In her book, Zen in the Garden, author Miki Sakamota shares her thoughts and experiences in the Zen garden she and her husband established in the countryside not far from the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. Born and raised in Japan, Sakatamoto brings to readers her Zen mindset and personal insights gleaned from her time in her garden. She calls these insights niwa-yoku moments. Niwa-yoku is the process of learning to be present with nature and uses garden work as a way to slow down and attain a state of mediation. The focus is not on gardening as a way of self expression but on the changes garden work has on the gardener.
Three main sections comprise the book: The Garden through the Year, Aspects of Garden Life, and Harmony in the Garden. Each section consists of short chapters on specific subjects from growing crops to evaluating garden ornaments and includes the authors reactions to the events surrounding the animals and plants that share her garden. She describes the late-spring mating rituals of firebugs, explains the significance of morning glories to the Japanese, and shares her relationship with a handsome male blackbird she calls Maxi. We learn how the orange tip butterflies, worms, slugs, birds and hedgehogs influenced her decision about mowing the lawn, and how she struggled to save her cabbage crop from pests. Using keen observation, scientific information, and an openness to new ideas, Sakamota brings a whole new perspective to gardening.
Zen in the Garden is more about appreciating the experience with plants and animals in a garden than learning new gardening techniques. Each section is filled with personal anecdotes, detailed observations, and an appreciation for the marvels of nature, so the book can be read from cover to cover or read at random with full enjoyment. The cover and end pages are very attractive and appealing but no illustrations enhance the text. Suggestions for further reading and an index conclude the work.
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