How to Make a Plant Love You

Cultivate Green Space in Your Home and Heart

By: Summer Rayne Oakes

Narrated by: Summer Rayne Oakes, Simon Sinek, Kaleo Griffith

Summer Rayne Oakes, an urban houseplant expert and environmental scientist, is the icon of wellness-minded millennials who want to bring nature indoors, according to a New York Times profile.

Summer has managed to grow 1,000 houseplants in her Brooklyn apartment (and they're thriving!) Her secret? She approaches her relationships with plants as intentionally as if they were people.

Everyone deserves to feel the inner peace that comes from taking care of greenery. Beyond the obvious benefits - beauty and cleaner air - there's a strong psychological benefit to nurturing plants as a path to mindfulness. They can reduce our stress level, lower our blood pressure, and improve our overall outlook. And they offer a rare opportunity to find joy by caring for another living being.

When Summer Rayne Oakes moved to Brooklyn from the Pennsylvania countryside, she knew that bringing nature indoors was her only chance to stay sane. She found them by the side of the road, in long-forgotten window boxes, at farmers' markets, and in local garden shops. She found ways to shelve, hang, tuck, anchor, secure, and suspend them. She even installed a 150-foot expandable hose that connects to pipes under her kitchen sink, so she only has to spend about a half-hour a day tending to her plants - an activity that she describes as a "moving meditation". This is Summer's guidebook for cultivating an entirely new relationship with your plant children.

Inside, you'll learn to:

• Pause for the flowers and greenery all around you, even the ones sprouting bravely between cracked pavement
• Trust that your apartment jungle offers you far more than pretty décor
• See the world from a plant's perspective, trading modern consumerism for sustainability
• Serve your chlorophyllic friends by learning to identify the right species for your home and to recreate their natural habitat (Bonus: your indoor garden won't die!)

When we become plant parents, we also become better caretakers of ourselves, the people around us, and our planet. So, let's step inside the world of plants and discover how we can begin cultivating our own personal green space - in our homes, in our minds, and in our hearts.

©2019 Summer Rayne Oakes (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"In her book, Summer Rayne will upend so much more than your approach to plant care. You’ll learn how to better care for and treat people - starting with yourself. Highly recommended for anyone who struggles with the emptiness of modern living." (Hannah Bronfman, author of Do What Feels Good)

"I don’t care what color your thumbs are - Summer Rayne Oakes will not only inspire you to connect with nature by taking care of plants but open your eyes to how even the humblest of them takes care of us." (Michael Brune, executive director, Sierra Club)

“A beautiful, deeply researched celebration of the power that plants have to change our lives. In this compelling book, Summer Rayne Oakes invites us into a greener, more connected world, and gives us the tools to cultivate an unbreakable bond with nature, wherever we are.” (Ingrid Fetell Lee, author of Joyful and founder of The Aesthetics of Joy)

Beautifully done

Wonderful message. I love my plants and have formed a relationship with them but, this relationship will definitely deepen after listening to this book.

Beautifully read and written

I enjoyed the message of the book of how plants are a lens into caring for our environment. The various voices throughout the book were also a nice and unexpected touch.

I learned so much!

I loved this book. It has transformed my house because II now have plants and I feel confident that I can care for them. Taking care of my plants is my favourite time of the day, it brings me so much joy! This book made my life better. Thank you!

Good Read

Well written and narrated. love the different perspectives of this book. I started gardening this year and could identify with some of the concepts she talks about . as a leader i have devoted my last 2 years to enhancing my ability to be mindful . i think this book has validated some of the virtues i believe in and helped me in my journey to being a mindful person nourshing and caring for people who i lead.

Good but Short

I enjoyed the book. But, I had awaited it's release for so long that I am now disappointed at how short the book is. Other than that, it's good.

A book for the soul

Great perspective from a fresh new voice who shows is how Millenials are focusing on truly loving a “whole” life. Wonderful!

such a LOVELY listen about plants and people

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I'm eager to buy a hard copy to have on hard, read again, write in the margins, and refer back to the exercises/advice. How to Make a Plant Love you is not only for plant lovers or aspiring gardeners, but all people who wish to have greater awareness and appreciation of the world, nature and people around them. It is fuel for a conversationist figurative fire, and awakening for skeptics of conservationism. I believe it will be a book a read again and again over the years. Thank you Summer Rayne for your sharing your knowledge and experiences with the masses. And well done!

The relationship book I didn’t know I needed

Heartwarming, educational, and inspiring. I picked this up wanting to learn more about plants, and I did, but I also feel more open to connection with humans which has been hard for me because of PTSD. Thank you so much for this.

Wow what a great book.

I loved this book. Summer's narration is wonderful definitely worth a listen...you wont be disappointed. ❤👍👍

More like “How plants made me love them”

Overall I really enjoyed this book! Summer Rayne is an amazing human and I really look up to her. However if you’re buying this book because you need a guide to houseplants, You will probably be disappointed.

Though there was some plant care info towards the end, it was very vague and basic. For example: make sure your plant has enough light, water and air; try to replicate its original surroundings.

The more appropriate title of this book should have been “How plants made me love them!”. It really is a beautiful description of why Summer loves plants, and why all people should have them. The book helps you appreciate that plants are more than just decor, they are very much alive and can influence us and our moods more than we realize. Overall a beautiful read!