The aromatherapy garden Growing fragrant plants for happiness and well-being

Review by Choice Review

Aromatherapy studies suffer from placebo effects and an overreliance on folklore. Combine that with advice such as "Think about not only how the seating looks in your garden, but the view from the seat" or this quote referring to seasonings used in cooking, "You can even judge the quality of their flavor by smelling them," and one gets a sense of this book. Generously filled with 191 color photographs, one wonders if that generosity is really just to fill space. Keville's sentences are short--grade school short. It takes many of these types of sentences to fill a book. The citation style would embarrass sophomores. Regarding the quote "Aromatherapy studies from Toho University School of Medicine in Tokyo determined that basil, clove, jasmine, and peppermint are very stimulating," does the author realize that Toho offers only baccalaureate degrees in medicine or that readers might want to see the experimental design? There is hope. Keville, an aromatherapist and herbalist, states that baccalaureate refers to the bay laurel leaves once woven into the headgear of graduates. She also reports that those same bay leaves held to the forehead reduce headaches. Scholars perusing this book should take note. Summing Up: Not recommended. --George C. Stevens, University of New Mexico

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.

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Review by Booklist Review

Many people and most animals know things about the world through the sense of smell. Fragrances attract or repel, so are important in the natural and social worlds. Floral and green (herbal) fragrances are important to pollinators in literature and history and for practitioners of aromatherapy. Fragrance gardens come in many themes, such as culinary, teas and tisanes, braille, moonlight, regional native plants, and aromatherapy healing gardens. Designing, cultivating, harvesting, and preparing products from a scented garden are presented in this pretty volume. The photographs accompanying the aromatic plant profiles are lovely and inviting to gardeners who wish to plant and nurture a fragrant garden. The profiles include information about plant hardiness zones and descriptions of their scents. Beliefs about their mood-altering properties and uses throughout the world are included along with insect attraction and repulsion characteristics. Libraries with gardening collections will find this a popular item.--Scarth, Linda Copyright 2016 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Keville (Herbs for Health and Healing) reveals the "scents, secrets, and science" behind plant aromatherapy, persuading readers to grow flowers and shrubs for the stress-reducing smell as much as for sight and touch. She first describes the tradition of aromatherapy and then covers designing, cultivating, and harvesting plants for their scents. The last third of the book profiles fragrant plants, from angelica to yarrow. Keville weaves references to studies about healing and invigorating smells into short cultural histories of each plant, and includes a hodgepodge of facts and stats (nine pounds of tuberose buds equal one ounce of essential oil; moths smell honeysuckle a half-mile away). Most admirably, Keville rises to the challenge of describing each scent ("Basil's spicy clove scent, with its hint of mint and pepper, makes it delightfully sweet, hot, and sharp all at the same time"). With such rich descriptions, readers will long for the actual aroma. Color photos. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Introduction Aromas fill my garden and my house. This is nothing new. I have always loved fragrance. Since I was child, I have looked forward to the first aromatic spring flowers. There were also the outrageously fragrant roses in my grandmother Irene's porcelain potpourri jar. Her clothes were scented by the sweet lavender sachets she kept in her drawers. Grandmother Janna had a ceramic jar of freshly baked cookies. I could guess which treat was in store when she opened the lid and scents of cinnamon, almonds, or lemon floated out. I was blessed with a good nose, but also a green thumb. I certainly developed a passion for garden plants and design at a young age. My favorite haunts were the Los Angeles Arboretum and the Huntington Library and Botanical Garden, where aromatic plants bloomed year-round. I became fascinated with how intriguing plants from around the world were used by different cultures. This early exploration of ethnobotany evolved into university studies in art, psychology, anthropology, and history. What really paved the way for my life's work were my first botanical books--all from the 1930s. They were Louise Beebe Wilder's The Fragrant Garden , Helen Fox's Gardening with Herbs for Flavor and Fragrance , and A Modern Herbal , by Maude Grieve. These are books written for a different era, but they inspired my next forty-five years of plant work as an organic gardener, herbalist, aromatherapist, and researcher. All of this inspiration and years of gardening experience pour into my writing. In these pages I will cover some of the fascinating science and history of our olfactory sense, and the ways--subtle and not-so-subtle--that it influences virtually all aspects of our human experience. From there, we'll touch on design and cultivation ideas that will help you make the most of fragrant flora. One of the most endearing aspects of many aromatic plants is their ability to carry and impart scent and flavor long after harvest, and I will suggest ways to put those long-lasting benefits to use. Finally, I'll share some of my favorite scented plants for gardens large and small. It is a pleasure to share my experiences with fragrance, and the stories and uses of aromatic plants with you. May it encourage you to bring more fragrance into your garden and your life.   Excerpted from The Aromatherapy Garden: Growing Fragrant Plants for Happiness and Well-Being by Kathi Keville All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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