Book excerpt: ¡Verdura! – Living a Garden Life celebrates the power of adding more green to your life with 30 simple and budget-friendly gardening projects that promote well-being through plants. From Puerto Rican author and gardening celebrity, Perla Sofía Curbelo Santiago of Agrochic.com, a Spanish-language gardening lifestyle platform, comes this guide to forming a lifelong love of nature, plants, and gardening. Verdura means “greenery” in Spanish, but also refers to any edible plant from the garden. Throughout this book, verdura is used as both a description and an aspiration—it’s all about adding more verdura to your daily life! Perfect for beginners and expert gardeners alike, turning the practice of tending plants into a healthy lifestyle has never been easier. It takes many repetitions to form a habit, and the goal is to use the 30 projects found here to transform the initial spark of joy plants create into a healthy habit that enhances your life in many ways. Indoor and outdoor projects are included, many of which are perfect for small spaces and urban environments. In addition to offering plant-related wellness tips, personal stories of her own garden evolution, and advice on how tending plants can improve both physical and mental health, Perla offers clear step-by-step guidance on project creation. Some of the projects you’ll find inside include: Creating a container planting that appeals to a 13-year-old version of yourself Making a meditation garden or a private healing nook Planting a barefoot garden Performing a quick and easy garden makeover Compiling a garden-tainment kit Upcycling common discards to create a propagation station, a swinging planter, and a birdbath Organizing your garden legacy using a basic guide Also included are alternative plant charts if you’re the kind of gardener who likes lots of plant choices, and section openers that offer a small glimpse of gardening life on the island of Puerto Rico. Green-up your life to reduce stress and add joy with help from ¡Verdura!