NEW NATURALISM
by Kelly D. Norris Cool Springs Press, 2021
This is a beautiful and practical book that shows how to partner with nature in creating a garden—rather than attempt to direct nature. On my bookshelf, New Naturalism has found its place near favorites Garden Revolution by Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher, Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West and Cultivating Chaos by Jonas Reif, Christian Kress and JÜrgen Becker. All of these books describe ways to create low-input gardens that evolve in mostly predictable ways. Plant choice is made with consideration to each species’s lifespan and inclination to spread, along with how it spreads. Among these titles, New Naturalism is my choice for home gardeners newly interested in trying concepts of ecological design in their yard.
Author Kelly Norris gives a thorough explanation of soil, how plants grow (both physically and visually), competition and communities and more. He goes on to explain how to apply this knowledge when choosing a space to garden in and the plants to populate it. The book concludes with a
