The Earth in Her Hands

December 2, 2019
Jewell, host of the radio program and podcast Cultivating Place, offers a fine collection of profiles of women involved with horticulture. Though gardeners predominate, Jewell’s subjects also include newspaper columnists, photographers, educators, floral designers, farmers, and entrepreneurs, all of whom have a passion for sharing their love of the natural world. Some, such as Carol Bornstein, director of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County’s garden program, work to preserve rare plant species. Many talk specifically about environmental issues, as when designer and flower farmer Ariella Chezar discusses minimizing “the often toxic (to people and land) growing practices” of her industry. Others approach gardening as a tool for social justice. For instance, landscape designer Leslie Bennett works to create, in Jewell’s words, “garden spaces that center on people of color” and provide welcoming spaces to them. Beth Tuttle, president of the American Horticultural Society, sums up the book’s ethos best when she says “We are, and need to continue, moving our cultural understanding of gardening and our relationship to plants from nice to necessary.” Jewell provides generous lists of additional resources and beautiful photos of each woman and her work. This volume should be inspirational to anyone working with plants.