Grow and Know - Book Thoughts - Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden

by Stacey Churchill, February 19. 2026

It seemed appropriate that for Black History Month I re-read Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden by Camille Dungy. On Christmas Eve each year my family shares our favorite book read that year - this was my book in 2024. It is so beautifully written that I was happy to return to those pages.

This book offers a narrative that resonates deeply with anyone who has ever swapped a manicured lawn for a biodiverse ecosystem. For the native plant enthusiast, this isn’t just a memoir; it’s a guide for how and why we add native plants to our landscape.

Dungy chronicles her seven-year journey to transform her Colorado monoculture turf into a thriving prairie landscape. She speaks our language, detailing the labor of diversifying the soil and the quiet thrill of seeing the first pollinators return to a patch of once-sterile ground.

What makes this book so unique is Dungy’s refusal to separate botany from the rest of life. She brilliantly parallels the resilience of indigenous flora with the persistence of Black heritage, arguing that the act of planting native species is an act of decolonization and remembrance. She shares the reality of conflicting demands on time - her "prairie project" competes with her work schedule, her family and the stresses of the pandemic. She doesn't shy away from the frustrations of HOA restrictions or the physical toll of the work, making her eventual successes feel earned.

Soil is poetry and a reminder that our gardens are never just hobbies—they are sites of care and vital links in a larger environmental tapestry.