Planting Noah's Garden: Further Adventures in Backyard Ecology

by Sara Bonnett Stein

Book Overview

Sarah Stein's brilliant book Noah's Garden placed the author at the forefront of the new field of ecological gardening. Now, in Planting Noah's Garden, she tells the even more fascinating story of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395709601
• ISBN13: 9780395709603
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 2.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

What a Harvest!

this is the much-needed follow-up to Noah's Garden. where that book was a statement of a philosophy of garden-tending, this one is a planting manual. making use of what i could on 3/8ths of an acre, i harvested a bumper crop of birds and butterflies, hawks and owls and toads. to make a retreat from the world in a very small space, this is your design manual. Lynn Hoffman, author of The New Short Course in Wine

Thought-provoking...worth every penny

I bought this book because I have two children and one of the other reviewers spoke about how the author views children as part of the "mega fauna" of a landscape and gives her suggestions on how to make an interesting outdoor "habitat" for them, so to speak. In addition, I've always tried to take an ecologically sound approach to landscaping in my yard by gardening organically.Truth to tell, I never really thought about whether or not it's ecologically sound to plant mostly exotic plants in my yard versus native ones. I congratulated myself that I let a meadow emerge in my back yard when I moved in. I never gave much thought to exactly what was growing in it. I've always believed that it is just plain wrong to collect plants from the wild...but are there times when it is not only justified but perhaps actually beneficial? If so, when?In any case, the book definitely stretched my perceptions and gave me a whole lot to think about in terms of my own typical, "newly developed" suburban lot. I felt like the chapter about the author's niece, also about such a suburban lot, could have been about my own.I recommend this book to anyone interested in gardening or ecology...and even those not currently interested could probably benefit! Worth every penny I paid...not just an enjoyable read, but a very informative one.

Part 1 is more of a great thing, Part 2 is Especially Useful

Stein's way with words allows her to provide a huge amount of information in entertaining narrative form to the degree that one just can't put the book down. This is the appeal and value of her "Noah's Garden" and continues in Part 1 of "Planting Noah's Garden." Part 2 is something extra: direct instructions, charts, and everything a reader wants to know about how to follow in Stein's footsteps (or spade holes). She provides a wealth of information on everything from how to get started with the complex process of eco-gardening to precise information on specific plants and projects. This is really Stein's answer to the hundreds of letters and questions she has gotten since "Noah's Garden" and what an answer it is!

Highly Reccomended!

I cannot encourage anyone who is even slightly interested in wildlife or butterfly gardening strongly enough - READ THIS BOOK! Along with Noah's Garden, Stein's first "eco-gardening" book, this is a great read for anyone who finds endless lawns boring, or has driven past a wooded lot daily, only to wake up one day and find it has been flattened to make a strip mall. I have read both books several times and used the advice in both to build an beautiful butterfly and bird garden (on a patio outside an apartment, no less) and I can't wait to apply it to a full-sized yard. This book doesn't just encourage you to make a difference - even if it's just a dent - it actually shows you how. I loved it, and I plan to give it as gifts in the future.

Essential reading for back yard, native plant oriented souls

This book is totally enchanting. When I first read "David Copperfield" I told myself that I would read it again in a few years and it would read differently. And it has."Planting Noah's Garden" has exactly the same feel. I have spent the last six months recommending this book to my naturalist friends. I have often though of passing my copy on, but have decided not to. I buy another copy instead. I have the feeling that this is a book that I will want to read again.and again.Sara states that "Children are part of the mega-fauna of every landscape." She writes about the basic need of children to look under rocks and logs, to climb trees..to discover the natural wonders that await them there. And, or course, she tells us how to make this happen. If you enjoy planting things, if you enjoy your yard, your children and your grandchildren, buy this book. It is a masterpiece.