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Echoing Green
The Garden in Myth and Memory

by Jennifer Heath

ISBN 0452281660
252 pages
Softcover

An imaginative assemblage of gardening literature and history
for the avid gardener and literary reader alike.

The Echoing Green is a lively examination of all things that make a garden a divine and interesting place. It is a tapestry rich with sumptuous imagery, unusual information, and exacting prose about gardening history, lore, rituals, and the personal experiences and reflections of author Jennifer Heath, herself a passionate gardener for more than thirty years. Including factual information as well as the mythology and folklore surrounding individual flowers, plants, and herbs, this book is beautifully written, creatively researched, and lovingly collected. From the history of the rose (which evolved in Central Asia sixty million years ago) to the significance of basil in different cultures (sacred to the Hindus, but a sign of poverty and misfortune to the ancient Greeks) to Heath's own spirited approach to weeding, The Echoing Green is a wide-ranging and delightful volume that belongs in the hearts and on the bookshelves of gardeners everywhere.