"Willful, eloquent, and humorous, Judith Lowry broadens and deepens the themes found in her popular first book, "Gardening with a Wild Heart." Grizzly bear and scrub jay join native people and a company of colorful personalities in a celebration of our home ground, a place called California."--David Fross, coauthor of "Ceanothus" and "California Native Plants for the Garden" "In humorous, accessible, and inspirational prose, Judith Larner Lowry reminds us that California truly does have real seasons. All we have to do is listen to the native animals and plants around us."--Jerry Emory, author of "The Monterey Bay Shoreline Guide" "With much beauty and elegance, Judith Lowry underscores the importance of restoration gardening as a way to honor Native American traditions, protect biodiversity, and restore our relationship with the earth. A must read for those interested in how we might become truly native to the places where we live."--M. Kat Anderson, author of "Tending the Wild" "Within the pulse of California's five seasons, this finely calibrated treatise is a beguiling and eminently accessible model of a restoration gardener's physical and mental engagement with the vegetable world.

From the horticultural accomplishments of formidable women in her field to the age-old interactions between animals and plants, Lowry gives us an attentive, lyrical guide to full inhabitation of our landscape."--Lillian Vallee, poet, translator and columnist for "Stanislaus Connections" "Judith Larner Lowry combines a spiritual love of nature with practical suggestions and stories for renewal of the beauty and restorative power of gardens. She leads you through the 'five' seasons ofCalifornia gardening and lays a plan to recreate, renew and revive California's natural native beauty and in the process your soul."--Carl Pope, Executive Director, Sierra Club.