The Planthunter

After hearing the author Georgina Reid on Australian radio I was excited and intrigued to read her book. I was not disappointed. I loved that she gave each gardener the opportunity to divulge their own philosophies on gardening and each is supported by wonderful photography. Included is the folk medicine garden in the wise women tradition of Marysia Miernowska in the Santa Monica mountains. To Marysia even creating compost is a spiritual practice. This book is not only a meditation on gardening but also a meditation on life.

Appealing ~ Aspirational ~ Attractive
tl; dr: People have amazing gardens. Many are almost not gardens at all.

Alright, I picked this book to be transported from my wintery life to a green fantasy. I didn't expect anything from the writing. I was wrong. This is an odd book. Its part coffee-table book, part gardening book, part interior decorating book, but also part non-fiction self-help. The author shows these amazing places, not all of them in posh, out of reach locals. She then allows the gardener/ owner to speak about their spaces. Each becomes a meditation on space, environment, and hope. This book is, strangely enough, a much better look at humanity and healing than many self-help books. (Also, the layout designer and graphics folks did a gangbuster job. Stupendous).

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this book took me to far away places and helped me rethink my love of gardening. The stories and passions of the many avid gardeners was truly refreshing to read and connect with. I enjoyed the photos throughout this book, they helped transport me into the varied experiences and worlds of so many different people.

In the middle of a harsh New England winter, I can only dream about gardening and Reid’s book was a special treat. I was able to read about gardener’s around the world, from those smack dab in the middle of a huge city to those spread out over acres of country land. With gorgeous photos and stories from the gardener’s themselves this book will delight anyone who has ever gardened or just those who aspire to

Lovely writing on gardening. Enjoyed the honesty and the humor. I was wishing it came to my kindle and not as a PDF, which would have made it simpler to read and easier for me to focus on both the writing and the photographs.

Author, Georgina Reid, has produced a work of beauty that stands completely alone from the normal garden books. In "The Planthunter" she has combined artistic imagery that tempts the viewer with all-to-often missed details, grand vistas, candid portraits, and secret glimpses into garden osaises. As one reads along, you are transported to these spaces, intrigued by their owners and the stories that follow.

Reid has pulled together an inspirational and eclectic group of gardeners with interests as varied as their plants. There are engineers, musicians, painters, collectors, adventurers and more. Besides being the authors and caretakers of stunning plant havens, they are united by their stewardship of nature. Each highlighted individual has wisdom to pass on or observations gleaned from long, dedicated experience.

"The Planthunter" is strikingly unique in that it grabs the reader with a ferocity for plants and their ability to shape lives. This isn’t just about dirt. It is about living in the artistic capacity of nature.

I am already making a space on my bookcase!

The Planthunter: Truth, Beauty, Chaos, and Plants by Georgina Reid was an interesting read, but not what I was anticipating. More gardener biography/essay/philosophy than gardening and plants. Also, most gardens were in Australia, a few were in New Zealand or California. Definitely not my home climate, but interesting.

The essays focused on different types of gardens and the gardeners who created them. Each with a different mission or purpose and a very different result. Gardens included: indoor, urban, rental, massive, and air. The gardeners themselves had interesting stories and reasons for creating their particular garden. Those interests ranged from music, urban renewal, health, insect habitat, family traditions to heirloom seeds and more.

There is an "Earth Mother" take on gardening evident in this book that feels a bit preachy at times, but I think anytime we reflect on why we embrace a passion, we tend to wax evangelical in our narrative. The quotes at the beginning of the book leave no doubt as to where the reader is headed, so if the reader is surprised by the content, oh well.

I would like to have seen more panoramic/wide shots of each of the gardens. many of the accompanying photos focus on a plant or vignette. Some essays have minimal photography.

For me, the takeaway of the book is, "Why does one garden?" Reading the philosophies of others has lead me to think about my own purpose for gardening. I hope this defined purpose will result in a more cohesive garden and maybe fewer plant/landscape mistakes.

Thank you to #netgalley and #timberpress for an ARC ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.

I stumbled across The Planthunter website last year and have been enamored ever since. What a gorgeous site now turned into a book! The photography is simply stunning and the gardeners and plant lovers profiled as fascinating....I wanted more! I found myself wishing for more time and money to simply become even more nerdy about plants than I already am.

What a lovely book!

This book is just a pleasure to read and look through. It's colorful with gardens of all sorts to inspire the reader, but it's the text that really draws you in. Each garden and gardener has a story to read along with it and they are the sort of essays that would be great reading on a snowy evening when you can't get to your own garden. Fun, diverse and a great read.

Many people of differing regions, states, countries, economic status can all call them selves gardeners. Why? Because the art of gardening is different for everyone. Georgina Reid recognizes this difference in her book. Planting is done for so many different reasons, but we all share that special satisfaction when flowers or food results from the sweat equity we've invested in our own piece of ground. Ms Reid shows us gardens from all walks of life and then lets the gardener tell what their garden means to them. This is an excellent book. Pictures and stories all support the central premise of how gardening reveals that inner spark to create something with our own two hands.