A medical herbalist and certified organic grower, through gentle, smart methods, shows gardeners how to create a peaceful co-existence between their vegetable garden and the wildlife who consider it part of their habitat.

History, literature, and botany meet in this charming tour of how humans have relied on plants to nourish, shelter, heal, clothe, and even entertain us. Did you know that during World War II, the US Navy paid kids to collect milkweed's fluffy white floss, which was then used as filling for life preservers? And Native Americans in the deserts of the Southwest traditionally crafted tattoo needles from prickly pear cactus spines. These are just two of...