"Removing the thick blanket of now soggy leaves from around my plants, I can see new growth peeking out. Carefully, so as not to hurt the new shoots, I peel back the covering. Even though there is still a slight chill in the air, the warmth of the early spring sun fills me with a comfort and promise I had almost forgotten. Dear Creator God, help me uncover the secret desires and yearnings of my own heart this spring".

Thousands today are discovering that gardening is more than a hobby. Sowing, raking, weeding, and watching plants grow can also be a spiritual practice. No one knows this better than former journalist and gardening author turned postulant for Holy Orders, Patricia R. Barrett. As a writer for magazines and newspapers such as Horticulture magazine and the New York Times, as well as the author of several gardening books, Barrett has been advising gardening enthusiasts for years. Now she combines her work as a spiritual director with her love of plants to explore how something as simple as staking a tomato plant can help us think about the spiritual "stakes" that support our own growth.

The Sacred Garden is organized into the plant and spiritual seasons of fall, winter, spring and summer. Each of the meditations in the book is based on a quotation from the NRSV Bible, and includes gardening instructions as well as food for the soul.