JONES Louisa.
The wild garden. Take part in the dynamics of life.
Actes Sud
Regular price
€22,00
| N° d'inventaire | 25737 |
| Format | 14 x 20.5 |
| Détails | 264 p., paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2022 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782330165277 |
Everywhere today, our species is reexamining its place and responsibilities in relation to the rest of life. In debates about the end of nature and the need for rewilding, no one ever talks about gardens. Yet, in Western countries, their surface area far exceeds that of nature reserves: even the smallest garden can count. Why, then, are they being forgotten, and how can they hope to contribute to the future of life?
In this rich essay, Louisa Jones offers historical, philosophical, and practical answers. She first surveys the Western heritage of the "wild" in its sometimes surprising relationship to gardens: from the Paleolithic to the new land art, by way of American wilderness and "English" horticulture. For gardeners, she offers a rich weave of testimonies and practical advice gathered from specialists around the world. The "wild gardener" first observes existing ecosystems to better insert his or her personal territory. Humans no longer dominate, nor do they fade away, but enrich this shared space for mutual benefit. Their gardening regenerates the soil, biodiversity, the very conditions for a flourishing where beauty, sensuality, creativity, and productivity blend together. Shared, the wild garden slides toward the forest-garden of permaculture, wild farms, and third places. It joins the small-scale peasant polyculture and especially the Mediterranean example, exceptional for its resilience and biodiversity.
And in our precarious, damaged world, the wild garden becomes a “place of resurgence” similar to the mosaics, patches, and clearings praised by some ecologists, where new ways of living well are invented. To wild one's garden is to participate in an immediate and personal way in the polyphony of life.
In this rich essay, Louisa Jones offers historical, philosophical, and practical answers. She first surveys the Western heritage of the "wild" in its sometimes surprising relationship to gardens: from the Paleolithic to the new land art, by way of American wilderness and "English" horticulture. For gardeners, she offers a rich weave of testimonies and practical advice gathered from specialists around the world. The "wild gardener" first observes existing ecosystems to better insert his or her personal territory. Humans no longer dominate, nor do they fade away, but enrich this shared space for mutual benefit. Their gardening regenerates the soil, biodiversity, the very conditions for a flourishing where beauty, sensuality, creativity, and productivity blend together. Shared, the wild garden slides toward the forest-garden of permaculture, wild farms, and third places. It joins the small-scale peasant polyculture and especially the Mediterranean example, exceptional for its resilience and biodiversity.
And in our precarious, damaged world, the wild garden becomes a “place of resurgence” similar to the mosaics, patches, and clearings praised by some ecologists, where new ways of living well are invented. To wild one's garden is to participate in an immediate and personal way in the polyphony of life.
In this rich essay, Louisa Jones offers historical, philosophical, and practical answers. She first surveys the Western heritage of the "wild" in its sometimes surprising relationship to gardens: from the Paleolithic to the new land art, by way of American wilderness and "English" horticulture. For gardeners, she offers a rich weave of testimonies and practical advice gathered from specialists around the world. The "wild gardener" first observes existing ecosystems to better insert his or her personal territory. Humans no longer dominate, nor do they fade away, but enrich this shared space for mutual benefit. Their gardening regenerates the soil, biodiversity, the very conditions for a flourishing where beauty, sensuality, creativity, and productivity blend together. Shared, the wild garden slides toward the forest-garden of permaculture, wild farms, and third places. It joins the small-scale peasant polyculture and especially the Mediterranean example, exceptional for its resilience and biodiversity.
And in our precarious, damaged world, the wild garden becomes a “place of resurgence” similar to the mosaics, patches, and clearings praised by some ecologists, where new ways of living well are invented. To wild one's garden is to participate in an immediate and personal way in the polyphony of life.