Wild Plant Culture : A Guide to Restoring Edible and Medicinal Native Plant Communities

Reconnect. Restore. Reciprocate. Repairing landscapes and reconnecting us to the wild plant communities around us. Integrating restoration practices, foraging, herbalism, rewilding, and permaculture, Wild Plant Culture is a comprehensive guide to the ecological restoration of native edible and medicinal plant communities in Eastern North America. Blending science, practice, and traditional knowledge, it makes bold connections that are actionable, innovative, and ecologically imperative for repairing both degraded landscapes and our broken cultural relationship with nature. Coverage includes: Understanding and engaging in mutually beneficial human-plant connections Techniques for observing the land's existing and potential plant communities Baseline monitoring, site preparation, seeding, planting, and maintaining restored areas Botanical fieldwork restoration stories and examples Detailed profiles of 209 native plants and their uses. Both a practical guide and an evocative read that will transport you deep into the natural landscape, Wild Plant Culture is an essential toolkit for gardeners, farmers, and ecological restoration practitioners, highlighting the important role humans play in tending and mending native plant communities. AWARDS SILVER | 2023 Nautilus Book Awards | Green, Restorative Practices / Sustainability HONORABLE MENTION | 2023 American Horticultural Society Book Awards Front Cover Praise Title Page Rights Page Contents Acknowledgments Section One: Restoring Reciprocity, Sustaining Sustenance Introduction Chapter 1: A Different Way Chapter 2: Plants in Relationship Chapter 3: Ecological Restoration Chapter 4: In Community with Nature Section Two: Learning Your Land Chapter 5: Reading Geology, Soils, and Water Chapter 6: Land Use History Chapter 7: Reading the Story of the Land Section Three: Plant Communities and Culturally Useful Plants Chapter 8: Plant Communities Chapter 9: Plant Species Chapter 10: The Reference Site Section Four: Restoring Your Land Chapter 11: Repairing Soils Chapter 12: Vegetation Control Chapter 13: Burning Chapter 14: Deer Management and Exclusion Chapter 15: Introducing Plant Materials Color Section Color Section (2) Conclusion: A Missing Link Appendix — Assessment and Monitoring Techniques Endnotes Index About the Author About New Society Publishers A Guide to Responsible Digital Reading "Wild Plant Culture covers the ecological restoration of native edible and medicinal plant communities with a focus on Eastern North America. Integrating restoration practices, foraging, herbalism, rewilding, and permaculture, it provides tools to engage with wild plant communities in mutually beneficial relationships."-- Provided by publisher