Zen in the Garden

The Japanese Art of Peaceful Gardening

By: Miki Sakamoto, Catherine Venner - translator

Narrated by: Akira Matsumoto

Spring, summer, autumn, and winter: wherever you are, the seasons come and go, bringing changes both welcome and unexpected.

Japanese by birth but transplanted to Europe in adulthood, Miki Sakamoto has spent a lifetime tending her garden and reflecting on its mysteries. Why do primulas bloom in snow? Do the trees really ‘talk’ to one another? What are the blackbirds saying today? And is there a mindful way to deal with an aphid infestation?

From rising early to walk barefoot on the grass each morning, to afternoons and evenings spent sipping tea in her gazebo or watching fireflies as she recalls her childhood in Japan, in Zen in the Garden, Sakamoto shares observations from a life spent in contemplation – and cultivation – of nature. She shows us that you can create Zen in your life, wherever you live and whatever form your outdoor space takes.

©2023 Aufbau Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin 2021 English Translation Catherine Venner The moral rights of the translator have been asserted. First published in English by Scribe Publications, (P)2023 Bolinda Publishing

Critic reviews

'... find yourself transported into the garden and surrounded by butterflies, blackbirds, roses, and buddleja. Aaaand, breathe.’ (Marc Hamer, author of How To Catch A Mole)