Gardening With the Goddess: Creating Gardens of Spirit ... (ISBN 1564145530)

Not a gardening book....:
I found Patricia Telesco's GARDENING WITH THE GODDESS a small disappointment. Although she has obviously done her homework in reviewing relevant material about various culturally diverse female divinities from around the globe, her choices beg the question of "Who or what exactly is the Goddess", and "Who determined the deities described in this text had acquired the status of THE Goddess"? In Part 1 "Goddess-Centered Thinking" Telesco attempts to briefly describe what she means by "The Goddess" but those unfamiliar with the Goddess may find the information insufficient. With few exceptions, little of historical import is known about many of the female deities Telesco includes, so one wonders how she became informed about what sort of garden a specific "goddess" would keep if that goddess kept a garden. Perhaps she received telepathic transmissions, if so I wish she would share as much. Having had these sorts of experiences myself while working in the garden, I can accept that one may find herself creatively inspired without understanding why or by whom. The dearth of critical gardening information regarding how to create, establish and maintain each garden make the book impractical, although the experienced gardener may find inspiration. Telesco says she is an experienced gardener, but unlike mzny other gardeners-turned writers, she reveals little of practical use based on her experience. Telesco alludes to her failed attempts at gardening with phrases about overwatering and starting seeds too late, but these vague statements may baffle the unintiated trying to decide "do I buy seeds or bedding plants?" "Do I accept a snippet of plant life offered by a neighbor?" Once I decide wether I am a seed person or a bedding plant person (which limits my choices) which plants do want? Telesco's suggested garden designs for specific various goddess gardens are mostly unhelpful. Where another garden writer might have included illustrations showing how one might lay out a bed and fill it, she does not. Instead, she suggests plants and colors, and shapes and leaves the novice gardener imagining all one has to do to garden is select plants.You can figure out how to arrange everything yourself and whether or not the plants you choose will survive in your yard or even grow together well. There are much better books on gardening available. For example, THE HERBALIST'S GARDEN by Shatoiya and Richard de la Tour combines helpful gardening advice and spiritual inspiration that can be combined to create something for the Goddess. Telesco's book is inspirational but not terribly helpful for actual gardening.

Such a cool gardening book!:
A friend brought this book to my attention and I'm so glad I bought it! In the first part of ther book (55 pgs), we're introduced to all sorts of neat things like companion planting (e.g cucumbers with chamomile, marigold with tomatoes etc), gardening with the seasons (working with nature rather than at odds with her), gardening by moon signs (e.g moon in aries, plant garlic & onions), crystals and gardening, and plant meanings. The rest of the book is dedicated to specific godess gardens - for each of these gardens, a goddess is described and then there are writings about the plants, crystals, stones, colors, decorative touches, directions, and adaptations. Each section has a great activity/celebration of the garden to perform as well. Its quite a wonderful book - poetic in many ways, and just plain fun. The only thing that I think is missing is a discussion of the use of native plants rather than non-natives in our gardens. Its so important and is SO integral to the whole web of life. I would have loved to have seen that discussion in the up front section on gardening with the seasons since, just like we shouldn't plant against the flow of the seasons we shouldn't plant plants that disrupt it either. The book that opened my eyes to all that was Planting Noah's Garden.

An informative and practical work:
Patricia Telesco's Gardening With The Goddess: Creating Gardens Of Spirit And Magic is an informative and practical work combining the pastime of gardening with a spiritual reverence for goddesses, from Amaterasu to Gaia to White Buffalo Woman. The first section consists of primary advice and suggestions for adding the new age spirituality into one's gardening work. The second section is devoted to dozens of goddesses worshipped through human history and how to tailor a garden to the aspects of each one. A thoughtful and well-presented book of new age spirituality in practice, Gardening With The Goddess is an unusual and enthusiastically recommended addition to gardening and metaphsycial studies reading lists and reference collections.

the planting guide i was looking for, and more!:
I was looking for a book that would give me guidelines on what plants honor which goddess. It also includes using stones, crystals and statuary that represent the different goddesses. What I found exceptionally helpful was the planting guide for the moon and astrological phases. Too many times I have planted things that should have grown well, but didn't. Since I have been planting by phases I have had tremendous success. I am very pleased with this book.

It was pretty good, I liked it:
Each chapter of this book focuses on a different goddess.You can look through the book and choose a goddess that you want to represent in your garden. It tells you which plants that goddess likes best, which colors you should use in the garden,what kind of decorative touches you can use,(that represent the goddess you choose for your garden) what kind of patterns you can use while planting,(like, if you 'dedicate' your garden to Dana, you can plant your plants in a circle.)The book goes into further detail.I hope that my review has helped you. Blessed be!