Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards

This book actually changed my WHOLE outlook and approach to gardening. I've never had a garden book change me like this. Its just so incredible. I ate up every chapter and couldn't put it down and when I was done I went out into the garden and got my hands dirty like never before. This author completely breaks through the mysteries of gardening and basically shows us how we need to simply plant with nature (i.e. planting native plants, planting them where they will thrive) versus fighting against nature. She also wakes you up to the horrible ways that we are poisoning the early in this fight against nature by using pesticides and not realizing thhe impact. Oh its just such an incredible book. It more subtle than I'm making it sound and its not preachy at all. It just woke me up in such a way that I can't express enough how incredible this book is. And by the way, by following the ideas expressed in the book we've got some fantastic gardens growing where birds and bees and butterflies all come to vist. Its a wildloife adventure right in our back yard. I've given this book as a gift to friends and relatives and they agreed with how incredible it is. Her second book is ok, not as good as this one but still good

For "challenged" gardeners such as myself, what a relief it is to read that such chores as double digging can actually be harmful by creating conditions even more inviting to invasive weeds and pests. In addition to being a great inspiration for changing one's approach to that of "ungardening," Noah's Garden presents an environmentally based manifesto against suburban sprawl and the cookie cutter tract developments it has engendered. Sarah Stein presents many creative thoughts for encouraging the return of wildlife in the suburbs. Some ideas can be carried out individually on one's own property, but when one starts to look at ecologically impoverished neighborhood environments the way Sarah Stein does, it seems reasonable to start applying her principles to larger areas. Stein suggests, for instance, that the small wilderness of trees and shrubs an enlightened homeowner can set aside in a back corner can be joined with other small thickets created by like-minded abutting property owners to form a small suburban forest. The material presented here has as much value for the local planning board or environmental commission as it does for the individual gardener. Sarah Stein, like Noah, is warning of the impending loss of all signs of life in our own communities if we don't amend our ways. I for one will be building my ark!

Noah's Garden is a lovely, gentle book that all home gardeners should read. I thought our over grown garden was an eyesore until I read this book. We now not only leave the "weeds" that grow next to our creek, we also do not mow the big patch of clover in the middle of our lawn. This is for the butterflies and bumble bees. Thank you Sara for a wonderful book.

I wanted to learn some answers to some basic ecological questions of the "where did they go" and "how can I get them back" variety. This book answers those questions and more. What really surprised me was the emotions this book invokes. I laughed and I cried, sometimes on the same page. I think this is probably the best book I have read in several years, on any subject.

It is rare that a book actually makes a change in your life but Noah's Garden did for me. Years ago my husband and I tried to explain to a landscape architect the natural effect we wanted. He did a pretty good job but suggested all sorts of exotic plants. If we had only had Sara Stein's book then! It is full of lower care native and natural planting tips and information. For those of you who find the sameness and sterility of suburban landscaping unattractive, Sara Stein has paradise waiting for you in this book. Do you wonder why you no longer have fireflys? Find out why and how to right this in Noah's Garden. A great, great book