A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future - Paperback

by Benjamin Vogt (Author)

In a time of climate change and mass extinction, how we garden matters more than ever.

"An outstanding and deeply passionate book." -Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals

Plenty of books tell home gardeners and professional landscape designers how to garden sustainably, what plants to use, and what resources to explore. Yet few examine why our urban wildlife gardens matter so much-not just for ourselves, but for the larger human and animal communities.

Our landscapes push aside wildlife and in turn diminish our genetically programmed love for wildness. How can we get ourselves back into balance through gardens, to speak life's language and learn from other species?

Benjamin Vogt addresses why we need a new garden ethic, and why we urgently need wildness in our daily lives-lives sequestered in buildings surrounded by monocultures of lawn and concrete that significantly harm our physical and mental health. He examines the psychological issues around climate change and mass extinction as a way to understand how we are short-circuiting our response to global crises, especially by not growing native plants in our gardens. Simply put, environmentalism is not political; it's social justice for all species marginalized today and for those facing extinction tomorrow. By thinking deeply and honestly about our built landscapes, we can create a compassionate activism that connects us more profoundly to nature and to one another.

Back Jacket

In a time of climate change and mass extinction, who we garden for matters more than ever

...an outstanding and deeply passionate book.
-- MARC BEKOFF, author, Rewilding Our Hearts and The Animals' Agenda

[Vogt's] call to be conscious about what we plant in our gardens, and to respect the beauty and resilience of species that have been in our communities for millennia, is clear and urgent.
-- Dr. PETER ROBINSON, Chief Executive Officer, David Suzuki Foundation

Plenty of books tell home gardeners and professional landscape designers how to garden sustainably, what plants to use, and what resources to explore. Yet few examine why our urban wildlife gardens matter, and not just for ourselves, but for the larger human and animal communities.

Author Benjamin Vogt addresses why we need a new garden ethic, and why we urgently need wildness in our daily lives -- lives sequestered in buildings surrounded by monocultures of lawn and concrete that significantly harm our physical and mental health. He examines the psychological issues around climate change and mass extinction as a way to understand how we are short-circuiting our response to global crises, especially by not growing native plants in our gardens. Simply put, environmentalism is not political, it's social justice for all species marginalized today, and for those facing extinction tomorrow.

By thinking deeply and honestly about our built landscapes, we can create a compassionate activism that connects us more profoundly to nature and to one another.

A powerful and transformative work, written with honesty and grace.
-- SUSAN J. TWEIT, award-winning author, Walking Nature Home

Benjamin Vogt has a PhD in creative writing from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His writing and photography has appeared in over 60 publications from literary journals to magazines and anthologies. Benjamin writes a native plant gardening column at Houzz.com and speaks nationally on sustainable design and wildlife landscapes. He owns Monarch Gardens LLC, a prairie garden design firm, and lives in Lincoln, Nebraska with his wife.

Author Biography

Benjamin Vogt has a Ph.D. in creative writing from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His writings and photos have appeared in over 60 publications, from literary journals to magazines to anthologies, and even a permanent display at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center. He has also won several awards and fellowships over the last two decades. Benjamin writes a weekly native plant garden design column at Houzz.com, which has been read over 2.5 million times. He speaks nationally on garden design and wildlife landscapes while owning Monarch Gardens, a prairie garden design firm based in eastern Nebraska with projects the span Nebraska to New Jersey. He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska with his wife.