Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education by Michael Pollan is a remarkable book that delves into the philosophical and physical aspects of gardening. With a 4/5 rating and 320 pages, it was my 57th book of 2020, read on August 14, 2020.

Pollan's writing style is a joy to read. He has a beautiful flow, often using longer, in-depth sentences with an abundance of commas, semicolons, and dashes. This appeals to my own writing preferences and, if I were to become a great writer, I would hope to emulate his style.

In this book, Pollan shares his extensive experiences with gardening on his own land. One of his key takeaways is that gardens are both real places and representations, bringing together nature and our ideas about it.

While Americans often tend towards extremes when it comes to the land, either degrading it or leaving it unused, Pollan offers a third way. He suggests that we can take the concept of gardening and cultivation and work in harmony with nature.

Gardening, as opposed to lawn care, teaches us about nature's ways and fosters an ethic of give-and-take with respect to the land. It also instructs us in the particularities of a place.

This book is a must-read for any gardener. The quotes within it offer profound insights into the relationship between humans and nature.

Some of the notable quotes include: "Even so, there is, I think, threading through this book...a single underlying argument: that the idea of a garden - as a place, both real and metaphorical, where nature and culture can be wedded in a way that can benefit both - may be as useful to us today as the idea of wilderness has been in the past."

"Writing and gardening, these two ways of rendering the world in rows, have a great deal in common."

"The lawn holds great appeal, especially to Americans. It looks sort of natural - it's green; it grows - but in fact it represents a subjugation of the forest as utter and complete as a parking lot."

Overall, Second Nature is a thought-provoking and engaging book that offers valuable lessons about gardening, nature, and our place in the world.

There are an abundance of books that I feel deserve four and a half stars. These are the books that are significantly better than a four, which is my default rating, yet not quite as astonishingly amazing as a five. This particular book is one of those.

It is a compilation of essays centered around gardening. However, throughout the text, it delves into a wide range of topics, from the snobbery associated with rose-growing (as a florist, after reading this, I have given many impromptu lectures on the differences between hybrid and old variety roses) to how to navigate the nature-culture divide in a conscious manner both within and outside the backyard.

I like this book in part because it strikes a balance between highbrow and lowbrow. It contains some seriously profound insights about how we coexist with and on the earth, intertwined with a rather damn hilarious analysis of class wars as observed through the prism of gardening catalogs. It is truly awesome. You really should read it. And, well, I'm actually giving it five stars. It's close enough, after all.

I didn't expect a book about gardening to be quite so engaging.

Pollan takes the reader on a captivating journey. It commences with his earliest memories of being in the garden and progresses through the establishment of his own garden.

In the end, though, it is less about practical gardening tips and techniques and leans more towards the philosophical. Pollan delves deep into exploring why we garden and uncovers some of the fascinating similarities and differences between British and American gardens.

I've read many of Pollan's other books, and I found this one almost as enjoyable as the others. The way he writes has a charm that makes the topic accessible to the reader, even if it isn't precisely what one might expect.

Admittedly, there are some parts that are less interesting to me. Specifically, the very early portion and certain parts of the last chapter on seed catalogs didn't hold my attention as strongly.

However, there is a delightful sprinkling of humor and profound insights throughout the book that make it truly enjoyable and well worth picking up. It offers a unique perspective on gardening that goes beyond the surface and invites the reader to think more deeply about this beloved pastime.

Finished a while ago but I had a hard time articulating how I felt about the book until I read some other reviews, and someone hit it spot-on.

I was expecting a book about gardening, and this isn't one. This is characteristic (though early, and still good) Pollan. It is one part anecdotal, one part educational, and several more parts careful theorizing and philosophizing.

His thesis is interesting (though repetitive). It is that the American relationship with nature has evolved into an either/or, mutually exclusive wilderness versus culture, at the expense of real preservation and our potential enjoyment of or symbiosis with nature.

I enjoyed it, but much more slowly than I would have liked to enjoy it. There are some fantastic moments, such as a hilarious discussion on the classist and political nature of seed catalogs. However, the evolution of his own garden gets the short shrift.

I would have appreciated hearing more about his carrots, for instance. AND -- WAS THE WOODCHUCK ACTUALLY IN THE BURROW WHEN HE FIREBOMBED IT?? This question will haunt me forever.

Overall, the book offers some thought-provoking ideas about our relationship with nature, but it could have been presented in a more engaging and less repetitive way. The lack of detailed information about the author's garden is also a bit disappointing. Nevertheless, it is still a worthwhile read for those interested in nature, gardening, and philosophy.

This isn’t simply a discussion of lessons of gardening, though it does tread that ground.

However, Pollan uses that topic as a jumping off point to explore a couple of broader topics.

First, what defines the American approach to lawns and gardens, which is clearly distinct from that of our Old-World ancestors / comrades?

Second, what does it mean to say some approach is more or less “natural” in an ecosystem that has been shaped by the hand of man?

As a neophyte balcony-container gardener, I was attracted to the book for its gardening lessons, but I found myself most provoked to thought by these other questions.

This book starts with an Introduction to set the stage and a first chapter that contrasts two approaches to lawn and garden that Pollan saw within his own family.

The other eleven chapters are divided into seasonally-themed parts.

These parts – Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter – touch upon the life of a gardener during each, respective, season.

The section entitled Spring discusses the challenge of getting plants to grow against the onslaught of competitors and consumers: animal, vegetative, and other.

It also discusses mowing, the open approach to lawns found throughout America, and what the latter means for the former.

(It has long intrigued me that many Americans who will pledge liberty or death, often aren’t so big on their neighbor’s liberty if said individual’s lawn gets to about four inches of shag.)

Lastly, Pollan educates the reader about the gardener’s passion for compost.

The three Summer chapters explore what happens through the middle of the growing phase, including the need to weed.

Though Pollan explores the criticisms from the “keep it natural” camp.

There’s a lot of discussion of the ideas of Emerson and Thoreau, and how they represented a change from previous thought on the garden.

However, the first chapter in this section is about Pollan’s experiences with growing roses, a provocative subject among gardeners, apparently.

Fall is harvest season, but the chapter in this section that I found most intriguing was one about planting a tree.

This is where Pollan brings the question of what it means to be “natural” to a head.

He discusses a nearby piece of protected forest that was decimated by a tornado.

There was an ardent debate between those who thought that nothing should be done with the land and it should be allowed to grow back however nature saw fit and others who thought intervention was necessary.

The argument can end up turning a position on its head.

What if one does nothing and the land is overtaken by a non-indigenous invasive species?

The last section has an amusing chapter on garden catalogs and how companies’s style and emphasis varies in an attempt to corner a segment of the market.

I enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it not just for gardeners, but for individuals who have an interest in the interplay between nature and humanity.

Pollan's exploration of the American approach to lawns and gardens, as well as the concept of "natural" in a human-shaped ecosystem, provides a thought-provoking read.

The seasonal-themed chapters offer practical gardening lessons while also delving into broader philosophical and ecological questions.

Whether you're a seasoned gardener or simply interested in the relationship between nature and humans, this book is sure to engage and inspire.

Before he achieved fame for his real-food polemics, Michael Pollan could be found puttering around in his New England garden.

This book, which was published in 1993, is an absolute delight and a complete source of inspiration for a gardener like me. I am invested in a garden that aims to balance itself with nature, values native plants, and shuns foolish hybrids. Moreover, I strive to eradicate the lawn in all its forms.

Pollan's presentation of a gardener's ethics was also incredibly motivating. It made me think deeply about the choices I make in my garden and the impact they have on the environment.

I hope to return to this book again and again throughout my gardening life. It offers valuable insights and practical advice that I know will help me create a more beautiful and sustainable garden.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys nurturing plants and tending to a small plot of land. Whether you are a seasoned gardener or just starting out, there is something in this book for everyone.

Second Nature, published in 1991, is Michael Pollan's first book.

I began reading Michael Pollan when my sister presented me with Botany of Desire, and unfortunately, I had overlooked this earlier work about gardening. The writing style is familiar to a Pollan reader, featuring a blend of journalistic investigation, personal reflection, and the occasional witty remark.

The book is structured by the seasons, a device that functions quite effectively as Pollan shares tales of his growing involvement with gardening. I found myself chuckling out loud, realizing how he was playfully poking fun at me, himself, and all "obsessive" gardeners. I definitely saw myself in his discussion of the fixation on old roses, an obsession I also had until a disease spread by the invasive multiflora roses decimated my carefully chosen plants.

Some of what he has to say was likely novel in 1991 but may not be so now. A few aspects are outdated; for instance, the comparison between the vivid colors of the Southern-based Wayside Garden catalog and the more refined classic colors of the plants offered by The White Flower Farm.

Much of the book is a contemplation on gardeners' complex relationship with nature. The theme of our attempts at control and the various ways in which we fail is introduced early on through a story that many gardeners will identify with, regarding a destructive woodchuck's invasion of Pollan's garden. As the book progresses, he also comes to consider the intricate arguments about "restoration" that continue to gain significance. The essays are thought-provoking and rarely didactic, and listening to it (as an audio book) was a winter delight.

Spring
I think this is a collection of articles that have appeared in magazines, adapted as best as possible to become a book. Autobiographical enough to sympathize.

Summer
I strive to appreciate and perhaps memorize some of the considerations that the gardener brings out from the direct experience of the earth. Thoughts on the meaning of nature, society, and culture. Few mentions, I would like to deepen.

Autumn
I find that in this hodgepodge of autobiography, history, sociology, horticulture, botany, and sociology, there is still a background of the author's sincerity that forces me to listen to him.

Winter
I carefully read all the pages, as if it were a catalog...ahhh, and a strange thought grows...this book needs to be rewritten from scratch, with more order. There are so many ingredients inside, they boil in the pot, every now and then one surfaces and another sinks. I feel like rewriting it...perhaps it deserves a revised edition, also because, objectively, it is a bit outdated.

Even if you have a profound love for gardening and nature,

you might still find this book a bit of a struggle to get through. Michael Pollan truly has a passion for writing and words.

He often has a tendency to go on and on for much longer than is necessary when discussing various topics.

He does this by adding copious amounts of philosophy and his own opinions, all while you're sitting there hoping that he'll eventually lead you to some interesting destination.

I do like most of his books, despite the fact that he's not an expert in any one particular area.

However, his lack of expertise becomes quite evident in this, his first book, as he tries to make up for it with excessive wordiness.

It's as if he's using a deluge of words to mask the fact that he may not have the in-depth knowledge that some might expect.

Nonetheless, there are still aspects of his writing that can be engaging and thought-provoking, but this particular book does have its flaws in terms of its verbosity.

What a remarkable book it is!

Not only did I uncover several new garden supply stores, but I was also made aware of the peculiarity of the all-encompassing front yards of grass across the US, how it came to be, and how difficult it is to break free from the tyranny of conforming to it.

Pollan delves into the conflict between having a garden and allowing weeds and creatures to thrive, and how we ourselves act as weeds in altering the landscape around us.

He writes, "Native grasses were poor forage for European livestock, which initially did not do well in America. However, colonists noticed that after a few years, the grasses - and in turn, the health of the livestock - seemed to improve. According to Crosby, what happened was that Old World livestock overgrazed the native grasses. Since these species were not used to such intense grazing, they struggled to regenerate. This made them vulnerable to the invasion of European weed grasses, which, having co-evolved with goats, sheep, and cows, are better able to withstand the grazing pressure of these animals. The European grasses quickly conquered American meadows, once again providing European livestock with their preferred forage. Today, most of the native grasses have disappeared."

While my eyes glazed over while reading the last chapter on garden design, I found the rest of the book captivating and thought-provoking.

As Pollan states, "The ladybug may not be intelligent, but she knows one thing extremely well: how to catch forty or fifty aphids every day without harming anyone else. If you view evolution as a three-and-a-half-billion-year-long laboratory experiment, and the gene pool as the store of information accumulated during that experiment, you start to appreciate that nature has far more extensive knowledge about her operations than we do. The trick is to put her knowledge to our use in the garden."

Here Pollan presents a profound description of a garden as “a middle ground between nature and culture,” delving deep into the philosophical chasm that separates the two. He vividly writes about his grandfather’s half-acre garden on Long Island and the memorable summer when his father, defying the neighbors, chose not to tend to the lawn. Additionally, he chronicles the first seven years of developing his own garden in Cornwall, Connecticut. This includes deciding on the perfect ratio between the lawn, vegetables, and flowers, understanding how compost functions, combating groundhogs, and planting a maple tree, among other things.

If you have perused his more recent books, you are aware that Pollan is always engaging when it comes to the subjects of plants and food production. However, I found this particular work somewhat dry and overly focused on historical tangents, especially in Chapters 10 and 11. (“The Idea of a Garden,” which is based on a panel discussion on environmental ethics that he moderated in Harper’s Magazine, and “‘Made Wild by Pompous Catalogues’”). Nevertheless, it was still enlightening to read in small increments over the course of a year, even for a hapless and lazy gardener like myself.

Favorite lines:

“A case could be made that the front lawn is the most characteristic institution of the American suburb” & “Lawns, I am convinced, are a symptom of, and a metaphor for, our skewed relationship to the land. They teach us that, with the help of petrochemicals and technology, we can bend nature to our will. Lawns stoke our hubris with regard to the land.”

“Of the seven deadly sins, surely it is pride that most commonly afflicts the gardener.”

“Much of gardening is a return, an effort at recovering remembered landscapes.”

“maybe that is what a green thumb is, a particular form of memory: a compendium of little stories that have been distilled to the point where the gardener can draw on their lessons without even thinking about it”

“The garden is an unhappy place for the perfectionist. Too much stands beyond our control here, and the only thing we can absolutely count on is eventual catastrophe.”

I truly relished this book, and a great many of the ideas that were put forward resonate deeply with my own. Just this past year, I have delved into the world of gardening, and it is a pity to note that in the United States, the gardening culture does not have a more prominent presence in the forms of books, television, and podcasts. It appears that we are overly reliant on British horticulturists. In my opinion, we ought to have a greater number of garden societies, as well as more shows and conferences in the US. This would not only enhance the awareness and popularity of gardening but also provide a platform for enthusiasts to exchange ideas and experiences. Moreover, it could potentially inspire more people to take up gardening and contribute to the growth and development of this wonderful hobby.