Grounded in the Garden: An Artist’s Guide to Creating a Beautiful Garden in Harmony with Nature

＂In this intimate book, TJ Maher - artist, gardener, nature-lover and contemplative - elegantly combines his painter’s insight with his plantsman’s knowledge to present a masterclass in garden artistry.＂ - Jane Powers.

Grounded in the Garden explores the practical considerations that come into play when creating a beautiful garden which also respects nature.

TJ goes deep into such topics as using colour in the garden, creating and re-creating borders, and generally, how we can get the most from our gardens. But this is much more than just a how-to guide. Interspersed among the practical advice is a spiritual and thought-provoking inquiry as he reflects on nature and what she has to teach us if we are willing to listen. TJ writes, ’Maybe the only things that matter in the end are love and the heart connections we have made.’

This book is an invitation to love- both the natural world and ourselves. It is also a feast for the eyes. TJ’s photographs are interspersed with contributions from Jason Ingram, Clive Nichols, Richard Murphy and Kieran Neary. Together, their images bring to life the creatures, the beauty and the colour in his garden.

Born in the village of Golden in Co Tipperary, TJ Maher studied at the Crawford School of Art in Cork and at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Dublin. From the beginning his work attracted favorable attention and he has won many awards, including EVA International in Limerick. He is represented by the Taylor Galleries in Dublin, where many solo shows of his work have been held, the most recent, entitled Annica, in 2018. He has represented Ireland at the International Festival of Painting in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France.

Jane Powers is the author of The Irish Garden and former gardening correspondent for The Irish Times and The Sunday Times Ireland.

Clive Nichols has been photographing gardens and flowers for more than thirty years. He has photographed many of the world’s most interesting gardens, including HM The King’s private garden in Scotland and Lord Rothschild’s private garden in Corfu. His work has appeared in hundreds of books as well as in countless magazines, calendars and brochures.

Jason Ingram is an award-winning photographer, famed for his images of gardens, plants and people. He has provided photographs for numerous best-selling gardening books including Lucy Bellamy’s Brilliant & Wild: a Garden from Scratch in a Year (Pimpernel Press). Jason has won the Garden Media Guild Photographer of the Year Award four times, in 2013, 2014, 2019 and 2022.