Planting, caring and eating plants for a healthier lifestyle is the base of this well written book. Many different projects for making plants a part of your life are given with expert instructions. Recommended reading.

This is a very personalised book. It is not a general volume, but preferably for people who have plans to make some projects.
The details are varied and interesting, although I did not have the time for any projects before the book archived, so I cannot provide a more detailed review than saying that this works for budding home gardeners.

Great and easy book to create lovely gardening ideas. I have a friend who helps in a nursing home and he said that these ideas are great to do with the residents. Simple and great outcomes. He is keen to buy the book for the home. Also great projects for children to get them interested in gardening. Thanks you NetGalley and the publishers for the DR

The most important part of a garden is the one who enjoys it.

I've 'gardened' in a vague, indefinite sort of way for more than half a century. I know (most of) the basics but life has changed and I needed 'projects' rather than a general commitment to gardening. Verdura with its promise of projects for both indoors and outdoors of varying complexity seemed like the answer. So, how did it stack up?

Perla Sofia Curbelo-Santiago is a 'garden communicator', according to the back of the book. Who knew such people existed? Perla's Puerto Rican and she's best known for her website, Agrochic, described as a woman focus gardening lifestyle platform'. She wants to help people, especially women, use nature and gardening as a tool for wellbeing. The back of her book promises a collection of indoor and outdoor projects that soothe your soul and calm your mind. That's all my boxes ticked.

The book is divided into six chapters, plus appendices and an index. We start with Exploring Nature. A self-assessment section (as with every chapter) encourages introspection and planning. I wasn't too enthusiastic about remembering my thirteen-year-old self. It's too long ago, I didn't particularly like her even then and I certainly don't have a picture of her but I do like the thought of returning to what should have been a more innocent, carefree time. There's a lovely collection of plants in a fuchsia-pink plastic pot. It's delightful but I would like to have seen it stood in a saucer rather than directly on a table. My favourite in this section was the coastal garden. I have a spot outside on the patio for that one!

Be Social is an opportunity to share your space with others. There's an ingenious use for a cocktail trolley - take your garden anywhere! There's a piece on using garden foliage to make greetings cards. It's an interesting subject, of which more could have been made but it's a decent introduction. This section felt a little contrived, which is a pity.

Encourage Wellness is an important section. I liked the stress on the benefits of a view of nature when recovering from surgery - or indeed, in daily life. (We bought our property partly because of its garden and for a while spoke of the house as one of the disadvantages!) I was surprised by how much could be done to enhance the view from just about any room and this is the section I will be concentrating on. First on the list is the fragrant container hedge. I'm less enthused about the barefoot garden we have a lot of ants in the garden and I do not get on well with their bites. I can imagine that many people will benefit from the meditation garden.

Serve the Community provides plenty of feed for thought. If we all looked to helping others before we thought of ourselves, how much better would life be? This could be the subject of a book in its own right. I did like the garden break room.

Upcycle is the section which interested me most. Sometimes I'm guilty of taking it too far but I am of the opinion that most things can be repurposed and I'm always open to new ideas. I particularly liked the backyard birdbath and suspect that I have most of the materials required. I can see possibilities, too, for the propagation wall station.

Grow into Your Own is the final section. I liked the idea of creating a living background for virtual meetings - they don't have to be work meetings, after all! - and the ideas for displaying my favourite plants.

I liked the additional material at the back of the book - there's an abundance of further resources which will keep even the most ardent gardener going for a long time. I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a copy of the book.

This is a sweet book of garden projects. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting but I found a few sources of inspiration like using an old candle stand or hanging fruit holder as a plant stand. The author is sweet and relatable, and I love that she used photos of her own projects in her own simple garden instead of stock images.

I read a temporary digital copy of this book for review.

"The most important part of a garden is the one who enjoys it"
After being constantly disappointed with gardening idea books with their glossy high end images and no real substance, I was pleasantly surprised with Verdura.
Verdura is a gardening ideas book, a story of the authors life with plants, a journal for the gardener/reader to fill out & add photos and a how to project book.
Each project (which there are many) has a story of why the author Perla Sofia created it and how it suits the chosen plants, with lots of information on each plant and very helpful tips on a successful end result.
Me being particular on the plants I like/dislike, it was good to see an alternative planting list at the back of the book, suitable to each project.
There's so many good and achievable projects, but a few of my favourites would have to be the fragrant green hedge planter, the propagation station and the mocktail/cocktail trolley.
The projects are suitable for all experience levels. For all to enjoy, but excellent for those living in apartments or like me, limited on space.
I was able to enjoy this book free in exchange for an honest review.

Pros: I think plants are so happy, and I really enjoyed this book that celebrates plants and gardens. I was surprised (in a good way) that this book is part workbook and encourages the reader to be thoughtful and perform self assessments. I appreciated that many of the projects in this book take up a very small area so even apartment dwellers could use and enjoy this book. My favorite project in this book was the little library garden because it combines two of my favorite things--plants and books! I also thought the candelabra plant holder was such a smart idea.

Cons: None that I can think of!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Cool Springs Press for the opportunity to read this book.

For anyone whose ever seen a cool plant video or picture and thought I want to be a plant Mom/Dad. This book provides step by step instructions for setting up and care taking as well as what each different plant set up will require. Whether you are looking to start simple with a single house plant or a more advanced potted garden or propagation station this book is easy to follow and informative.

Cute and interesting projects are presented in this book. Great ideas for small spaces and a nice variety of plants. A nice coffee table book.

This book was a pleasant surprise! I've been on the search for every gardening book I can get my hands on, but ¡Verdura! was unique in that it wasn't about planting anything specific but rather was about using plants as crafts. I particularly loved the section on the little free library garden and the meditation space. Curbelo-Santiago has given me several ideas, but more than that, she's inspired me to think about using my plants in more creative and intentional ways.

I also appreciate that she's included some journaling questions to force me to be much more mindful about my gardening practices. All in all, this is a deeply satisfying book that I'd recommend to anyone interested in greening up her life.

Thanks to Quarto/Cool Springs Press for making this book available to review through NetGalley.