The Inviting Garden : Gardening for the Senses, Mind, and Spirit

by Allen Lacy, Cynthia Woodyard (Photographer)

In The Inviting Garden , Allen Lacy speaks for the great number of dedicated and committed gardeners who share his passion for green and growing things and who take pleasure in all the rich satisfactions that the personal garden offers its makers. He also invites the beginner to take the plunge--to set forth on the lifelong journey that is the gardener's way of life.

Gardening, Lacy explains with great eloquence and good humor, is much more than a hobby. It delights all the senses, each in its turn. It offers virtually less intellectual stimulation. It has a profound spiritual dimension, as a basis for the lifelong friendships that bind people together in the common and shared pursuit of making the earth flourish with beauty. Its joys are unlimited, for they engage its practitioners as whole persons, not partial beings.

With the kind of tantalizing prose that makes you want to reach for a trowel, Allen Lacy gives us a deeply thoughtful book on the whole enterprise of gardening.

Genres: Gardening

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 1998

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely and inspiring book by the late Mr. Lacy, one that made me long for spring so that I can work in the garden. The first part is built around the five senses, one chapter per- tasting herbs and vegetables; listening to fountains, wind chimes and birds; feeling soft lamb’s ears and soft earth; smelling roses, lilies, and mock orange; and of course viewing the many flowers and leaves that the garden offers us. For the mind section he ventures into botanical nomenclature; how much there is to know about even one plant and how it works (especially if you get into the biome in which it grows, including insects and soil critters); the history of plant discoveries; floral legends; and how the American yard turned out like it has- mostly lawn and open to view. Spirit is basically that gardening is not a hobby, but a way of being that absorbs one.

This is not a coffee table book, but it contains a lot of gorgeous photographs. All make you long to step into them and enjoy the garden portrayed. His writing wanders at times; when he describes a plant we are apt to learn about its history and uses as well as how it looks. It’s rather like being in the garden and talking with a very educated plantsman. Five stars.

[E.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually originally borrowed this, then, because I so enjoyed reading it, I bought it for my mom who also enjoyed it. She, of course, was the real gardener in the family. I'm just a poor wanna be. Sometimes things thrive under my care, other times not, but I do find it an immensely peaceful and satisfying activity, which is what this Allen Lacy book shares with readers - the joy and fulfillment one experiences when engaging in the experience.