Putting Down Roots: A Story about a Colonel, a Medicine Man and their Garden

Putting Down Roots tells the origin story of Boyce Thompson Arboretum. A unique narrator explains the geological events and the depravity of the Indian wars that set the stage for the arrival of a mining magnate: Colonel William Boyce Thompson. We learn of the seminal moment that triggered Thompson's desire to end world hunger; at the same time conserving and beautifying the environment.

The theme of roots is at the heart of the entire book: the importance of shade from a nurse tree as a young saguaro takes root; the tragic consequences of ripping the Apache from their ancestral roots; the search by European immigrants for a place to call home; the yearning of the Colonel for his childhood in Alder Gulch, where his deep connection with the earth first germinated. It comes as no surprise that Professor Crider, the original director of the Arboretum, was an expert in the study of roots.

Putting Down Roots explores the history of a cherished piece of land. It reveals her secrets, celebrates her triumphs and grieves the premature death of a visionary called Thompson.