What do you think?
Rate this book
A Catholic Gardener’s Spiritual Almanac: Cultivating Your Faith throughout the Year
A Catholic Gardener's Spiritual Almanac is the first book to offer gardeners spiritual resources and creative projects that connect a love of gardening with their Catholic faith. Margaret Realy, master gardener, retreat leader, and writer, presents this spiritual companion that follows the natural and liturgical seasons and offers gardening tips and easy-to-do projects for each month of the year.
This one-of-a-kind book for gardeners explores the riches of the Catholic spiritual tradition in conjunction with all things gardening. Margaret Rose Realy--master gardener, retreat leader, and author of the Patheos blog "The Catholic Gardener," --offers meditations and scripture passages on a spiritual theme for each month, reflections on the liturgical seasons and feasts, and delightful stories of saints who have special relevance to gardening. Readers also will discover the connection between the conversion of St. Paul and the canna seed, how the flight into Egypt was saved by a miraculous growth of seed, and the many miracles that made St. Brigid patroness of farmers.
Additionally, there are creative ideas for garden design, practical tips and techniques, suggestions on unique plants, and a table of biblical plants. Gardeners at any level of proficiency and dedication will be enchanted by what they find in this extraordinary book.
This one-of-a-kind book for gardeners explores the riches of the Catholic spiritual tradition in conjunction with all things gardening. Margaret Rose Realy--master gardener, retreat leader, and author of the Patheos blog "The Catholic Gardener," --offers meditations and scripture passages on a spiritual theme for each month, reflections on the liturgical seasons and feasts, and delightful stories of saints who have special relevance to gardening. Readers also will discover the connection between the conversion of St. Paul and the canna seed, how the flight into Egypt was saved by a miraculous growth of seed, and the many miracles that made St. Brigid patroness of farmers.
Additionally, there are creative ideas for garden design, practical tips and techniques, suggestions on unique plants, and a table of biblical plants. Gardeners at any level of proficiency and dedication will be enchanted by what they find in this extraordinary book.
- GenresNonfictionGardening
277 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 2015
13 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 24, 2015
Even I want to garden now!
I’m one of those people who gardens because I have to stretch the food budget, not because I enjoy spending time covered in dirt, dripping with sweat, and being bitten by bugs. I’m also a true member of Generation X, and as a rule, we don’t trust beauty. We do, however, crave meaning, and A Catholic Gardener’s Spiritual Almanac shines light on the meaning that lies in the dirt, sweat, and bug-bite side of gardening as well as the beauty of human touches added to the ever-changing landscape of nature.
Full of low-pressure options, A Catholic Gardener’s Spiritual Almanac takes all the heaviness out of the manual labor of gardening and infuses it with the lighthearted joy that can only be found in prayer. In my little world, I’d give this one six stars.
Look here tomorrow for an interview with Margaret Rose Realy, the author of this gem. It’s spring and it’s Passiontide, so go get your copy. Go on, now! Get with the clicky and buy it!
I’m one of those people who gardens because I have to stretch the food budget, not because I enjoy spending time covered in dirt, dripping with sweat, and being bitten by bugs. I’m also a true member of Generation X, and as a rule, we don’t trust beauty. We do, however, crave meaning, and A Catholic Gardener’s Spiritual Almanac shines light on the meaning that lies in the dirt, sweat, and bug-bite side of gardening as well as the beauty of human touches added to the ever-changing landscape of nature.
Full of low-pressure options, A Catholic Gardener’s Spiritual Almanac takes all the heaviness out of the manual labor of gardening and infuses it with the lighthearted joy that can only be found in prayer. In my little world, I’d give this one six stars.
Look here tomorrow for an interview with Margaret Rose Realy, the author of this gem. It’s spring and it’s Passiontide, so go get your copy. Go on, now! Get with the clicky and buy it!
June 27, 2021
I’ve enjoyed this book so much that I plan to read all of her books. As a gardener, Catholic, Benedictine Oblate, and one striving to create a sacred space in my garden, this book was very inspirational. I have gained many ideas to make my garden a sanctuary for prayer. For me, the garden is a place where I feel God’s presence, and working in it is a form of contemplative prayer. It is time spent with God, listening. I appreciated the suggestions to be active in my Mary garden throughout the year, all year long. It is refreshing to discover so many saints who felt called to tend gardens. I learned so much. Now, the garden is calling me. I head out armed with a book load of ideas to transform my space and my soul.
March 26, 2015
I'm not a gardener.
In fact, I'm so not a gardener that I realized I don't have a single plant growing in my home. I have a few container plants on the front porch which I remember to water when we're in the middle of the blazing Texas summers.
(Do you hear that? I think we can hear Margaret Rose's heart breaking right now.)
And yet I read and enjoyed her A Garden of Visible Prayer about making prayer gardens. I readily agreed to read this book, which I'd normally never do.
It's because I like the idea of a garden. I suppose I'm what you'd call an armchair gardener just as many people read cookbooks they'll never use (which makes me cry, but that's another story).
I also enjoy reading almanacs, believe it or not. (Is that armchair farming?) I love the rhythms of the physical year moving through its cycles, which may be a reason I love the Catholic liturgical year so much. Margaret Rose Realy manages to link the two by taking the best tips for gardening year-round and links them with the Catholic liturgical year to weave a lovely devotional for everyone.
Each month has:
-gardening focus for that time of year
-traditions and feasts
-saints appropriate for gardening
-faith-filled gardening keyed to the liturgical year (a Lenten garden in March, a rosary or angel garden in October)
-practical gardening advice
-Biblical reflections
-prayer focus
I also really enjoyed the frequent charts and lists of plants associated with faith, such as plants found on the Shroud of Turin or Marian garden plants. There is even the occasional recipe. Best of all are Realy's insights and reflections in which she openly shares her own faith.
I haven't finished this book because I want to read it as the year unfolds. Even if I never get out in the garden, I go walking daily. This is the sort of book that keeps me connected to the nature that I experience even on those little jaunts.
Highly recommended for the practical, faithful, and armchair gardeners.
NOTE:
I read a free review copy. But I gave my own unvarnished opinions.
In fact, I'm so not a gardener that I realized I don't have a single plant growing in my home. I have a few container plants on the front porch which I remember to water when we're in the middle of the blazing Texas summers.
(Do you hear that? I think we can hear Margaret Rose's heart breaking right now.)
And yet I read and enjoyed her A Garden of Visible Prayer about making prayer gardens. I readily agreed to read this book, which I'd normally never do.
It's because I like the idea of a garden. I suppose I'm what you'd call an armchair gardener just as many people read cookbooks they'll never use (which makes me cry, but that's another story).
I also enjoy reading almanacs, believe it or not. (Is that armchair farming?) I love the rhythms of the physical year moving through its cycles, which may be a reason I love the Catholic liturgical year so much. Margaret Rose Realy manages to link the two by taking the best tips for gardening year-round and links them with the Catholic liturgical year to weave a lovely devotional for everyone.
Each month has:
-gardening focus for that time of year
-traditions and feasts
-saints appropriate for gardening
-faith-filled gardening keyed to the liturgical year (a Lenten garden in March, a rosary or angel garden in October)
-practical gardening advice
-Biblical reflections
-prayer focus
I also really enjoyed the frequent charts and lists of plants associated with faith, such as plants found on the Shroud of Turin or Marian garden plants. There is even the occasional recipe. Best of all are Realy's insights and reflections in which she openly shares her own faith.
I haven't finished this book because I want to read it as the year unfolds. Even if I never get out in the garden, I go walking daily. This is the sort of book that keeps me connected to the nature that I experience even on those little jaunts.
Highly recommended for the practical, faithful, and armchair gardeners.
NOTE:
I read a free review copy. But I gave my own unvarnished opinions.
December 2, 2025
Incredibly lovely book full of different tidbits for each month of the year. Saint stories, reflections, and practical gardening ideas. While full of ideas and advice for gardening, it's primarily aimed at connecting your love of the natural world with love for its Creator. I initially had difficulty sticking with the once a month reading schedule, but once I added a reminder in my phone to pull it out at the start of each month I was able to read along at just the right time. Definitely worth reading through more than once!
February 10, 2024
Each chapter of this book is devoted to each month of the year, giving practical gardening advice and spiritual thoughts about the saints in each month. The author gives suggestions about how to make your garden more meditative by incorporating religious items or plants which are connected to a particular saint or feast. I have read this book before as each month approaches but this year I read the whole book early in the year so I can better plan my garden.
May 2, 2023
It's an Almanac; therefore, it is a resource. I wanted something more, but I can't put it into words what I had hopes for. Not going to dissuade anyone from trying it, though, anything to grow with God is worth it!
November 25, 2017
Loved this book! It's a wonderful book that infuses stories of the saints, the liturgical year and the gardening year. A great read for Catholic gardeners.
July 20, 2015
Did you know that a butterfly is also a Christian symbol? Yes, it represents the resurrection. I haven´t known that and a lot of interesting facts presented in this book about spiritual and physical gardening as well.
This is not a book to teach you the gardening techniques. This is the book to let you connect more with God and faith through gardening, to bring more spiritual meaning into time spent nurturing your garden to help you to nurture your soul as well. It contains the meditations for a meaning of every month (for example July is connected with storms) as well as traditions and feasts, saints the month for a gardener, stories, parables and legends, prayers and practical gardening tips among others.
I love how simple authoress´s writing is, and yet how deep and meaningful. She is sharing a lot of spiritual wisdom with her readers, but you don´t feel like having a sermon right here. Maybe because her parables are connected to the practical reality of gardening, so it is easier to imagine and to understand her words.
This is one peace-filled book. I find the combination of physical activity connected to prayer and meditation being very helpful in bringing peace into one´s soul. I do believe the authoress has soldiered a lot of battles in the quietness of her garden, the wisdom of life is very present here.
The book is Catholic, but I think any Christian or open-minded reader can find a simple, enriching wisdom here.
The book is lovely visually as well. A pleasant surprise!
This is not a book to teach you the gardening techniques. This is the book to let you connect more with God and faith through gardening, to bring more spiritual meaning into time spent nurturing your garden to help you to nurture your soul as well. It contains the meditations for a meaning of every month (for example July is connected with storms) as well as traditions and feasts, saints the month for a gardener, stories, parables and legends, prayers and practical gardening tips among others.
I love how simple authoress´s writing is, and yet how deep and meaningful. She is sharing a lot of spiritual wisdom with her readers, but you don´t feel like having a sermon right here. Maybe because her parables are connected to the practical reality of gardening, so it is easier to imagine and to understand her words.
This is one peace-filled book. I find the combination of physical activity connected to prayer and meditation being very helpful in bringing peace into one´s soul. I do believe the authoress has soldiered a lot of battles in the quietness of her garden, the wisdom of life is very present here.
The book is Catholic, but I think any Christian or open-minded reader can find a simple, enriching wisdom here.
The book is lovely visually as well. A pleasant surprise!
March 19, 2015
What a treasure! Margaret Rose Realy has produced a book that gently presents a cornucopia of spiritual offerings couched in the most earthy, vibrant, and varied terms possible. Full of the rich symbology of the Catholic Church, Realy shows us the unbreakable bond between our faith lives and the cycle of nature. From those profound roots, she then offers a wide range of delightful ways to incorporate those ideas into both our lives and our gardens. Not a how-to garden book, this book goes beyond, exploring the ways God communicates with us via nature and ways we can enrich our faith journeys through the act of toiling in our gardens - or in simply beholding and appreciating nature's beauty, if unable to thrust our hands into the soil.
Can you tell I love this book? I do! There is so much information packed into it that it will take years to enjoy it, month by month, season by season. This is a wonderful collection of meditations, little known facts, and easy-to-implement practices. If you haven't read Realy's previous books, do. Cultivating God's Garden Through Lent spends more time on the spiritual meanings found in plants, gardens, and nature's cycle; A Garden of Visible Prayer focuses on the practical aspects of "creating a personal sacred space one step at a time." A Catholic Gardener's Spiritual Almanac is a wonderful addition to these, and indeed, to any gardener's collection.
Can you tell I love this book? I do! There is so much information packed into it that it will take years to enjoy it, month by month, season by season. This is a wonderful collection of meditations, little known facts, and easy-to-implement practices. If you haven't read Realy's previous books, do. Cultivating God's Garden Through Lent spends more time on the spiritual meanings found in plants, gardens, and nature's cycle; A Garden of Visible Prayer focuses on the practical aspects of "creating a personal sacred space one step at a time." A Catholic Gardener's Spiritual Almanac is a wonderful addition to these, and indeed, to any gardener's collection.
March 24, 2015
In true almanac fashion, this gardening guidebook presents seasonal inspirations and activities, stories of saints related to horticulture, family-friendly gardening tips and advice on everything garden-related.
The book leaves gardening beginners like myself inspired and enthusiastic to start dreaming, digging, and planting. It is not only for beginners, though--expert gardeners will find a lot to reflect and dream about in this book as well.
The book leaves gardening beginners like myself inspired and enthusiastic to start dreaming, digging, and planting. It is not only for beginners, though--expert gardeners will find a lot to reflect and dream about in this book as well.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews