Experiential and warmhearted—a gardening guidebook with a personal touch
Ask any gardener their why, and you’ll hear a variety of reasons: it’s the dirt, the connection to earth, the meditation, the ability to grow one’s own food. For Theresa A. Markham, gardening brings peace and a portal to an almost-divine state of mind.
Blending a personal journal style with that of a how-to guidebook, The Gardener’s Spirit is packed with daily insights gathered from real time spent in the garden. Each chapter is chockfull of wisdom and tips: from the importance of enjoying your garden with coffee in hand to learning how to propagate one’s own seeds and create rich, diverse soil—there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Markham’s personal style creates a feeling that is experiential, inviting, and whole as she processes her thoughts in real time, allowing readers to experience her successes and failures right alongside her.
For example, when she discovers a Goldfinch sitting on a Canadian Thistle nearby, she describes her sense of wonder as she ponders why. Was the bird sitting on the thistle for a reason? She then moves to her phone to research, and as she does, she uncovers an important truth: Goldfinches rely on thistles to nest and eat. With this knowledge, Markham turns a most-despised weed, the thistle, into something beautiful and positive just by describing her wonderment and sharing the knowledge she uncovers in real time.
This pulls readers into a whole lived experience, encouraging a change of perspective and possibly even a desire to consider the Goldfinch’s needs in the future. This type of experiential writing is what makes the read so delightful. Authenticity and a deep desire for knowledge and understanding pervade this book.
Markham takes it up a notch by acknowledging gardening as a sort of spiritual undertaking—a balm for the soul—as she describes the calming effect of hand in soil. For example, she recalls a moment with her husband while hiking in the woods when she’s unable to shut off her brain. He encourages her to meditate while walking. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t work, and she starts to believe it never will.
However, one day while in the garden, she notices something peculiar—her brain is…silent. Stunned, she finds herself “alive, breathing and yet, somehow, without force or intention, thinking of nothing. I had found my meditation portal. Come to find out, I AM capable of clearing my mind, calming my nervous system, and tapping into a spiritual state. I just need, well, dirt. And rocks. And roots. And earthworms.” This is a feeling many gardeners describe as they put hand to dirt—a kind of spiritual awakening and a calming of one’s soul. Markham captures this feeling beautifully, and as she states, “I was the beneficiary. It was a pure gift. All I had to do was to collect the seeds.”
This book is truly delightful, a blend of personal experiences and learned knowledge in the garden. Gardeners, both new and seasoned, will enjoy the authenticity shared in Markham’s writing; her process of self-discovery, experimentation, and learning bring a sense of hope, excitement, and renewal to the garden.
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