Customer Reviews

Inner Gardening: Four Seasons of Cultivating the Soil and the Spirit

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INNER GARDENING is a remarkable book in a number of ways. First of all, Diane Dreher's work addresses the whole reader in a way other books cannot because of their self-imposed limitations of scope. INNER GARDENING is a book full of interesting useful information on cultivating one's land. So, it is good for the VICTORY GARDEN crowd. It is also an insightful original piece of scholarship concerned with themes of nature in Western and Eastern cultures. So, it is right up the alley of someone who reads Rebecca Bushnell. Most important to me, the book communicates meaning through its own organizational structure. The collection begins and ends in the springtime. I was pleasantly surprised at how clearly Dreher writes on the topics of origins and fruitions. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough.

"Inner Gardening" is like a beautiful patch work quilt. Dr. Dreher weaves together her considerable learning about gardening, Eastern philosophy, Renaissance history and literature into an inspirational book that you will consult over and over again. Each chapter corresponds to a month of the year with detailed instructions on specific gardening tasks. The author then reflects on the inner meaning of these tasks and how the disciplined performance of them contributes to a richer life. I highly recommend it to you.

I'm new to gardening and I found this book interesting. There are many different reasons why I'm interested in gardening. I like the plants but more importantly I wanted to garden myself. I wanted to grow something inside. The author bridges these two types of gardening nicely. She infuses the chapters with a variety of different angles on gardening. In some sections she brings in the botanical view. There's also the historical folklore perspective. She encourages risk and self-exploration by communicating some of the her own experiences in Aikido as well as her thoughts when she's gardening. Then there's, for lack of a better term, the self-workbook questions. For example pg 98 - "Something is always growing in our gardens, whether we cultivate it or not." Similar to The Artists Way, the author asks the reader to explore their life. I don't think the psychological and spiritual benefits of gardening would be so valued in our culture if the activity weren't time tested. At the same time, readers need coaching to uncover or find their ways. The author guides the reader by asking them to reflect on their lives. These questions encouraged me to start gardening and exploring within my own life as well. I encourage others to pick up this book and begin growing new ideas within the soil of their own minds. I would recommend the book to many because it's multidimensional and it challenges me to grow.