Revive your senses and achieve a renowned sense of serenity through gardening. Our five senses — sight, touch, hear, smell and taste — are what connect us with the world around us. It’s also what distinguishes our humanity in many ways. This inspirational gardening guide is a celebration of these senses and how they rejuvenate our very being through the act of gardening. Find out how this heartening gardening book can show you that by simply being outside you can be grounded and calm. You’ll learn which plants to grow to nourish both your mental and physical well-being and more: • Separate sections on each of the senses, as they walk the reader through customizing their outdoor space for the best sensory experience. • Inspiring and evocative pull-out quotes and phrases help to heighten the understanding of each sense. • The clear and engaging text explains how each aspect stimulates a particular sense. • Beautiful and atmospheric photography brings the subjects to life. Immersing yourself in nature, whether it is smelling the scent of fresh flowers or strolling through a garden, has been known to be very effective in improving one’s mood and energy. This enlightening guide walks you through all the different senses so you can tailor your garden to your specific needs and personal preferences. Sensory gardening is for everyone! Be inspired with fresh new ideas on planting and maintaining your garden, which you can put into practice quickly and easily. This guide to gardening shows you how you can improve the sensory enjoyment of your outside space no matter where you live and plot size. Garden For The Senses makes the perfect gift for gardeners, growers, cooks, designers and nature lovers. It is also appealing to those gardeners seeking a more sensory and mindful approach to gardening and who want to understand why being outside is so vital for wellbeing.

In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

Featuring gardens, flowers and plants that appeal to our sense of sight, smell, touch and hearing, this volume aims to enhance the pleasures of both gardening and visiting gardens for the reader.

Revive your senses and achieve a renowned sense of serenity through gardening. Our five senses — sight, touch, hear, smell and taste — are what connect us with the world around us. It’s also what distinguishes our humanity in many ways. This inspirational gardening guide is a celebration of these senses and how they rejuvenate our very being through the act of gardening. Find out how this heartening gardening book can show you that by simply being outside you can be grounded and calm. You’ll learn which plants to grow to nourish both your mental and physical well-being and more: • Separate sections on each of the senses, as they walk the reader through customizing their outdoor space for the best sensory experience. • Inspiring and evocative pull-out quotes and phrases help to heighten the understanding of each sense. • The clear and engaging text explains how each aspect stimulates a particular sense. • Beautiful and atmospheric photography brings the subjects to life. Immersing yourself in nature, whether it is smelling the scent of fresh flowers or strolling through a garden, has been known to be very effective in improving one’s mood and energy. This enlightening guide walks you through all the different senses so you can tailor your garden to your specific needs and personal preferences. Sensory gardening is for everyone! Be inspired with fresh new ideas on planting and maintaining your garden, which you can put into practice quickly and easily. This guide to gardening shows you how you can improve the sensory enjoyment of your outside space no matter where you live and plot size. Garden For The Senses makes the perfect gift for gardeners, growers, cooks, designers and nature lovers. It is also appealing to those gardeners seeking a more sensory and mindful approach to gardening and who want to understand why being outside is so vital for wellbeing.

A thoughtfully designed garden affects our mood in subtle ways, inviting us in, to look further and linger longer.

In a time of climate change and mass extinction, how we garden matters more than ever: “An outstanding and deeply passionate book.” —Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals Plenty of books tell home gardeners and professional landscape designers how to garden sustainably, what plants to use, and what resources to explore. Yet few examine why our urban wildlife gardens matter so much—not just for ourselves, but for the larger human and animal communities. Our landscapes push aside wildlife and in turn diminish our genetically programmed love for wildness. How can we get ourselves back into balance through gardens, to speak life's language and learn from other species? Benjamin Vogt addresses why we need a new garden ethic, and why we urgently need wildness in our daily lives—lives sequestered in buildings surrounded by monocultures of lawn and concrete that significantly harm our physical and mental health. He examines the psychological issues around climate change and mass extinction as a way to understand how we are short-circuiting our response to global crises, especially by not growing native plants in our gardens. Simply put, environmentalism is not political; it's social justice for all species marginalized today and for those facing extinction tomorrow. By thinking deeply and honestly about our built landscapes, we can create a compassionate activism that connects us more profoundly to nature and to one another.

Explores the secret lives of various plants, from the colors they see to whether or not they really like classical music to their ability to sense nearby danger.