The Sanctuary Garden: Creating a Place of Refuge in Your Yard or Garden

While this book may not have glossy photos, it is none-the-less a dreamer's guide to gardening and solved my biggest garden problem: how to make visitors stop and abide awhile in my garden. On home garden tours, I often watch people fall prey to a mindset of "strolling on a mission" as they move from one composed vista to the next, mentally recording pretty combinations or successful "scenes." I was saddened recently to see a beautiful pergola draped in exotic jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) with people flocking to see the flowers, but not one person felt genuinely invited to sit inside. In my mind, a garden fails if it does not: A.) stop you in your tracks and B.) invite you to sit awhile, quietly and comfortably. One of my goals is to open my garden to such a home tour and discover people lingering, feeling transcendently at peace and at home. This book helped me find a way to transform the garden experience from people saying "pretty" to people having conversations in outdoor salons. I share the other reviewer's experience. I am a visual person and gravitate towards books with landscape plans and photos. I have a library shelf full of garden design books; Feng Shui, modern, Balinese, etc. and binders of ideas from magazine clippings. Yet this book did more to shape the garden experience I want visitors to have than any other. Each garden "room" should function the same way as the vibrant passages the authors use to open each section in the book: creating layers of engagement that invite you to reflect. I found myself evaluating designs with more than just an eye for cleverness or cohesiveness. This book is an invitation to center yourself before setting out to create a peaceful space outdoors.

I LOVE this book. It's about so MUCH more than just digging in the dirt! I especially love the watercolor illustrations. We have always called our own backyard a sanctuary. Now, we are incorporating some of the bountiful ideas found in this cornucopia of garden delights.

This is a wonderful book! It is very inspiring, and the ideas are easy to follow, understand, and adapt to your own space and needs. I loved the descriptions of their garden/sanctuary at their home, and am inspired to try to create some sacred space in my own life. Thank you for a truly fantastic book!