The Sanctuary Garden: Creating a Place of Refuge in Your Yard or Garden [Paperback]

Christopher For Mcdowell (Author), Tricia Clark-mcdowell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 1998

For many gardeners, gardening is a moving meditation that brings peace and deep relaxation. This text reminds the reader that being in the garden (as opposed to active gardening) is a way to honour the intrinsic relatedness of people and plants.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For many gardeners, gardening is a moving meditation that brings peace and deep relaxation. At times, however, repetitive chores can feel more stressful than soothing. The authors of The Sanctuary Garden remind us that being in the garden (as opposed to active gardening) is a way to honor the intrinsic relatedness of people and plants. To help us get beyond our busyness, they identify seven key design elements that can turn a garden into a living retreat or sanctuary. A special entrance marks our departure from the mundane world. Water, the symbol of life, brings flow and reflection to the garden. The thoughtful use of color and the play of light can be contrived to deliberately evoke emotions--peace, comfort, awe, and respect. Natural features like sculptural rocks, wind song, and fragrance can become focal points for our attention. Artwork that supports the desired feelings can be integrated into our plantings. Finally, we can create attractive habitat for birds, pollinators, and animals. Sharing the garden with nature--not just plants--broadens our sense of connectedness to the natural world in a wholesome, healing way. The book creates a challenge: where is your sanctuary? Answering that may expand both your garden and your spirit. --Ann Lovejoy

About the Author

Christopher Forrest McDowell and Tricia Clark-McDowell founded the world-renowned Cortesia Sanctuary and Center for Natural Gardening and Healing, a 22-acre sanctuary near Eugene, Oregon, where they teach, write, and make their home.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Fireside; First edition. edition (May 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684846373
• ISBN-13: 978-0684846378
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #865,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a unique, deeply spiritual, inspired work., June 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sanctuary Garden: Creating a Place of Refuge in Your Yard or Garden (Paperback)

Almost a "garden as metaphor," book, you won't find concrete advide about how to plant, or what to do about pests, etc. You will find an inspired pathway to spirit via the garden. The authors write with a clear, poetic voice about earth, wind, water and sunlight as manifestations of the soul. As an avid gardener, this is one of my all time favorites! It would make a terrific gift for anyone interested in the natural/spiritual worlds.

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this book if you're looking for sample ideas, August 31, 2002

By 

mj (Silicon Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sanctuary Garden: Creating a Place of Refuge in Your Yard or Garden (Paperback)

I bought this book from a different web retailer because of the online description; I did not see it in the store first. If I had, I wouldn't have bought it, because it is a philosophy book about gardening. I tend to buy gardening books that have lots of photos or diagrams of examples. This book has no photos and only a few drawings. It is all text. If you are a "show me" kind of person like I am, then don't buy this book.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful sense of the art of creating "peace" around us!, July 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sanctuary Garden: Creating a Place of Refuge in Your Yard or Garden (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book! It is very inspiring, and the ideas are easy to follow, understand, and adapt to your own space and needs. I loved the descriptions of their garden/sanctuary at their home, and am inspired to try to create some sacred space in my own life. Thank you for a truly fantastic book!