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Ogrodowe przebudzenie. W trosce o Ziemię i nas samych
Poradnik o ogrodowym designie i inspirujący duchowy przewodnik
Wizja jutra, w którym odzyskamy utraconą jedność z przyrodą
Dawniej ludzie i natura żyli razem niczym jedna rodzina. W harmonii, szczęściu i zdrowiu. Wydawać by się mogło, że to epoka, która bezpowrotnie minęła.
Spójrzcie jednak na ogrody Mary Reynolds, zaczynając od inspirowanego wierszem W.B. Yeatsa zjawiskowego projektu do Królewskich Ogrodów Botanicznych w Kew, a zobaczycie przesycone magią, pulsujące dobroczynną energią miejsca przebudzenia oraz głębokiej przemiany. Potraktowana z szacunkiem ziemia odzyskuje pierwotną witalność i odwdzięcza się hojnie swoim opiekunom, obdarzając ich poczuciem bezpieczeństwa i pełni.
Mary odnalazła inspirację w leśnych zakątkach rodzimej Irlandii. Fachową wiedzę ogrodniczą połączyła z intuicją, dawne rytuały i mądrość przodków z ekologicznymi rozwiązaniami, wsłuchując się przy tym uważnie w potrzeby samej ziemi. Ogrodowe przebudzenie daje nam nadzieję na lepszą przyszłość, w której zjednoczeni z przyrodą odkryjemy, kim naprawdę jesteśmy, i osiągniemy upragniony dobrostan. Bo przecież „natura trzyma za nas kciuki”.
Wizja jutra, w którym odzyskamy utraconą jedność z przyrodą
Dawniej ludzie i natura żyli razem niczym jedna rodzina. W harmonii, szczęściu i zdrowiu. Wydawać by się mogło, że to epoka, która bezpowrotnie minęła.
Spójrzcie jednak na ogrody Mary Reynolds, zaczynając od inspirowanego wierszem W.B. Yeatsa zjawiskowego projektu do Królewskich Ogrodów Botanicznych w Kew, a zobaczycie przesycone magią, pulsujące dobroczynną energią miejsca przebudzenia oraz głębokiej przemiany. Potraktowana z szacunkiem ziemia odzyskuje pierwotną witalność i odwdzięcza się hojnie swoim opiekunom, obdarzając ich poczuciem bezpieczeństwa i pełni.
Mary odnalazła inspirację w leśnych zakątkach rodzimej Irlandii. Fachową wiedzę ogrodniczą połączyła z intuicją, dawne rytuały i mądrość przodków z ekologicznymi rozwiązaniami, wsłuchując się przy tym uważnie w potrzeby samej ziemi. Ogrodowe przebudzenie daje nam nadzieję na lepszą przyszłość, w której zjednoczeni z przyrodą odkryjemy, kim naprawdę jesteśmy, i osiągniemy upragniony dobrostan. Bo przecież „natura trzyma za nas kciuki”.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2016
144 people are currently reading
1939 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
August 21, 2018
I wish I could give more stars..
It started in a dream. She soared over the land in the body of a crow, showing her nature as nature is... free, uncaged, coloring outside the lines. That dream told her to leave what she knew behind and start anew, to let the land dictate its own desires and abide with lush blooms, shapes and scents.
This book is a spiritual tending to our main mother. Truly appreciated the methods offered for healing the earth, primarily its soil.
Bringing ancient Irish traditions and lore into her beliefs and techniques, we are shown how to respect the earth we walk upon and nurture her, as she does us. Like most any mother, that love is unconditional. But as most offspring today, we have become greedy, expectant and unappreciative. We take for granted that the earth will just repair itself, amend our discretions, and still reward us our own needs. Like sticking our grandparents in a nursing home, assuming their quality of life won’t deteriorate, and waiting for our inheritance.
I was entranced with her childhood tales of the fairy field she spent an afternoon in. We have taken all the magic from our land in America, replacing it with amusement parks and theaters.
There are sketches of some of her magnificent gardens, helpful information on helping your garden be more productive, while becoming more in tune to its needs. Chapters on Garden Design, The Forest Garden, Alternative Management Practices, (loved this), and plentiful resources. By far, the best garden book I’ve read in quite some time, as it touches all the bases on what a garden means to me and should to every gardener.
This book is exhilarating. Spiritually evoking and inspiring.
The illustrations added by Larry Korn make it just that much more magical for me.
It started in a dream. She soared over the land in the body of a crow, showing her nature as nature is... free, uncaged, coloring outside the lines. That dream told her to leave what she knew behind and start anew, to let the land dictate its own desires and abide with lush blooms, shapes and scents.
This book is a spiritual tending to our main mother. Truly appreciated the methods offered for healing the earth, primarily its soil.
Bringing ancient Irish traditions and lore into her beliefs and techniques, we are shown how to respect the earth we walk upon and nurture her, as she does us. Like most any mother, that love is unconditional. But as most offspring today, we have become greedy, expectant and unappreciative. We take for granted that the earth will just repair itself, amend our discretions, and still reward us our own needs. Like sticking our grandparents in a nursing home, assuming their quality of life won’t deteriorate, and waiting for our inheritance.
I was entranced with her childhood tales of the fairy field she spent an afternoon in. We have taken all the magic from our land in America, replacing it with amusement parks and theaters.
There are sketches of some of her magnificent gardens, helpful information on helping your garden be more productive, while becoming more in tune to its needs. Chapters on Garden Design, The Forest Garden, Alternative Management Practices, (loved this), and plentiful resources. By far, the best garden book I’ve read in quite some time, as it touches all the bases on what a garden means to me and should to every gardener.
This book is exhilarating. Spiritually evoking and inspiring.
The illustrations added by Larry Korn make it just that much more magical for me.
April 22, 2018
This is a book about designing gardens that are beautiful, radiant with life, bursting with energy, in harmony with the Earth.[1] Mary Reynolds has discovered through her work as garden and landscape designer that gardens can become very special if we invite Nature to express her true self in these spaces, and then work to heal the land and ourselves.[2]
We are mirrors for the land and it is a mirror for us, so healing the the land leads us towards our own restoration, back to our true selves. If we allow the light to shine on all the dark places in our lives and have the courage to face ourselves, then recovery and growth will take place. Healing involves looking at the whole picture. We cannot solve a problem by resolving the physical level alone.[3]. We also need to find and correct the underlying causes of physical symptoms, whether conscious or unconscious.[4]
Mary Reynolds shows how using an integrated living systems approach removes our incessant war on Nature.[5] We can force a child to be someone they don't want to be, but only with the consequences of unhappiness and retreat. We can, on the other hand, gently discover who the child is, and who they want to be. Every piece of land is the same as this child. By listening carefully and allowing the land to become an extension of ourselves, we can interpret its energy and enable it to emerge through a creative collaborative process.[6]
Mary Reynolds uses the word co-creation when referring to her approach. Co-creation means that we are building our gardens hand in hand with Nature as a partner. It is based on the acknowledgment that Nature is a real, present, and conscious living entity. Her method of garden design is intuitive. The most important part is establishing a mutually beneficial relationship.[7]
Mary Reynolds has, for the purpose of the book, distilled her design system into five basic elements:
1. The tool of intention.[8]
2. Selecting areas to hold specific intentions.[9]
3. Designing with the patterns and shapes of Nature.[10]
4. The power of symbols and imagery.[11]
5. Putting the design on paper.[12]
Our thoughts, emotions, and intentions are a form of energy. If we focus our energy in a particular direction, we will be propelled there. Using intention allows us to communicate directly with our land.[13] The aim is to create spaces that feel right, spaces that appeal to the heart rather than just the intellect.[14] The patterns in Nature form a language we can feel rather than understand.[15]. We know when we have proper relationships because it feels right, it has resonance. Practice makes it easier to recognize this resonant feeling. Like any other skill, it takes time and effort to develop this skill.[16]
Mary Reynolds emphasizes that the only way to make a sustainable garden system to work is to collaborate with Nature. Fighting against Nature is just plain silly. If we are to treat the land as a living body, we must think in those terms.[17] This book is a treasure map for finding our way back to the truth of who we are as living beings. The directions are simple, the methods are intuitive [18] The book is beautifully illustrated by Ruth Evans. This is literally one of the most beautiful books I've read. Reading the book is a nurturing experience in itself.
Notes:
[1] Mary Reynolds, The Garden Awakening: Designs to Nurture Our Land and Ourselves (Green Books, 2016), p.42.
[2] Ibid., pp.13--14.
[3] Ibid., p.22.
[4] Ibid., p.24.
[5] Ibid., p.39.
[6] Ibid., p.44.
[7] Ibid., p.45.
[8] Ibid., pp.46--60.
[9] Ibid., pp.61--71.
[10] Ibid., pp.71--79.
[11] Ibid., pp.79--92.
[12] Ibid., pp.93--119.
[13] Ibid., p.46.
[14] Ibid., p.71.
[15] Ibid., p.74
[16] Ibid., p.75.
[17] Ibid., p.212.
[18] Ibid., p.259.
We are mirrors for the land and it is a mirror for us, so healing the the land leads us towards our own restoration, back to our true selves. If we allow the light to shine on all the dark places in our lives and have the courage to face ourselves, then recovery and growth will take place. Healing involves looking at the whole picture. We cannot solve a problem by resolving the physical level alone.[3]. We also need to find and correct the underlying causes of physical symptoms, whether conscious or unconscious.[4]
Mary Reynolds shows how using an integrated living systems approach removes our incessant war on Nature.[5] We can force a child to be someone they don't want to be, but only with the consequences of unhappiness and retreat. We can, on the other hand, gently discover who the child is, and who they want to be. Every piece of land is the same as this child. By listening carefully and allowing the land to become an extension of ourselves, we can interpret its energy and enable it to emerge through a creative collaborative process.[6]
Mary Reynolds uses the word co-creation when referring to her approach. Co-creation means that we are building our gardens hand in hand with Nature as a partner. It is based on the acknowledgment that Nature is a real, present, and conscious living entity. Her method of garden design is intuitive. The most important part is establishing a mutually beneficial relationship.[7]
Mary Reynolds has, for the purpose of the book, distilled her design system into five basic elements:
1. The tool of intention.[8]
2. Selecting areas to hold specific intentions.[9]
3. Designing with the patterns and shapes of Nature.[10]
4. The power of symbols and imagery.[11]
5. Putting the design on paper.[12]
Our thoughts, emotions, and intentions are a form of energy. If we focus our energy in a particular direction, we will be propelled there. Using intention allows us to communicate directly with our land.[13] The aim is to create spaces that feel right, spaces that appeal to the heart rather than just the intellect.[14] The patterns in Nature form a language we can feel rather than understand.[15]. We know when we have proper relationships because it feels right, it has resonance. Practice makes it easier to recognize this resonant feeling. Like any other skill, it takes time and effort to develop this skill.[16]
Mary Reynolds emphasizes that the only way to make a sustainable garden system to work is to collaborate with Nature. Fighting against Nature is just plain silly. If we are to treat the land as a living body, we must think in those terms.[17] This book is a treasure map for finding our way back to the truth of who we are as living beings. The directions are simple, the methods are intuitive [18] The book is beautifully illustrated by Ruth Evans. This is literally one of the most beautiful books I've read. Reading the book is a nurturing experience in itself.
Notes:
[1] Mary Reynolds, The Garden Awakening: Designs to Nurture Our Land and Ourselves (Green Books, 2016), p.42.
[2] Ibid., pp.13--14.
[3] Ibid., p.22.
[4] Ibid., p.24.
[5] Ibid., p.39.
[6] Ibid., p.44.
[7] Ibid., p.45.
[8] Ibid., pp.46--60.
[9] Ibid., pp.61--71.
[10] Ibid., pp.71--79.
[11] Ibid., pp.79--92.
[12] Ibid., pp.93--119.
[13] Ibid., p.46.
[14] Ibid., p.71.
[15] Ibid., p.74
[16] Ibid., p.75.
[17] Ibid., p.212.
[18] Ibid., p.259.
January 8, 2019
This book is sexy superstitious.
After reading it, I have no doubt the author's heart has an understanding not only in delivering a natural/wild gardening experience but overall in how the unseen energy connects and influences our lives and the relation with our environment.
Mary does her best to put this knowledge into words and more or less rational thinking, with down to earth on the point advise contextualised in Irish traditions and pagan rites. The book includes also references to related works by R. Steiner, Dr. Masaru Emoto and M.Fukuoka among others.
The Garden Awakening is beautifully written, illustrated and designed, but most importantly, in my view it gives a necessary impulse towards our communion with the land and understanding of the human role in the ecosystem (you can find life-meaning in this vision).
I feel very grateful to Mary Reynolds for delicately sharing her experience and heartily recommend enjoying her book.
After reading it, I have no doubt the author's heart has an understanding not only in delivering a natural/wild gardening experience but overall in how the unseen energy connects and influences our lives and the relation with our environment.
Mary does her best to put this knowledge into words and more or less rational thinking, with down to earth on the point advise contextualised in Irish traditions and pagan rites. The book includes also references to related works by R. Steiner, Dr. Masaru Emoto and M.Fukuoka among others.
The Garden Awakening is beautifully written, illustrated and designed, but most importantly, in my view it gives a necessary impulse towards our communion with the land and understanding of the human role in the ecosystem (you can find life-meaning in this vision).
I feel very grateful to Mary Reynolds for delicately sharing her experience and heartily recommend enjoying her book.
March 24, 2017
I loved what Mary had to say about land and the importance of soil and fungi. Her approach to gardening is very honest. However, for someone who cannot let go of the English garden concept, it is a hard shift to make. A woodland garden isn't everyone's idea of how they want to manage their land. I admire native gardening and respecting the earth, but I can't stop myself from trying to get that David Austin rose to grow! Still, I found this book inspiring!
June 9, 2017
Such an interesting book: part how-to book on connecting spiritually with the earth, part how-to design your garden for sustainability and in harmony with the earth. Really, really lovely illustrations and design. Reynolds uses pagan-ish language most of us are unfamiliar with in thinking about gardening -exploring the feelings of a piece of land, being watchful for curses or seeking blessings for it - but her respect for nature and her connection with it are undeniable and she has some beautiful insights to share. I began thinking of my plants and planning for them in a different way after reading this.
May 3, 2018
She has such an interesting and wonderful way of looking at nature, the world and the part humans should and can play. Learning about how to live with your land rather than on it is a beautiful idea and philosophy more people should think about. This books makes you want to muck about in the dirt. It doesn't matter if you live in a tiny studio or have great open fields, this concept works for everyone.
January 9, 2017
Truly inspiring. Mary shares her love of the land and brings the idea of native planting to a whole new level. The idea of consulting nature to determine how to nurture within a garden space is amazing. My journey begins!
October 23, 2017
Interesting, but... I liked it, I would love if many of the ideas would work but in my postage stamp garden a lot of this is fantasy.
This is also not a book for a part-time gardener, or the "occasionally when I have the energy and it isn't teaming down" gardener like me, this is a book for someone who wants to transform their garden into an idyll.
She is a person who believes in the genus loci and in communing with them and this may really not appeal to some (some may refer to this as woo, I'm not opposed to this but YMMV). Some of her comments are interesting in light of 70% or so decrease in insect life and I'm sure if you could follow some of her precepts you'd have a very sustainable garden. I'm happy with my 4 bottles of Grape Jelly from my back yard, abundance of lavender and delicious strawberries, I would like it to be better but don't have the time or energy to follow her.
This is also not a book for a part-time gardener, or the "occasionally when I have the energy and it isn't teaming down" gardener like me, this is a book for someone who wants to transform their garden into an idyll.
She is a person who believes in the genus loci and in communing with them and this may really not appeal to some (some may refer to this as woo, I'm not opposed to this but YMMV). Some of her comments are interesting in light of 70% or so decrease in insect life and I'm sure if you could follow some of her precepts you'd have a very sustainable garden. I'm happy with my 4 bottles of Grape Jelly from my back yard, abundance of lavender and delicious strawberries, I would like it to be better but don't have the time or energy to follow her.
July 3, 2022
Wonderful Celtic philosophy of creating and tending a garden - I bought this at St Brigid’s Garden in the Connemara of western Ireland after being inspired by my strolling tour of the grounds. The author put in to words many of the techniques and approaches I have been intuitively already been employing in my native garden-yard. I picked up a few new ideas, but mostly this is for someone starting a garden or yard design from scratch. I hope more people get turned on to this kind of reverent, meditative Gaia land stewardship and kinship 🌱🌀
May 30, 2017
Fresh, enchanting, magical, mysterious, loved her approach combined with gorgeous artwork. Not your typical landscape artist ;-)
August 29, 2018
There are a lot of good ideas in this book. The author is passionate and the illustrations are lovely. The drawback is that most people don't start gardens from a blank slate. We come into a space and make it ours. There are some plant suggestions but in that section, the print is so small it makes for a challenging read. This book is definitely worth a look, but won't be permanently on my shelf.
March 14, 2017
***I received a copy from the publisher via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review.***
This is the perfect gift for your friend who loves to cultivate their garden year-round, and also revel in the natural beauty of the world. Through gorgeous color illustrations and detailed chapters, Mary Reynolds helps the reader uncover gardens as a cultural phenomenon and an artistic field.
This is the perfect gift for your friend who loves to cultivate their garden year-round, and also revel in the natural beauty of the world. Through gorgeous color illustrations and detailed chapters, Mary Reynolds helps the reader uncover gardens as a cultural phenomenon and an artistic field.
August 23, 2022
Although I do believe that connecting with your garden allows you to appreciate nature, this book leans a bit too spiritual for me. I am grateful that the author shared her perspective about her connection with the land, but it felt a bit more mystical than I anticipated. There are some good resources and tables provided throughout so it’s a useful text but it just didn’t work for me overall.
May 10, 2018
Good topic, important to think about. This book gave me several ideas about what to do in my garden. Practically, it's useful more as a thought-starter than as an actual how-to guide, but that can be a valuable thing.
March 8, 2017
Is it gardening or is it magic? This book has reinvigorated my dreams of an enchanted forest garden.
February 7, 2023
The Garden Awakening is a fascinating book, but did not really address my own garden situation. Mary Reynolds is Irish and has the Celtic sensibility - an intuitive as well as superstitious approach to Nature (better not offend the fairies!). Like a good Irish storyteller, she weaves her own personal experiences and philosophy into this book on holistic garden design. There is plenty of woo-woo, which is the fascinating part, but Mary has legitimate gardening and design skills - she was the youngest person (not to mention woman) to ever win a gold medal at the very prestigious Royal Horticultural Society show in Chelsea, London for her garden design. In fact, a movie was made about it. (I watched it on Prime. It was pretty cheesy but interesting.) She gives plenty of room for the skeptics, but believes asserting our intentions at every step into what we want from the garden is important. For instance, holding the intention for the result while you make up a natural bug spray. (The biodynamic practices really take this to the extreme; even she wouldn't go as far.) She thinks it's important to listen to the land and what it wants. Most land in the temperate regions wants to return to a woodland, so she espouses creating a "forest garden," using layers of plantings like you'd find in a woodland. It is not a garden in a forest! The seven layers are upper-canopy trees, sub-canopy trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, ground cover, underground plants, and climbers or vines. Layered landscaping is nothing new, but she uses this model for growing food, using such practices as creating Hugelkultur beds, shelterbelts, and swales. It's pretty intensive and takes years to create properly. She also has a section on symbolic garden design, where she incorporates various symbols repeatedly into the design and layout to create harmony and what can only be described as a spiritual retreat. These garden designs, as well as the forest garden, are mainly for enclosed areas that don't have existing features other than a structure like a house. In other words, blank canvases. Though she encourages the use of native plants, her lists of mostly edible plants for the various layers of a forest garden includes many that would be not only non-native, but invasive in my area. She does warn about this and advises the reader to check on the plants for your area. Her plants are mainly ones that have long been grown in Ireland and the UK, which is only natural as this is her background. While she espouses working with the local ecology, many of her plant materials would be foreign over here. Since the forest garden depends on trees as part of its make-up, as the canopy trees get bigger, they will shade out areas, so if you have a small garden and want to grow food, you can't really use the large canopy trees like oaks and beeches, but she advocates planting them because the view is so much more pleasing. Though I agree, it does seem contradictory! I already live in a woodland forest with a diverse ecology and really none of her practices would apply to me, except for her tips on building the soil, mulching, and natural pesticides and herbicides (to be used sparingly and herbicides only for invasives) for the areas where I try to cultivate flowers. With a large tree canopy, I don't have enough sunlight to really grow a range of food, so I couldn't follow her forest garden ideas. Mary Reynolds comes from a very sincere place where she reveres nature and the land, and believes the land should be able to express its own truth, its genius loci, a spirit of place, which many landscapers speak of. That is, don't impose things on the land that it doesn't want to be. She wants us to work with our land and develop a relationship with it, to be guardians, not gardeners. I can relate to this, but I find her specific recommendations don't really suit my circumstances.
June 30, 2018
This was a beautiful book and a very eccentric read. Eccentric in that she gave me ideas for cursing the land next door, which I am tempted to say, I almost did. She also talks about sitting down in your garden after hours and communing with the trees and garden. She wants you to talk to the land. On the other hand, she reaffirmed my idea that you can have a beautiful garden if you 'give in' a bit to nature and not try to force her to have a set up that is the opposite of what would grow if we allowed it to 'go wild.' She reaffirmed my idea that I have to let some plants grow because they would anyway. I have decided to let the beautiful violets have a place, even though they are so invasive. She even likes dandelions, which I agree, have a place, just not in my gardening scenario.
Besides reading this book, see the movie on Netflix, 'Dare to Be Wild,' 2014, a story of Mary Reynolds and her success at the Chelsea Gardening Fair, which pushed us to get this book.
I did get a great natural fungicide recipe from her in this book (there are many good gardening recipes, like putting seeds in a ball of clay and throwing it somewhere in the garden where it will sprout). Garden fungicide: 1 tablespoon Baking Soda, 2 tablespoons Neem Oil, 1 tablespoon Castile Soap, and 1 gallon of spring or rain water.
A good read, and a must for a gardener.
Besides reading this book, see the movie on Netflix, 'Dare to Be Wild,' 2014, a story of Mary Reynolds and her success at the Chelsea Gardening Fair, which pushed us to get this book.
I did get a great natural fungicide recipe from her in this book (there are many good gardening recipes, like putting seeds in a ball of clay and throwing it somewhere in the garden where it will sprout). Garden fungicide: 1 tablespoon Baking Soda, 2 tablespoons Neem Oil, 1 tablespoon Castile Soap, and 1 gallon of spring or rain water.
A good read, and a must for a gardener.
November 23, 2025
3.5 stars. I got this out of the library after watching Dare to Be Wild, a movie about the author and her gold medal win at the Chelsea Garden Show with her wild garden. I am glad I got the book out and loved to read about Mary's connections to the land. I did find it more whimsical/spiritual than I was expecting but the artwork throughout the book is gorgeous. Her forest garden designs are interesting and naturally beautiful but not really practical for smaller residential plots of land eg: tree heights, clearing land by pigs or goats and some of the plant selections. Also you would need a decent budget to do the landscaping alone without any plant establishment costs. Still, there was lots of informative planning material and charts about canopy trees, smaller trees/shrubs, ground covers, beneficial "weed/plants" etc along with mulch options and natural pest sprays. I really loved her philosophy that we are not gardeners rather guardians of the land and I now have a more positive attitude and different approach in mind for my section that I am in the process of planting out. My garden will not be a forest garden, but it will be full of native plants and food for the birds and I aim to leave the small bit of land I am the temporary guardian of in a healthier and happier state than when I took it over.
September 10, 2017
Este é um livro de jardinagem diferente dos livros que costumo ler, mas o seu design atraiu-me e acabei por compra-lo. É um livro sobre jardins, mas também é um livro sobre a vida espiritual, que considera os jardins como lugares sagrados em que se pretende uma harmonia e um equilíbrio com a natureza. Até aqui, nada de errado. Este é um conceito que faz algum sentido para mim. Os jardins devem ser lugares especiais onde nos sentimos bem. Quantas pessoas não consideram a jardinagem como uma terapia calmante e relaxante?
No entanto a autora leva as suas ideias um bocadinho mais à frente e, para mim que sou muito prático, entra num campo estranho e fantasioso. Ao mesmo tempo que está a descrever o design de jardins especiais, com simbologia, feitos com opções ambientais e métodos alternativos, mais biológicos, avança depois para rituais sagrados, magia, a terra-mãe, energias, cristais, o bem-estar da terra e outros assuntos que já me ultrapassam e que não consigo levar muito a sério.
Apesar disso, e num todo, acaba por ser uma boa leitura, alternativa, mas interessante, com um olhar diferente ao tema do design de jardins e resultando num livro muito bonito, uma edição cuidada, de capa dura e com bonitas ilustrações de Ruth Evans.
Um livro para mudar mentalidades, ou talvez não…
No entanto a autora leva as suas ideias um bocadinho mais à frente e, para mim que sou muito prático, entra num campo estranho e fantasioso. Ao mesmo tempo que está a descrever o design de jardins especiais, com simbologia, feitos com opções ambientais e métodos alternativos, mais biológicos, avança depois para rituais sagrados, magia, a terra-mãe, energias, cristais, o bem-estar da terra e outros assuntos que já me ultrapassam e que não consigo levar muito a sério.
Apesar disso, e num todo, acaba por ser uma boa leitura, alternativa, mas interessante, com um olhar diferente ao tema do design de jardins e resultando num livro muito bonito, uma edição cuidada, de capa dura e com bonitas ilustrações de Ruth Evans.
Um livro para mudar mentalidades, ou talvez não…
December 7, 2018
I was a bit disappointed in this book. As a Healing Touch Practitioner, I believe strongly in universal life force energy and I had high hopes this book would help me learn how to connect with the spirit of the land, read the energy in my garden and heal the areas that are out of balance. Reynolds speaks of "Faery energy, the Gaian presence, the goddess, Mother Earth;" how our land can form a bond with us, and that "if the energy in the land body is not flowing freely, blockages will manifest in physical symptoms," but the rest of the book is a permaculture/forest-garden how-to manual. Reynolds says she uses intuition to implement designs into the gardens she makes, but she doesn't tell us how to open our intuition to the voice of our particular plot of ground. Instead, she gives us sample garden plans (adding that she doesn't like "planting plans"), and suggests that we "add intentions to the water and then use this water to give instructions to the earth," which sounds more like bossing Gaian presence/Mother Earth around than co-creating.
The permaculture information was valuable, especially for gardeners who haven't read other books on permaculture, but for guidance in connecting with the energy of the land, I think books on shamanic practices are more helpful.
The permaculture information was valuable, especially for gardeners who haven't read other books on permaculture, but for guidance in connecting with the energy of the land, I think books on shamanic practices are more helpful.
March 5, 2021
🌱„Ogrodowe Przebudzenie”
ja pomimo faktu, że nie posiadam ręki do roślinek, bardzo chcecie przeczytałam ten poradnik.
🌿Kto nie lubi popatrzeć na piękne stworzone zielone miejsca dla nas samych? Nie tylko ogrody, ale również tarasy czy balony?~ nawet nie zdajemy sobie sprawy jak bardzo ta zieleń na nas wpływa.
🌱Kocham to jaka magiczna atmosfera została zamknięte w zwykły poradnik~ to co przeczytałam nie tylko otworzyło mi oczy na wiele różnych rzeczy, nauczyło ale też sprawiło, że mogłam przenieść się w magiczne miejsce.
🌿Środek jest tylko bardziej magiczny i urzekający.
🌱Przepięknie wydana, z wieloma prześlicznym ilustracjami, które dekorują dużo stron. Nawet rysunki techniczne, wydają się być zaczarowane.
🌿 Autorka tutaj pokazuje jak ważne są aspekty zieleni, podchodzi do tematu nie tylko żeby ładnie wyglądało, ale pokazuje jak duchowy wpływ mają na nas posadzone roślinki.
🌱 książka dla każdego miłośnika pracy w ogrodzie i idealna pozycja na nadchodzącą wiosnę 🌸💐🌞
🌿Nazwałabym go poradnikiem na stworzenie własnego Tajemniczego Ogrodu
ja pomimo faktu, że nie posiadam ręki do roślinek, bardzo chcecie przeczytałam ten poradnik.
🌿Kto nie lubi popatrzeć na piękne stworzone zielone miejsca dla nas samych? Nie tylko ogrody, ale również tarasy czy balony?~ nawet nie zdajemy sobie sprawy jak bardzo ta zieleń na nas wpływa.
🌱Kocham to jaka magiczna atmosfera została zamknięte w zwykły poradnik~ to co przeczytałam nie tylko otworzyło mi oczy na wiele różnych rzeczy, nauczyło ale też sprawiło, że mogłam przenieść się w magiczne miejsce.
🌿Środek jest tylko bardziej magiczny i urzekający.
🌱Przepięknie wydana, z wieloma prześlicznym ilustracjami, które dekorują dużo stron. Nawet rysunki techniczne, wydają się być zaczarowane.
🌿 Autorka tutaj pokazuje jak ważne są aspekty zieleni, podchodzi do tematu nie tylko żeby ładnie wyglądało, ale pokazuje jak duchowy wpływ mają na nas posadzone roślinki.
🌱 książka dla każdego miłośnika pracy w ogrodzie i idealna pozycja na nadchodzącą wiosnę 🌸💐🌞
🌿Nazwałabym go poradnikiem na stworzenie własnego Tajemniczego Ogrodu
December 1, 2022
This is a solid overview of the author's take on their approach to garden design spanning from their values all the way through concept design and then some implementation.
Early on with this read, I did not anticipate this book to be as spiritual toward nature as it was. Yet, that aspect was intriguing enough to keep my interest, and motivated me to read the book through. As the read progresses, it gets to more familiar content one might expect in a garden design book.
I do think there are areas of the book that are a rough jump from topic to topic - jumps that could use improvement in the narrative and flow of information. Also some sub-sections whose title doesn't really contain clear 'answers' to that title. In spite of those few things, it was an enjoyable read that provided a unique perspective on garden design that I won't forget.
Early on with this read, I did not anticipate this book to be as spiritual toward nature as it was. Yet, that aspect was intriguing enough to keep my interest, and motivated me to read the book through. As the read progresses, it gets to more familiar content one might expect in a garden design book.
I do think there are areas of the book that are a rough jump from topic to topic - jumps that could use improvement in the narrative and flow of information. Also some sub-sections whose title doesn't really contain clear 'answers' to that title. In spite of those few things, it was an enjoyable read that provided a unique perspective on garden design that I won't forget.
May 20, 2018
Beautifully illustrated. While I found some of the book to be a bit kooky, I fully appreciate the passion with which it was written. As a person who loves nature and strives to be in touch with my spirituality, I found Reynolds' outlook to be refreshing. This book about forest gardening has some great pointers about how to make the space around your home more natural and easier to maintain. I will definitely employ some of her techniques. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to clear my lawn by using pigs, or goats. Maybe chickens, though. Maybe chickens.
August 10, 2020
Pleasant read.
Here's a quote: ". . .none of the gardens I have visited over the past recent years has felt truthful to me. . .I could sense the energy of love in those places, but it was conditional love. . .loved as long as it stayed contorted in the way the garden designer had decided it should look. It was not allowed to be itself. There nature felt imposed on and suppressed. Gardens need to be a collaborative process--a marriage of land's nature and our own intentions."
I like this belief. It reminds me too of the designer of the High Line in NYC-- he would agree.
And maybe that applies well to human relationships, too.
Here's a quote: ". . .none of the gardens I have visited over the past recent years has felt truthful to me. . .I could sense the energy of love in those places, but it was conditional love. . .loved as long as it stayed contorted in the way the garden designer had decided it should look. It was not allowed to be itself. There nature felt imposed on and suppressed. Gardens need to be a collaborative process--a marriage of land's nature and our own intentions."
I like this belief. It reminds me too of the designer of the High Line in NYC-- he would agree.
And maybe that applies well to human relationships, too.
April 29, 2020
This book is loaded with information, a lot which did not interest me but is, nevertheless, quite useful for the right reader. For instance, all her details of garden design, while very interesting, are of no use to me. However, I did very much enjoy her approach to the land, methods she uses to honor it and serve it. As I work in my gardens, I feel differently about a lot of things thanks to this book.
February 12, 2021
I really enjoyed this book, but it's not for everyone. If you're a little woo-woo in your approach, like to meditate in your garden, or do yoga outdoors then you will probably love this too. But it's not a practical beginners plant-these-plants-like-this kind of book. The bulk of it is given over to developing a relationship with your land and listening to its needs and wants. As someone who has gardening the same space for over 20 years I find it bizarre that anyone needs instruction on how to do that. For me, it comes naturally with every minute I spend working in my garden.
March 5, 2022
This book is a wonderful balance of both spirituality and hands-on, practical gardening. I love the focus on sustainability, and the spiritual aspect of the book fits perfectly with this focus.
This book is a quick and fun read, but still wildly educational.
People with limited outdoor space might struggle to use all aspects of the book, as is the case with a lot of gardening books.
Nevertheless, everyone can use at least some part of the book, and it is well worth reading.
This book is a quick and fun read, but still wildly educational.
People with limited outdoor space might struggle to use all aspects of the book, as is the case with a lot of gardening books.
Nevertheless, everyone can use at least some part of the book, and it is well worth reading.
March 29, 2024
This book is one I come back to occasionally to help get me motivated and inspired for gardening season. Mary encourages you to think of the land as a good friend to spend time with and listen to. She offers many ideas on how to design garden spaces using sacred geometry, wish trees, prayer gardens, and fire pits. Your imagination is the limit!
It’s a good book for someone wanting to foster a spiritual connection with the patch of land they call home.
It’s a good book for someone wanting to foster a spiritual connection with the patch of land they call home.
April 13, 2024
learned more than enough about gardening and tending to land from this book.. but more than that this book challenged me to consider the power of my intentionality, thoughts, and words in relationship to nature, the world, and people. this was not an inherently Christian book, but i thought often of Proverbs 18:21 while reading this and my belief in how impactful our words and thoughts are grew tenfold.
June 29, 2019
Reynolds changed EVERYTHING about how I'll be approaching living on the land I bought in the Blue Ridge Mountains in NC. Everything. I see the land differently, walk on it differently, listen differently. What I plant and when I plant it will be different than I'd imagined. I'm so grateful for this book, its perspective and practical advice!
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