Whether you live in a house or flat, in a rural or urban environment, this beautiful book shows how to harness the natural world around us and feel more grounded and rooted in our surroundings.
The Wild Journal is a beautifully illustrated guide from leading florist and nature writer Willow Crossley. Guiding you through creative practical projects and therapeutic seasonal reflections, The Wild Journal celebrates the potential of nature to mend, heal and transform our mood.
The simple, back-to-basics habits and small seasonal changes in the book can help everyone to counteract the unpredictability and chaos of everyday life. Wherever you live, there are simple mindful actions – from listening to birdsong instead of rushing on your commute, to collecting natural treasures such as feathers, branches, pebbles or pine cones. Willow shares her creative techniques for bringing nature into your daily routine – whether it's planting and potting, identifying wild flowers, trying your hand at beautifully simple flower arrangements or making your own essential oils and candles. There is space to record reflections and your favourite seasonal activities, as well as ideas for star-gazing, bird-watching, and so much more.
Willow Crossley's creative approach is informed by an artistic eye and a life spent immersed in nature. From growing up in Wales where days were spent exploring outdoors and flowers adorned every surface, to living in France surrounded by fields of sunflowers, iris and fragrant lavender, nature has always been an intrinsic part of her everyday life.
What a lovely, fresh book with great little tips and projects to keep us connected to nature throughout the year. Each section was dedicated to a season, with details about the living world outside with which we can engage. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and will refer back as needed to ensure I remind myself of the power of nature and being outside. As someone who really feels the seasons and the changes they bring, I found this book grounding and sweet.
The author talks a lot about her children, so it is worth noting in case this is a trigger for some. The book, whilst based around the seasons, also revolves a little around the school calendar - great for parents but not so much for childless people.
[September 26, 2020] I bought this book during quarantine. I just LONGED for the outdoors and my childhood. The open fields and nature, and the sea.
[September 18, 2025] Weirdly enough, I woke up, five years later, in the same month with the same feeling, so I'm currently reading the book and dreaming of gardening and the smell of soil, wind, and sun.
It started off really well but, I found that it quickly ran out of steam. It felt almost as if the author was adding a chapter on anything just to fill the book out. Slightly disappointed if I'm honest.
A lovely book which gives a beginner gardener like me an easy to follow, season by season plan. I know I will use it a lot as I become more used to having a garden I can make my own. That said, as much as I enjoyed some of the additional exercises, and as much as I am personally trying to plough my nervous energy into the garden, I did feel that in some ways this book felt a bit all over the place in terms of its content. It is all great, but maybe if it was categorised by that content instead of seasonally? I'm not sure, either way its destined to be well thumbed as I work my way through making my own little calm wildlife haven.
Divided into four parts/seasons, this book focuses on the importance of spending time in nature. The author has shared some activities which you can try throughout the year to feel more calm and relaxed. It started really well but after 50% I was a bit disappointed. This is a good book if you want to start gardening. There are many beautiful illustrations in the book as well. But it didn't live up to the expectations.
A brilliant guide for novice gardeners and lovers of the outdoors, that takes you through the seasons with a variety of different tips and activities to help keep you sane. Beautiful illustrations!
Loved this book, a true little gem. I firmly believe that the more time we spend in nature, close to plants and the earth, the better off we'll be, in every sense. As a species, humans have lost touch with what matters, and it's so easy to slowly start bringing the outdoors into your life, sometimes people need a bit of help.
A good entry point for people wanting to get more into nature in small ways; might be a bit lightweight for some. There's not really space for the author to dig into each subject, so it's more of a surface-guide than a deep dive. Having said that, the bits where the author's enthusiasm shines through (for example, when talking about flowers, which are obviously her passion) are great.
This is a lovely book about finding solace through the natural world. Life can get hectic and stressful and reconnecting to nature can help us find peace. There are lots of great tips and ideas!