Gardens Purpose

Gardens Purpose is a collection of essays and stories that argues the garden is a rich way of seeing the world. It invites readers to think of gardens as places where people can build mutually beneficial relationships with the living things around them. The tone is gracious and accessible.

The book looks at what gardens do for us. They inspire hope and wonder as beautiful spaces. They foster friendships and communities as places to gather. When they are carefully designed, they make us stop and notice our surroundings. When they are planted with edible species, they feed us. And because they hold human and non-human diversity, they tie us to the many-colored world we live in and help us feel at home in our bodies, our cities and on the planet.

Each chapter takes up one idea or element of the garden. Subjects include where gardens can grow, such as a San Francisco driveway or a bathtub used as a planter. They also cover garden management, including why some lawns need watering every few days while some gardens go nearly a year without irrigation, and color and texture, including how fine-textured plants such as grasses can unify a space.

Hundreds of gardens from around the world appear in full-color photographs. The book is aimed at home gardeners and landscape designers, and it also suits anyone buying a gift for a gardener.