{"id":5473,"date":"2026-01-26T13:56:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T13:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=5473"},"modified":"2026-01-26T13:56:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T13:56:00","slug":"the-gardeners-spirit-by-theresa-a-markham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=5473","title":{"rendered":"The Gardener\u2019s Spirit by Theresa A. Markham"},"content":{"rendered":"

Experiential and warmhearted\u2014a gardening guidebook with a personal touch\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ask any gardener their why, <\/em>and you\u2019ll hear a variety of reasons: it\u2019s the dirt, the connection to earth, the meditation, the ability to grow one\u2019s own food. For Theresa A. Markham, gardening brings peace and a portal to an almost-divine state of mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blending a personal journal style with that of a how-to guidebook, The Gardener\u2019s Spirit <\/em>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\u2019s own seeds and create rich, diverse soil\u2014there\u2019s something for everyone to enjoy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Markham\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This pulls readers into a whole lived experience, encouraging a change of perspective and possibly even a desire to consider the Goldfinch\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Markham takes it up a notch by acknowledging gardening as a sort of spiritual undertaking\u2014a balm for the soul\u2014as 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\u2019s unable to shut off her brain. He encourages her to meditate while walking. Unsurprisingly, it doesn\u2019t work, and she starts to believe it never will.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, one day while in the garden, she notices something peculiar\u2014her brain is\u2026silent. Stunned, she finds herself \u201calive, 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.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> This is a feeling many gardeners describe as they put hand to dirt\u2014a kind of spiritual awakening and a calming of one\u2019s soul. Markham captures this feeling beautifully, and as she states, \u201cI was the beneficiary. It was a pure gift. All I had to do was to collect the seeds.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019s writing; her process of self-discovery, experimentation, and learning bring a sense of hope, excitement, and renewal to the garden.<\/p>\n

The post The Gardener\u2019s Spirit by Theresa A. Markham<\/a> appeared first on Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Experiential and warmhearted\u2014a gardening guidebook with a personal touch\u00a0 Ask any gardener their why, and you\u2019ll hear a variety of reasons: it\u2019s the dirt, the connection to earth, the meditation, the ability to grow one\u2019s own food. For Theresa A. Markham, gardening brings peace and a portal to an almost-divine state of mind.\u00a0 Blending a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5473"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5473\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}