Every square inch of soil is rich with energy and life, and nowhere is this more evident than in the garden. At the tips of our trowels, a sun-driven world of microbes, insects, roots, and stems awaits—and it is a world no one knows better than James Nardi. A charming guide to all things green and growing, Nardi is as at home in prairies, forests, and wetlands as he is in the vegetable patch. And with Discoveries in the Garden, he shows us that these spaces aren’t as different as we might think, that nature flourishes in our backyards, schoolyards, and even indoors. To find it, we’ve only got to get down into the dirt.

Leading us through the garden gate, Nardi reveals the extraordinary daily lives and life cycles of a quick-growing, widely available, and very accommodating group of study subjects: garden plants. Through close observations and simple experiments we all can replicate at home, we learn the hidden stories behind how these plants grow, flower, set seeds, and produce fruits, as well as the vital role dead and decomposing plants play in nourishing the soil. From pollinators to parasites, plant calisthenics to the wisdom of weeds, Nardi’s tale also introduces us to our fellow animal and microbial gardeners, the community of creatures both macro- and microscopic with whom we share our raised beds. Featuring a copse of original, informative illustrations that are as lush as the garden plants themselves, Discoveries in the Garden is an enlightening romp through the natural history, science, beauty, and wonder of these essential green places.

James Nardi is a biologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who gardens with the help of innumerable soil creatures. He is the author of Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

— Scott Stewart, executive director of the Millennium Park Foundation and former director of Lurie Garden

— Jeff Lowenfels, coauthor of "Teaming with Microbes" and author of "Teaming with Nutrients" and "Teaming with Fungi"

— Kristin Ohlson, author of "The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies Are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet"

— Barbara Kiser, Nature

— Quarterly Review of Biology

— Biodiversity and Conservation