Gardening Philosophy for Everyone: Cultivating Wisdom

Paper, 249 pp., $19.95

Editor Dan O’Brien has selected a series of essays from various writers whose works direct attention to the connection between philosophy and the garden. Some tell how gardens have historically related perspectives of a period. The text is divided into several parts: the first relates how gardens and gardening promote moral character; the second reports on the connections of gardens as displays of power and the third, to a discussion of garden aesthetics. The final sections contain thoughts on metaphysics and the importance of the garden in creating “emotional well-being.”

— Marilyn K. Alaimo, garden writer and volunteer, Chicago Botanic Garden