Plants native to Southern California are uniquely beautiful and thrive on their own with minimal water, pruning or trimming, fertilizers, and soil amendments. This book proves that creating environmentally sensitive design does not mean putting in extraordinary effort or sacrificing beauty. Includes detailed descriptions and growing information for some of the region's most interesting, attractive plants and has easy-to-use tri-cut flip pages.
"California Native Plants for the Garden" is a comprehensive resource that features more than 500 of the best California native plants for gardening in the Mediterranean-climate areas of the world. Authored by three of the state's leading native-plant horticulturalists and illustrated with 450 color photos, this reference book also includes chapters on landscape design, installation, and maintenance. Detailed lists of recommended native plants for a variety of situations are also provided.
“For anyone interested in gardening, this book is a delightful read. For anyone interested in gardening with California native plants, this book is a must-read. Helen Popper clearly lays out the tasks required to ensure maximum success with growing, propagating, and maintaining a garden in rhythm with the seasons. This book will definitely be included in my reference library." --Scott Soden, Artscapes Landscape Design “Helen Popper has created a lovely resource for both experienced and novice native plant gardeners. The gorgeous photographs will inspire readers to see the natural beauty of natives and challenge us to use them in many garden traditions, from a cottage garden to a Japanese garden.” --Leslie Gray, Executive Director, Environmental Studies Institute, Santa Clara University
Wild Suburbia guides us through the process of transforming a traditional, high water-use yard into a peaceful habitat garden abounding with native plants. Author Barbara Eisenstein emphasizes that gardening is a rewarding activity rather than a finished product, from removing lawns and getting in touch with a yard's climate to choosing plants and helping them thrive. Supplementing her advice with personal stories from her decades of experience working with native plants, Eisenstein illuminates the joys of tending a native garden--and assures us that any challenges, from managing pests to disapproving neighbors, should never sap the enjoyment out of a pleasurable and fulfilling hobby. For plant lovers curious about their own ecosystems, Wild Suburbia offers a style of gardening that nurtures biodiversity, deepens connection to place, and encourages new and seasoned gardeners alike to experiment and have fun.
CLICK HERE to download sample native plants from Real Gardens Grow Natives For many people, the most tangible and beneficial impact they can have on the environment is right in their own yard. Aimed at beginning and veteran gardeners alike, Real Gardens Grow Natives is a stunningly photographed guide that helps readers plan, implement, and sustain a retreat at home that reflects the natural world. Gardening with native plants that naturally belong and thrive in the Pacific Northwest’s climate and soil not only nurtures biodiversity, but provides a quintessential Northwest character and beauty to yard and neighborhood! For gardeners and conservationists who lack the time to read through lengthy design books and plant lists or can’t afford a landscape designer, Real Gardens Grow Natives is accessible yet comprehensive and provides the inspiration and clear instruction needed to create and sustain beautiful, functional, and undemanding gardens. With expert knowledge from professional landscape designer Eileen M. Stark, Real Gardens Grow Natives includes: * Detailed profiles of 100 select native plants for the Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades, plus related species, helping make plant choice and placement. * Straightfoward methods to enhance or restore habitat and increase biodiversity * Landscape design guidance for various-sized yards, including sample plans * Ways to integrate natives, edibles, and nonnative ornamentals within your garden * Specific planting procedures and secrets to healthy soil * Techniques for propagating your own native plants * Advice for easy, maintenance using organic methods
First published thirty years ago, the long-awaited second edition of Growing California Native Plants is the ideal hands-on native plant guide for both experienced and novice gardeners. In addition to the voluminous knowledge contributed by Marjorie G. Schmidt, now deceased, Katherine L. Greenberg has taken note of the vibrant state of today’s horticultural scene, adding plants and ideas that were little known when the book first appeared. Lavishly illustrated with 200 new color photographs, drawings, maps, and charts, this concise and easy-to-use reference covers trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, bulbs, grasses, and vines, and includes a plant selection guide for quick reference. The authors, whose combined experience spans six decades, take California’s summer-dry climate and restricted water supplies into account and provide helpful notes on companion plants and gardening with wildlife. Practical and informative, Growing California Native Plants is a valuable reference for gardeners everywhere in California and an enjoyable book simply to explore.
What is that creature that just landed on my arm? What will that funny-looking caterpillar turn into? What do lady-bugs eat? This book will help you to answer such questions (and many more) about your local insects. - From inside cover.
This is the first comprehensive book to aid the gardener in making a start with native plants. It takes the gardener through the beginning steps of identifying native plants, evaluating them in relation to conventional garden materials, and learning detailed techniques of propagation and culture. Annuals, perennials (including ferns), bulbs, shrubs and trees are included--with about 350 species treated in detail, and many others included in charts and listings for quick reference. A few California native plants have been in cultivation for a hundred years or so, but widespread consciousness of natives is relatively recent. It has arisen partly because of the recent drought, which natives survived more readily than exotics, and partly because of growing awareness that many natives have become rare or endangered, and may be preserved and perpetuated by cultivation for their ornamental qualities. The book is in full accord with the new trend in landscaping in which the environment, climate, and restricted water supplies are taken into account--not only for gardens but also for parks, roadside plantings, and other large-scale landscaping. Because propagation and cultural methods for many native plants have never been recorded, the author spent years gathering information through correspondence. She has also had personal experience in growing natives for more than 30 years. The result is the first complete, practical, convenient guide for growing native plants. It will be essential for the experienced gardener and the beginner alike.
