The Heart Of A Garden

The Garden In My Heart is a beautifully illustrated book about sowing and reaping that encourages children to sow good things in their heart. "There is a secret garden inside every girl and boy, and there a special seeds to sow that will grow into joy."

Iris Bagshott strolls down the paths of her ancient garden, close to Lichfield in the heart of England, wondering if it is time to sell her house and land for development. She is unaware that around every corner myriad family secrets from the past unfold. From a Saxon clearing to a monastery, Tudor dwelling to the present day, this sacred plot has nurtured her ancestors. Generations of Bagshott women have found refuge and solace tending it through years of plague, civil war and beyond. This is their story.

A collection of evocative personal essays about the practical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of gardening, including gardening tips, recipes, and ideas. With warmth, wit, and wisdom, author Joyce McGreevy looks to gardening as a source of creativity, spirituality, and inspiration, and she offers practical ideas for gardening--and living life--to the fullest. Her essays include "Gardening Without a Clue," which asserts that one's sense of wonder coupled with nature's own revelations are the greatest gardening teachers; "It's All Rented," which begins as a humorous account of a gardening experience in Ireland and becomes a gentle call for stewardship, rather than ownership, of the Earth; and "Eating, Sleeping, and Living in the Garden," which invites readers to rediscover the traditional rituals of leisure. With so many of us longing to slow our frantic pace and live more authentically, this timely book shows us how gardening "by Heart" can help us do just that and thereby enrich all aspects of our lives.

Born into one of Melbourne's most prominent establishment families, Sunday Baillieu was expected to become a society princess. But this passionate individualist turned her back on upper-class privilege and created a life wholly her own. With her husband, John Reed, Sunday established Heide - a home and the focal point for the development of Australian modernism. In 1935, Sunday and John bought Heide, a modest weatherboard house in rural Heidelberg. Until their deaths in the early eighties, the Reeds lived there and cultivated Australia's most significant circle of artists, including Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker, John Perceval, Joy Hester and Charles Blackman. In the words of Albert Tucker, Sunday was 'the magnetic force that drew us together, the eye...' While Sunday was a muse to several generations of Australian artists, Sidney Nolan reamined her lifelong obsession. Gifted, charismatic and visionary, Nolan was mesmerised by Sunday - and she by him. They were lovers for several tempestuous years. But Sunday was more than Nolan's muse. Award-winning biographer Janine Burke argues that she was crucial to his artistic development - preparing his painting materials, inspiring subject matter and perhaps guiding his hand while he painted the Ned Kelly series, executed on Heide's dining room table. Sunday was a demanding and intense woman, known as much for her irascibility as for her generosity. In this compelling biography, Burke draws a rich portrait of this comlex and brilliant woman who fuelled the fire of Australian modernism, and was at its heart.

From Madonna to Deepak Chopra, celebrities have been recording and embracing Rumi's poetry for the past two decades, creating a resurgence of interest in this 13th century Sufi mystic. Rumi's Little Book of Life is a beautiful collection of 196 poems by Rumi, previously unavailable in English. Translated by native Persian speakers, Maryam Mafi and Azima Melita Kolin, this collection will appeal to Rumi lovers everywhere. This collection of mystical poetry focuses on one of life's core issues: coming to grips with the inner life. During the course of life, each of us is engaged on an inner journey. Rumi's Little Book of Life is a guidebook for that journey. The poetry is a companion for those who consciously enter the inner world to explore the gardens within--out of the everyday "world of dust"--through an ascending hierarchy that restores one's soul to the heart; the heart of the spirit; and in finding spirit, transcending all.

In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.