From the executive editor of Harper's magazine, an important and
profoundly original book that is a radical departure from the
standard gardening text. Juxtaposing two currents of human response
to nature - the "market ethic," in which manipulation and chemistry
are used regardless of consequence, and the "wilderness ethic," in
which the environment is allowed to take its "natural" course -
Pollan develops an alternative "gardener's ethic." Pollan begins by
contrasting the gardening methods of his grandfather, who
re-presents the market ethic, with those of his father, who leans
more toward the wilderness ethic. As he begins his own garden,
Pollan tries to emulate his father's less rigid ways but soon runs
afoul of a woodchuck - which pushes him into the market ethic as he
tries anything to rid himself of this garden-damaging pest. As he
examines alternatives, Pollan begins to develop his own philosophy.
He realizes that animals in general after the environment to their
advantage, and he sees a parallel between a garden fence and a
beaver's dam. His newfound notion views "a garden [as] a place that
admits nature and human habitation," one "requiring human
intervention or it will collapse." He uses three examples - lawns,
roses, and weeds - to support his argument, and by tracing their
history and social and political aspects, makes a sound case for
intervention in nature. In rejecting the wilderness ethic, he notes
that it is now too late "to follow Thoreau into the woods."
Instead, Pollan offers a 10-point formula for the gardener's ethic,
which generally recognizes no division between nature and culture;
in fact, he advocates that we participate in the transformation of
nature by striking a balance between the market and the wilderness
ethics: romantic notions about nature bear little fruit; continual
taking can ruin a garden. More than a gardening book, this is a
well-developed philosophy of life and nature in a technological
world. (Kirkus Reviews)
This is an account of one man's experience in his garden. The book invites an exploration of unexamined feelings about nature and the place of society in the landscape, and what gardening has to teach about the troubled borders between nature and culture.
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