From Publishers Weekly
Here Cox ( Plant Marriages ) considers "both the sensuous and sensual aspects of plants," hoping to "bring . . . unconscious sensory experiences into the bright light of full consciousness." Lest this sound too Freudian, what he really wants to do is to simplify, not to complicate, a gardener's pleasure, returning us to a child-like state of harmony with nature. Reasonably, the book is divided into chapters that address each sense (sight, smell, touch, sound, taste) in turn, before finally taking on "the sixth sense," meaning one that "perceives a reality beyond the material world" of plants. Under "Sound," for instance, Cox discusses wind chimes and piped-in music for garden settings, as well as the music donated by nature. Under "Scent," herbs receive a good deal of attention, and color, of course, looms large in "Sight." And, continually encouraging the development or the reawakening of an "aesthetic sense," the book prods gently with color photos. But, like his previous Plant Marriages , Cox offers more gimmick than genius, and quite a few commonplaces mixed in. "A strong and trusted intuition is a particularly great help in gardening," he notes, and, "sitting in a garden, it is not hard to believe that we and the plants are part of a greater whole." People have been saying this for centuries. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Providing 160 visually delightful color photos from gardens in the United States, Canada, England, and France, photographer Pavia joins garden writer Cox in issuing an invitation to gardeners to sample appealing gardens that stimulate our senses of sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste. Devoting a chapter to each sense, Cox describes ways specific plants appeal to the senses and shows how gardeners can develop a greater awareness of color, form, texture, fragrance, and other sensuous qualities. An appendix includes a listing of annuals, bulbs and corms, vines, perennials, shrubs, and trees, specifying their sensuous appeal. This handsome book will interest readers who are hunting for ideas for new plants in their home landscape.- Dale Luchsinger, Athens Area Technical Inst., Ga.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
A good deal of recent gardening literature focuses on fragrant flowers and foliage, and Cox takes the notion of scented plants a step further by including plants that appeal to each of the senses. In his opinionated guide, Cox offers unflinching advice on garden design, assisted by Jerry Pavia's gorgeous photographic images that capture tableaux of color and form. Cox explores the garden as an art form and defines plant groupings according to such elements as tactile qualities and visual balance created by shape, line, and mass. All gardeners, whether they possess small spaces or acres of land, will appreciate this offering and its tantalizing mix of aesthetic concerns, philosophical musings, and scientific theories (such as the optical effects of color). A chart lists the "sensuous qualities" of selected shrubs, trees, and flowers. Alice Joyce

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Featuring gardens, plants, and flowers that appeal to our senses of sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing, this invaluable book will enrich the pleasures of gardening and of visiting gardens.

In a text that is both inspirational and useful, author Jeff Cox explains not only how to truly appreciate the gardens we visit but also how to design a garden to fully satisfy our own preferences. He points out that one of the best ways to unleash your creativity is to look at what other successful gardeners have wrought.

Jerry Pavia's marvelous photographs illustrate many examples of the techniques and themes under discussion. For this book Pavia traveled throughout the United States and Europe to photograph the sort of beauty that touches the senses and, through them, the heart.

Cox shows us how to employ all of our senses to heighten our awareness of the key elements of a garden. We learn, for example, how to understand color and its perception; assess form and line; plan fragrant plants according to season; increase the tactile interest in a garden; create natural symphonies; and grow tasty plants. Special features include recommended plants for each of a garden's sensual qualitites, practical garden design tips, and a descriptive plant list.

Other Details: 160 full-color illustrations 192 pages 9 x 9" Published 1993

All the busy green of summer vanishes like a dream. Life retracts into roots that become hidden and forgotten in the frozen soil.

Nature operates the infinite interworkings of biological mechanisms in myriad forms, from gigantic to minuscule, intricate to simple, delicate to sturdy. And all of it is shot through with awareness.

Awareness requires sense organs. It is through the senses that all creatures--animal or vegetable--experience the world. Because every creature's sensory equipment differs, each experiences a different world. Within each of these worlds is the opportunity for a creature to make its way and survive, but for that to happen, it must do what it is driven to do, programmed to do--you might almost say, what it loves to do. The mole loves to chew the succulent worm. The hawk loves to swoop to pluck a sparrow from the air, just as the earthworm loves to burrow through topsoil. A plant's leaves turn to catch the beloved sun.

Love, desire, passion--these are all words that we can use to describe the organizing principles and the driving forces behind nature's purposes. When we look at a garden, we are looking at the total of many purposes, the passions of many forms of life. Plants directly display their organizing principles in their forms, but animals do so by their demeanor. Thus it is with passion that we need to approach the sensuous garden and to appreciate its fullness.

Can you remember a sunny afternoon when, as a small child, you wandered down a path into a low part of a yard or field, where wet grasses grew high, and where the path was a muddy puddle? Remember putting your hands into that mud, all warm and wet from the sun? Remember the smell of the mud and the grass? And the wetness seeping through your clothes as you got deeper into the joys of the puddle? There might have been a butterfly or a frog in the tall grass, or a tiny glittering golden fly, all in beautiful colors. Remember how the warm grasses and weeds hummed with the sounds of insects? To fully experience the garden, we have to experience it as a child might: sensuously, not just as a pretty picture arrayed for our visual enjoyment. Full enjoyment involves feeling the earth, and the weight of stones, and seeing beauty in decay, and smelling the freshly made compost. It comes to us through the delights of the eye, the sound of the wind, the touch of the grass, the taste of the berry, and the scent of the rose.

One by one our senses are captivated and charmed by the garden, and then all together: We are swimming in birdsong and perfume, fresh flavor and cool touches, all decorated with gorgeous colors.

The garden invites us to lie down on the grass and feel the sun and the wind and the earth. The rose invites us with its scent. The flash of a silver-sided fish invites us to peer more deeply into the lily pond. Clusters of ripe raspberries invite us to savor their taste.

As we enjoy the garden and love what it offers us, we draw close to nature and her ways. We are on the right path. The garden is telling us about ourselves, and, even more deeply, about how one of its purposes is to care for us--its human gardeners and visitors.

If you have ever created a garden and had a love for it, you will know this to be true. The garden soothes us and delights us, and we find healing care there, too. These gifts are given unfailingly, like a mother's love. The garden is a love song, a duet between a human being and "mother" nature. Gardeners do surely come to love their plants. They love the glimpses of natural orderliness that shine through the chaos of sheer growth. And they love the beauty that abounds there, both planned and found. In return, nature responds in kind to love and care.

We can feel this even when the garden is not ours. Ah, but when it is! Then we are not just listening to the duet, but singing in it. We find sites for our plants that we think they will like, and if we succeed, the plants respond with healthy, beautiful growth. We dig the soil, and the radishes grow big and sweet. We arrange the stones, and the moss fills in the spaces with its green bass tones. We are paid for our work with the coin of beauty that astonishes all our senses.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Here Cox ( Plant Marriages ) considers ``both the sensuous and sensual aspects of plants,'' hoping to ``bring . . . unconscious sensory experiences into the bright light of full consciousness.'' Lest this sound too Freudian, what he really wants to do is to simplify, not to complicate, a gardener's pleasure, returning us to a child-like state of harmony with nature. Reasonably, the book is divided into chapters that address each sense (sight, smell, touch, sound, taste) in turn, before finally taking on ``the sixth sense,'' meaning one that ``perceives a reality beyond the material world'' of plants. Under ``Sound,'' for instance, Cox discusses wind chimes and piped-in music for garden settings, as well as the music donated by nature. Under ``Scent,'' herbs receive a good deal of attention, and color, of course, looms large in ``Sight.'' And, continually encouraging the development or the reawakening of an ``aesthetic sense,'' the book prods gently with color photos. But, like his previous Plant Marriages , Cox offers more gimmick than genius, and quite a few commonplaces mixed in. ``A strong and trusted intuition is a particularly great help in gardening,'' he notes, and, ``sitting in a garden, it is not hard to believe that we and the plants are part of a greater whole.'' People have been saying this for centuries. (Nov.)

Library Journal

Providing 160 visually delightful color photos from gardens in the United States, Canada, England, and France, photographer Pavia joins garden writer Cox in issuing an invitation to gardeners to sample appealing gardens that stimulate our senses of sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste. Devoting a chapter to each sense, Cox describes ways specific plants appeal to the senses and shows how gardeners can develop a greater awareness of color, form, texture, fragrance, and other sensuous qualities. An appendix includes a listing of annuals, bulbs and corms, vines, perennials, shrubs, and trees, specifying their sensuous appeal. This handsome book will interest readers who are hunting for ideas for new plants in their home landscape.-- Dale Luchsinger, Athens Area Technical Inst., Ga.

BookList - Alice Joyce