How to Plant a Tree: A Simple Celebration of Trees and Tree-Planting Ceremonies

by Daniel Butler

This gorgeously packaged little book celebrates trees and their life-affirming presence in our lives.

The earth's longest living organisms, trees exemplify nature's great strength as well as its majestic beauty. Serving as virtual lungs for our planet, trees provide us with food, medicine, and our most versatile building material. To plant a tree is to plant hope, and as an act of commemoration, it literally gives life to that remembered. While it is in-deed a practical book that explains exactly how to plant and care for a tree, How to Plant a Tree is so much more. Drawing on the ancient rituals and folklore that surround particular trees, the author explores their symbolism and traditional uses, and offers suggestions for various commemorative tree-planting acts, such

A marriage ceremony

A new baby ceremony

A new home ceremony

A memorial for a loved one

With lovely original black-and-white illustrations throughout, How to Plant a Tree encompasses a wealth of both useful and inspiring information, including fascinating miscellany on some of our most beloved tree species like the willow, the oak, and the plum; how to calculate a tree's age; and how you can use trees to fight climate change.

How to Plant a Tree will inspire readers to view trees as living structures of hope that will be treasured for generations to come.

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2010

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful engraved illustrations, clear language, step-by-step instructions for hedge-laying, and above all, passionate (at least by English standards) content, carefully curated in a pocket-sized book. My only complaint lies in the species of trees covered, which is by no means exhaustive nor useful in the Pacific Northwest. But what can you expect from a book written by a man who “planted a wood” (i.e. is from the British Isles) and is distributed globally?

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought this would be a quick read for me. Just couldn't labor through it. Not sure if it was the writing. Not sure if it was the topic. Just wasn't sure if it was my motivation to read this waned. Just lost interest mid-read. Tried a few times, but ran out of gas. Stories were interesting. . .in pieces.However, it wasn't a page turner for me.

[Bureau · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover, pages, pictures, and subject make you fall in love with the book even while just flipping through it. Needs to edit out a bit more of the pretentious parts though.

[drakewarden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and lovely. A fast read the first time through, and a great resource book for amateur tree husbandry.