As I write this, we’re having one of those deceptively beautiful winter days. The kind where the sky is blue and the sun is shining but the temperature never gets out of the 20s. This comes after a run of days of heavy grey clouds and flat, dull light. This sort of deep winter weather always has me looking towards spring and dreaming again of starting a garden. The only problem? I don’t actually know how to garden. I love looking at inspirational gardens, but I always have felt too overwhelmed to start. Which is why I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of the upcoming book A Woman’s Garden by Tanya Anderson of Lovely Greens.

A Woman’s Garden is a celebration of home gardening and inspirational gardens in many varied forms. The gardens at the center of each chapter are in a variety of location throughout North American and Europe, representing a nice range of climates. The book covers eight types of gardens across three themes: edible, health and beauty, and home and crafts.

The edible garden section starts out with a look at a basic kitchen garden, the sort with vegetables and fruits. This particular garden is special, however, because of how much it produces on a scant quarter acre of land. I was even more excited about the garden featured in the next chapter, which focuses on edible flowers. The last chapter looks at culinary herbs. The featured gardener, Rekha Mistry, started with a few small pots but has expanded to a plot in a community garden.

The next two chapters looked at how a garden can be used to support health and beauty goals. Skin care was the first chapter the garden featured is that of the author on the Isle of Man. She encourages experimentation with plant materials, especially when making low-risk items like bath bombs. Herbal medicine was next. This chapter strikes a nice balance between encouraging the use of herbs as medicine and acknowledging the need for training and caution. The featured gardener recommends starting out with herbs that are used in both culinary and medicinal ways. For example, growing mint, which is good for treating upset stomach and in food.

Home and crafts is the theme of the final section of the book. There was another chapter on herbs, but this one focused on herbs that were useful for the home. I found it interesting that there are plants like soapwort that can be used as a natural detergent! This was followed by a chapter that really excited me: plant dyes! I do a lot of crafts (crochet, weaving, etc) and experimenting with natural dyes is on my wishlist. The final chapter was about having a “crafty” garden. I was really glad that this chapter was included, because it addressed the fact that gardening can at times be an expensive hobby. Thee problem with inspirational gradens is that they can often feel out of reach. However, the crafty garden was about how being patient and creative could help a gardener to save money and find uses for things that might otherwise end up in a landfill.

Each of these chapters started with an introduction to a specific woman and her garden. Lots of photographs were included, making it a visual beautiful book, as well as an informative one. This had a grounding effect on the book and made the idea of starting a garden seem more attainable. Afterall, this wasn’t just one woman showing off, but a whole community sharing knowledge.

Information on specific plants was also included in each chapter in the form of easy-to-read charts. One thing I noticed was that some plants were recommended for several different types of gardens. Calendula in particular showed up several times, making me seriously consider plant a small container come spring.

This book contains projects for a wide range of skill levels, time commitments, and land availability. If you like me, and it’s the dead of winter, there’s a recipe for Lavender Shortbread that can be made using dried, store bought flowers (Rose Pistachio Shortbread inspired by this recipe can be found here) and a cleaner that uses orange peels and vinegar. When the weather warms up, I might tackle the edible flower planter in chapter 2. If I had land of my own, I would totally be looking into building the herb spiral in the spring.

Overall, I adore this book. It makes gardening feel approachable and fun. The inspirational gardens gave me a lot to think (and daydream!) about. If you’ve been thinking of starting a garden buy can’t seem to move from an amorphous idea of “some plants idk?” to a real plan, this book is a great read. The projects are there to meet you at whatever level you’re at. Since reading it, I have a better idea of where to start on my gardening journey and more than a few ideas of projects to do when this blanket of snow melts in the spring. Honestly, I’m seriously considering buying a paper copy just to have as a reference/coffee table book. If this sounds like something you’ve been craving too, pre-order your copy of A Woman’s Garden at Bookshop.org or wherever you buy books.

A Woman's Garden offers a wide variety of information on gardens and provides wonderful pictures to go along. In an attempt to become more self-sufficient, my family and I have been working on our garden here and there and I've found great inspiration from this book. The information this book provides ranges from growing fruits and veggies, to using herbs and spices, using plants for dying, and all sorts of hobbies, crafts, and recipes. I gathered so much information that I'm looking forward to implementing in our own garden. This book would make a great addition to anyone looking to be a little greener in any way.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

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I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this book! I dug in and did not want to uncover myself from the yummy dirt I had uncovered! There is just something spiritual about being among God's Plants and flowers that truly feed a woman or man's soul! This book has so many wonderful projects to grow and harvest to food recipes beauty ( my favorite is rose petal facial mist ) and MORE! From the beginner to advanced gardeners, he/she will be green with envy to get started and itching for Spring! I would buy this book for any nature lover and would recommend it as well.
I want to thank Netgalley.com & Cool Springs Press for this copy and the chance to share my honest opinion.

A beautiful book highlighting women gardeners from around the world. The gardens were located from urban areas with smaller land to countryside and larger areas. Really full of information from growing vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, and so much more. There are also sections on making cleaning, beauty, and other products including gorgeous candles. The photos are also wonderful!

This is such a lovely book, so much so that I am going to buy a copy when it is released.

As a gardener, both veg and flowers I am always intrigued to find new ways of utilising what I grow. Many vegetables have various uses and I know the same can be said for flowers. I have in the past used flowers in my homemade candles and soaps but that is all. This book has given me so many more ideas for other things.

Not only is the book full of hints, tips, crafts and recipes, it also gives gardens from around the world. Often I find with gardening books they are specific to one country. This one has gardens from the US, Germany, UK and more. It gives a range of plants and growing conditions as well as introducing different techniques.

Some of the things I am going to be trying when things start growing again are, floral ice-cubes, simple and one of those "why haven't I don't this before" thigs, yes flowers in ice-cubes, that's it simple and obvious when you think about it. Also, an edible flower frittata sounds and looks amazing and I seriously need to make the lavender shortbread, I have been meaning to use lavender in my baking since I read a fictional book about this a while back. Oh, and the herb embedded pasta sounds and looks great aw well.

As well as recipes there are a few growing ideas for structures, crafting ideas for soaps, bath bombs and so many other great things. It is a book that will appeal to gardeners, crafters, making homemade products and for those who bake. I like this book so much that I need to get a copy when it is published.

A fabulous book that has gorgeous photos and is perfect for me and I know several others who would love it as well. I would absolutely recommend this book.

Absolutely beautiful photography! This title was well constructed and I enjoyed every page. It does not exactly fit the zone in which I live, but I took many notes and will apply them to my existing landscaping. The recipes were well-written and I liked the versatility of the designs. It's a great inspiration book for those in more temperate climates than mine!

This is a lovely book that has made me jealous of anyone not living in a concrete jungle. I want to test 'Creating a New Vegetable Garden' despite not having an once of dirt around my home, It was great to read about specific gardens, that yield crops that are used in such great ways (I love the edible flower ice cubes) and also includes recipes. I"m not sure if this is a gardening book, a cookbook, DIY, or a lifestyle book but it's got it all and is a wonderful escape book for me. #AWomansGarden #NetGalley

--My New Go-to Gift for the DIY Maker / Gardener--

I received an advanced review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, and here are my thoughts.

If you want to start planting a garden that is a feast for your eyes, and provides materials for food, skin care, medicine, house cleaning and furniture treatment, and beautiful crafts, this book, which profiles several gardeners in the UK, US and Germany, will provide huge amounts of both inspiration and also the instructions to get you going. Soap, candles, bath bombs, and much much more. Directions for a raised bed are included, and most projects use the most "frugal" of construction materials.

Each gardener gives instructions on how to create and grow plants for specific purposes...such as edible flowers, plants that can be used to dye cloth or yarn, as well as garden projects that make growing more productive and also beautiful.

I love having so many different gardeners profiled, because you get to see gorgeous examples of multi-purpose gardens from a variety of sources.

And while there may be individual books that cover some topics in more depth (soap making or plant dyes, for example), this kind of book is the perfect way to get you started in ALL of these activities, with top notch, visually appealing projects that even make me want to make soap (and I've never had the inclination!).

I think this is a perfect book for both a beginner and advanced gardener for the same reason...this book helps you envision your own garden, and gives you the wisdom of several gardeners who are also artists in what they do. The photographs and instructions are top-notch and just pure inspiration.

Absolutely LOVE this book. I have it on pre-order and can't wait to have a physical copy in my hands.

A Woman's Garden by Tanya Anderson is a very cool book. I think most gardener's would want a copy of this because it's packed with so much great information. Of course there are general gardening tips and how to do it, but there are also recipes and how-to's for skin care using your garden, crafting and creative gardening elements, using your garden to dye fabrics and add color to soaps. I also loved all the recipes for the oils and infusions using flowers and herbs. The book contained lovely photos and full instructions for projects.

Truly lovely reading, with an insight into different gardens around the world in different climates. Fabulous photography and simple explanations for application, large or small in your own environment. A delightful read.

I received A Woman's Garden by Tanya Anderson to preview. I cannot wait until this book comes out. I will be the first person to buy it. I have a lot of gardening books, but this one is destined to become my favorite. It made me want to jump out to my garden and make some of the preparations for next spring. She covers LOTS of subjects: veggies, herbs, edible flowers, crafts, etc. I must have this book. Easy to read and colorful photos.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a surprisingly thorough book!

This book profiles various women and their gardens while touching on things like edible flowers, herb gardens, flowers used for dye, and even plants used for skincare. There's lots of information on plants and how to grow your own garden. There's also how-to information for projects like making a raised bed. There's even recipes based on commonly grown edible plants!

This is a great book for people interested in gardening and eating from their garden.

A good survey book for someone who is interested in just getting started in herbs and herbal crafts. Great pictures and examples, but only for the beginner.