Things We Learn From Plants debuts at P.G. museum.

Monterey’s Victoria Stöcker served as publisher, designer, artist and writer for her project Good Things We Learn from Plants, which she describes as a “documentarium,” a blend of poetry and reporting, education and artistry. It’s 64 pages, two years in the making, with lots of collaborators.

“Lord knows I can’t make a magazine because I’m so slow,” she says. (Full disclosure: Stöcker contributes to the Weekly’s A&E Calendar, and I wrote a recommendation letter for the grant that helped fund Plants.)

In the intro she begins: “The following content aims to deepen an appreciation of and connection with plant life.”

That’s done through a thoughtfully laid out double spread of a coast redwood surrounded by callouts and captions; photo collages and pictures of original and quirky art; a multi-part story about space gardening; the medicinal uses of New Mexico botanicals; a compendium of plant music – that is, the effect that music has on plants, as well as the music created by plants.

Yes, apparently plants can make music. When they are hooked up to electrodes that read their bioelectrical field, that can be converted into sound. One woman claims to have cured her insomnia by listening to the biofeedback of her plant.

One ensemble plays music made out of produce (more impressive than it sounds), then they make a meal for the audience out of the edible instruments (which sounds less impressive).

At the launch party, Nic Georis will play ambient music accompanied by the biofeedback of a plant through a device called a MIDI Sprout.

“We couldn’t survive without [plants]. I’ve been overwhelmed by that,” Stöcker says. “It’s mind-boggling, the deep re-connection with plants I’m experiencing. Every plant is continuously growing.”

That’s a good thing we can all learn.

GOOD THINGS WE LEARN FROM PLANTS launch party is 1-5pm Sunday, June 11, at P.G. Museum of Natural History, 165 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. 648-5716, goodthingsmag.com