An Unofficial Book Review: New Naturalism by Kelly D. Norris

Lovely Matte Cover!

A Garden Book that is Right on Topic with Real-Life Advice

I am an avid collector, reader and stalker of garden books. I can hardly listen to an interview, podcast, etc., without picking up my phone to spontaneously order the book being discussed. I'm passionate about getting to those library book sales where books are often 1/10th the price and they usually have a good selection of garden books on hand (plus they have the added advantage of being pre-owned by other tireless gardeners. As I read those books I often find myself wondering if they actually followed any of the advice on hand. So, as far as garden books are concerned....YES, I'm a sucker for them and YES, it's harder and harder for me to find ones that I can specifically recommend to others.

But a book I've come to love as of lately is New Naturalism by Kelly D. Norris. Yes, yes....the photography is rich and beautiful. Hard to imagine a garden book being published these days that isn't. But the combinations are fresh and exciting and my sense is that Kelly Norris actually, in real life, loves the natural world of plants. That may sound obvious but it's too often that publishers pick up on a trend and then ask their known authors to write a book on that subject, even if the author is not necessarily passionate about that topic. The result is rather cookie-cutter. And I think this is why many gardening books contain nearly identical content (just different photos). But this book seems different to me - authentic - and most of all, practical advice on how to create a naturalized garden, not just in appearance but in actual implementation. And Mr. Norris also acknowledges the fact that most homeowners aren't going to tear our their conventional gardens to the ground and start over. Most of us will convert those gardens little by little, season by season, choosing plants with purpose but also with value to us as individuals. The "Planting Palette for Wild-Inspired Borders" rang true to me -- this is how we do it, bit by bit but with some of the conventional elements left in place, particularly if they are important to us for whatever reason whether that be their appearance, their origin story or the work involved in dislocating them.

Chapter 1: Understanding Plants

A paragraph on page six caught my attention and unlike most garden books, I actually read this one, page-by-page until the end:

Let's be clear-this book is not merely some prairie boy's plea to re-wild the planet, even if I entice your untamed notions. Wisecracking skeptics may deride the prairie as the poster child of wildness run astray with modern garden design. Perhaps it looks like that. For all the buzz about naturalistic planting, it's easy to think that the best way to make a wilder landscaoe, both for looks and cause, would be to order a packet of wildflower seeds and simply dash across a tightly clipped lawn flinging hope and aspirations in protest to that underfoot. The only think I'll protest is treating plants as static, colorful furnishings in the outdoor room; plants are characters with stories to tell.

New Naturalism has real chops. There's both general and technical information. There's beautiful photography with lots of inspiration (a seeming requirement for all garden books). There's nice smelling ink and paper. And there's humor. But, most of all, there is a true acknowledgement of the plant world we belong to so inherently - and to which we, as gardeners, know so intimately well.

Thank you, @Kelly D. Norris (who, by the way, is the Director of Horticulture and Education at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden). I always knew Iowa was a kickin' great state but now I have yet another reason to go there.

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