每棵植物的生长也各有不同，有的顺藤而上，有的卷须缠绕着树干；含羞草被碰的时候会收缩，向日葵会朝着阳光的方向转动；等等。这些都是在我们生活的世界里常见却不留心的事物。
《小花园大发现》不仅是一本园艺说明书，更是一本简单易读的植物生物学教科书。作者利用精致的图解从一颗种子到最近常听说的干细胞与分生组织都一一说明。他希望读者以科学家的角度去观察、假设与测试一株植物的架构以及其生长历程，并且在阅读每一章后，把书放下，亲自花时间去观察植物的世界。
关于作者：
James Nardi 是伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳– 香槟分校的生物学家。他的上一本作品Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners 也同样为芝加哥大学出版社出版。
本书好评：
“Nardi urges us to recall that it’s a jungle out there—in the back garden, that is. His companion guide to garden science is a learned romp through plant biology; solar energy and soil nutrients; the movement of vines; and 'fellow gardeners,' from single-celled protozoans to beetles. Here, too, are experiments on the basics, such as photosynthesis, and a wealth of stunning images. These range from a prickly study of weed burrs to a scanning-electron-microscope shot of trichomes, hairs that stud tomato leaves like 'dark lollipops' and give the plant its pungent odor.”– Barbara Kiser,Nature.
“Nardi’s wonderful new book is a must for anyone who wants to be an informed observer of and participant in the life of their garden. From the architecture of plant tissue to the magic shop of plant chemistry, Nardi shows how plants have evolved strategies to help them thrive and offers simple experiments allowing readers to ask them questions. I will never look at the brilliant colors of fall leaves or sniff the fragrance my tomato plants leave on my hands without thanking him for this book.” – Kristin Ohlson, author of The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies Are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet
“To say I am a huge fan of Nardi is an understatement. I can’t decide if it is because he is a favorite science writer or a favorite nature illustrator. This is because both his writing style and his detailed drawings show an extreme talent for piquing the reader’s curiosity and then satisfying it. Discoveries in the Garden is a fascinating and well worthwhile read. Nardi’s skill at making complicated science easy is on full display, punctuated with his ‘pictures say a thousand words’ illustrations. Making science easy to understand and beautiful—Nardi has done it again.” – Jeff Lowenfels, coauthor of Teaming with Microbes and author of Teaming with Nutrientsand Teaming with Fungi.
“I must say . . . I LOVE Discoveries in the Garden! The work is solid, the science is good, and the presentation is perfect for a general audience interested in plant science, for teachers wishing to use simple and effective observational experiments in their classrooms, as an introduction to plant science for home-schooled students, or even as a guide for developing program ideas for public gardens, museums, or ecology centers.” –
Scott Stewart, executive director of the Millennium Park Foundation and former director of Lurie Garden.