturing it to benefit both the land and the people in it. This design approach allows ecosystems to be whole and in balance while providing a place for human beings to live happy and productive lives. Transform your garden into a vibrant, wild area that embraces the spiritual side of nature with this wonderful read.

"The key to the future of the world lies in gardening." So begins this inspiring book from the pioneering organic seed company Seeds of Change, which has introduced millions of gardeners to a cornucopia of luscious, unusual fruits and vegetables--all bred by methods that preserve the irreplaceable resources of water, soil, and genetic diversity for future generations. Gardening for the Future of the Earth brings together for the first time the techniques of the great pioneers of organic gardening, creating a program that can easily be used by home gardeners. Whether you have a sunny windowsill, a backyard plot, or a country garden, you can apply the principles of leading-edge systems such as permaculture, biointensive, biodynamic, and kinship gardening. The results? More beautiful flowers, vegetables, and fruits than you would have believed possible--and deeper satisfaction for you, the gardener, because you will be working in harmony with nature. Here is expert advice from the masters on: Garden planning and design that saves work and water Composting and other methods to build soil without chemical fertilizers Planting and pruning techniques for dramatically increased yields The pleasures of seed saving--and even breeding your own varieties Exploring the richness of biodiversity through kinship gardening And much more Illustrated with color photographs that bring the techniques to life, this is both a practical garden companion and essential reading for anyone interested in preserving the precious resources of our home planet. One individual with a digging fork and a small garden can make a difference. So begins this inspiring bookfrom the pioneering organic seed company, Seeds of Change, which now reaches more than one million households annually with its catalog of luscious, unusual fruits and vegetables--all bred by methods that preserve the irreplaceable resources of water, soil, and genetic diversity for future generations. The authors combine the major techniques of organic gardening--including Permaculture, Biointensive, Biodynamic, and Kinship systems--to create a program that can easilybe used by home gardeners. We learn from the masters: among others, Bill Mollison on garden planning and design; John Jeavons on soil building and planting; Alan Kapuler and Carol Deppe on seed saving and do-it-yourself plant breeding; and Masanobu Fukuoka on growing without pesticides or fertilizers. Illustrated with beautiful four-color photographs and diagrams, this is both a practical garden companion and essential reading for anyone interested in building a sustainable future. -->

"Alison Gopnik, a ... developmental psychologist, [examines] the paradoxes of parenthood from a scientific perspective"--

The first four decades of the 20th cent. provided the average Amer. with the best magazines published in this country, as well as our most distinguished garden writing. These journals had a formative influence on American culture. Many of their garden articles were by renowned authors, but some of the best were by amateurs who wrote about their gardens with enthusiasm and intelligence. Over 50 of these marvels of garden prose are included here. Chapters from: "Wild Gardens" and "Formal Gardens" to "A Year in the Garden" and "The Philosophical Gardener." Includes photos from the articles themselves, as well as a color plate section reproducing 21 glorious magazine covers.

“Part essay collection, part gardening guide, The Heirloom Gardener encourages readers to embrace heirloom seeds and traditions, serving as a well-needed reminder to slow down and reconnect with nature.” —Modern Farmer Modern life is a cornucopia of technological wonders. But is something precious being lost? A tangible bond with our natural world—the deep satisfaction of connecting to the earth that was enjoyed by previous generations? In The Heirloom Gardener, John Forti celebrates gardening as a craft and shares the lore and traditional practices that link us with our environment and with each other. Charmingly illustrated and brimming with wisdom, this guide will inspire you to slow down, recharge, and reconnect.

Marta McDowell returns with a beautiful, gift-worthy account of how plants and gardening deepy inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of the beloved children's classic The Secret Garden.

Meet the Grogans Before there was Marley, there was a gleefully mischievous boy navigating his way through the seismic social upheaval of the 1960s. On the one side were his loving but comically traditional parents, whose expectations were clear. On the other were his neighborhood pals and all the misdeeds that followed. The more young John tried to straddle these two worlds, the more spectacularly, and hilariously, he failed. Told with Grogan's trademark humor and affection, The Longest Trip Home is the story of one son's journey into adulthood to claim his place in the world. It is a story of faith and reconciliation, breaking away and finding the way home again, and learning in the end that a family's love will triumph over its differences.

This extensively revised and expanded edition broadens the reach and depth of the permaculture approach for urban and suburban gardeners. The text's message is that working with nature, not against it, results in more beautiful, abundant, and forgiving gardens.

Long, long ago, sprites were the caretakers of gardens. Every flower was grown by their hand. But when humans appeared and began growing their own gardens, the sprites' magical talents soon became a thing of the past. When Wisteria, an ambitious, kin