The Celestial Garden: Growing Herbs, Vegetables, and Flowers in Sync with the Moon and Zodiac

by Jane Hawley Stevens

Insight, ideas, and inspiration abound in this highly practical guide to growing successfully in harmony with the moon, the Earth, and other planetary influences. Planting by the moon is an age-old gardening tradition, but did you know that the cycles of the moon and the zodiac can be a powerful tool to improve your success with all kinds of gardening tasks? In The Celestial Garden , longtime gardener and herbalist Jane Hawley Stevens explains how the movement of the moon through the constellations of the zodiac provides a detailed calendar of optimal times for planting seeds, roots, and transplants, as well as for pruning, weeding, propagation, harvesting, and even starting new garden projects or throwing garden parties. While herbs are Stevens’s specialty, she loves growing all kinds of plants, and The Celestial Garden provides excellent gardening tips for every gardener, whether their passion is for vegetables, fruits, herbs, or flowers. At a deeper level, Stevens believes that gardening by the moon and learning about astrological cycles can help restore our elemental interconnection with Nature and the Earth. The Celestial Garden introduces and explains all aspects of astrological   Photos of the author’s garden throughout the book provide visual evidence of the positive results that come from gardening in harmony with the moon and planetary influences. Illustrations and charts help readers understand the lunar cycle and its influence on plants, the astrological rulers of the body, and the relationship between the signs of the zodiac and the four elements (earth, air, water, fire). Gardeners of every level of experience will find new insights, ideas, and inspiration in this unusual, beautiful, and highly practical guide to the simple yet expansive art of consulting with the cosmos to inform our garden tasks on any given day, week, or month and enjoy greater gardening satisfaction and success.   “A unique and wonderful book, brimming with the knowledge and skills that arise from a lifetime in herbalism. . . This book is a major contribution to herbalism’s role not only in the alleviation of suffering, but the transformation of human consciousness. Thank you, Jane!”―David Hoffmann, RH (AHG), fellow, National Institute of Medical Herbalists; principal scientist, Traditional Medicinals "In this easy-to-understand guidebook, Jane Hawley Stevens demystifies the moon and stars in relationship with nature and explains how you can use their powerful cycles to make your garden the most beautiful, bountiful, and happiest it can be."―Maria Rodale, author of  Love, Nature, Magic

240 pages, Paperback

Published December 7, 2023

Reviews

[Shelby Gee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This booked is PACKED with information. I enjoyed learning about planting with the moon cycles and planets. There was a lot more content in the book, and it made it hard to keep track of all the information. A clearer format and less anecdotes would have made it easier to read and reference.

[Debra Gaynor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Celestial Garden
Jane Hawley Stevens
The Celestial Garden introduces the concept of planting and harvesting your garden through the phase of the moon. This is not a new concept but one that has been around for ages. I never quite understood the why of this type of gardening, I just knew it worked. To some Celestial Gardening (also called Planting by the Moon and/or Astrological Gardening) may seem superstitious or silly. Author Jane Hawley Stevens explains the support we receive from the “energetic elements of Fire, Earth, Air and Water.” “Everything in nature is connected.” Scripture tells us, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2).
To begin to understand planting with the Phases of the Moon we need to look back in time. The moon and sun were used to keep track of time. The moon also influences water, it literally moves water, we can see this by watching the tides. The moon also affects the movement of water beneath the soil. While some may scoff at Celestial Gardening if they turn to science, they will come to realize the gravitational pull of the moon and sun affect the Earth and its inhabitants in various ways. Just as the moon affects the tide and movement of water it also affects the human body, after all the human body is made up of 60% water.
“The premise of planting is to plant, transplant, and propagate under moist influences—Water and Earth signs—and to cultivate, harvest, and dehydrate for storage under dry influences—Air and Fire signs.”
I found this book fascinating. Many times, I heard friends, neighbors and family discuss planting root crops during the waning of the moon, now I have a better understanding of why and when to plant my vegetables, herbs and flowers.

[Paperback Pagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about planning your gardening tasks using astrology. It has recommendations for when to plant, what to plant, when to harvest, and when to do other common garden tasks.

The astrology is primarily focused on the moon and the sign to moon is in changes frequently. During any given month you could cover more than five signs.

I found the subject interesting and it gave me a lot of ideas on how to use gardening as part of my practice.

I think that if you vary your gardening tasks constantly you're almost guaranteed some success. But I also think that if you get too tied up in what not to do in certain signs your gardening could suffer. Suggestions about not planting during certain signs could really hurt a specific crop you wanted to plant.

Overall I enjoyed the concept of the book but I found many of the claims about and not about gardening dubious.

[McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I do have to admit that I don't have a garden just yet, my plan to have one in the future is always in progress. So, when I saw a book about attuning your garden to the cycles of the moon I was super curious and had to take a look. This book is a comprehensive guide to doing just that, creating a garden that is in tune with the cycles of the moon and the seasons. When to plant and when to harvest can all be determined by the cycles of the moon. It's really interesting and the author does a great job of explaining it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Miska Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book! I had never heard of a celestial garden before, and while the premise isn’t one I truly believe in, at least not yet, I loved the idea of it.

I am interested in different ways people plant, and the idea of an astrological garden is truly intriguing. I am going to re-read it and decide if I want to incorporate it into my gardens.

[Pennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for gardeners who want to expand their knowledge of planting by the moon phases and sun signs. It is packed with information, so much that I will need to get a physical copy to note what I plant and when.

[Sarah-jane Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC from Netgalley

The Celestial Garden by Jane Hawley Stevens is full of information on planting with moon cycles and planets, although it was difficult to understand and follow at times I did enjoy reading it.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Celestial Garden by Jane Hawley Stevens is packed with information not just on gardening by the moon but astrology in general, gardening tips for beginners, recipes, and anecdotes that show how passionate she is about organic gardening and herbal remedy. As a gardener and an astrology enthusiast, I needed a guide like this to help me synthesize the two and make the connections between garden tasks and their astrological archetypes.

Like most gardening books, this cannot (and should not) be read straight through. Not only is it packed with information, depending on the time of year or moon phase, some of the information could be irrelevant for the time. The Celestial Garden is robust enough that I would highly recommend adding it to the gardener's library (Next to The Market Gardener and Gaia's Garden!) for reference year after year, moon cycle after moon cycle.

Although I am an experienced gardener myself, there is so much going on all the time and you are constantly learning about new plants and responding to external forces, that it is easy to forget simple garden rules, which Hawley Stevens supplies. This book covers just about everything you could need to know about backyard organic gardening.

This was a joy to read and I plan to buy myself a physical copy when it is published!!

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