Why do we garden? Fun? Food? Work? The reasons to garden are as unique as the gardener.

The Roots of My Obsession features the reasons why from the most vital voices in gardening. These thirty essays from thirty garden luminaries show that gardening is a passion and obsession that cannot be conquered or abandoned, only indulged. Each gardener tells a compelling story.

Whether their “muse” is the quest to achieve a personal vision of ultimate beauty, a mission to heal the earth, or the attempt to grow a perfect heirloom tomato, the writing is direct, engaging, and from the heart.

For Doug Tallamy, a love of plants is rooted first in a love of animals: “animals with two legs (birds), four legs (box turtles, salamanders, and foxes), six legs (butterflies and beetles), eight legs (spiders), dozens of legs (centipedes), hundreds of legs (millipedes), and even animals with no legs (snakes and pollywogs).” For Rosalind Creasy it’s “not the plant itself; it’s how you use it in the garden.” And for Sydney Eddison, the reason has changed throughout the years. Now, she “gardens for the moment.”

No matter where each obsession began, it culminates on the pages of this passionate collection, an essential inspiration for everyone who cherishes the miracle of the garden.

A portion of the profits will be donated to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation