Book Description
A comprehensive garden guide for south Florida, this book features detailed information on 100 easy plants and 65 easy gardens. The focus is on beautiful plant material and gardens that require little water and simple care. Perennials that provide constant color are also featured. Garden design chapters cover small gardens, shade gardens, sun gardens, and garden style. With 371 great color photos, the book is designed to simplify and beautify south Florida gardens.
Customer Reviews:
A Must have for a Florida Transplant.......2007-09-15
If you are new to South Florida and would like to start a garden for your new home, this book is a must. South Florida's unique climate and soil can impede your garden from growing or even beginning. The money I saved on flowers that will not work in this climate easily paid for this book. The garden centers may sell the same plants you may have had up north, but unfortunately they will die quickly. After a year of trying different plants and being unsuccessful, I now have a beautiful garden filled with flowers I learned about in this book.
FABULOUS BOOK.......2007-07-24
THE PICTURES ARE SPECTACULAR AND THE DESCRIPTIONS AND HINTS ARE THE BEST I'VE COME ACROSS - THANK YOU SO MUCH
Excellent Reference.......2007-05-05
Great photos, well written, invaluable source of botonical info for serious South Florida gardeners, and the rest of us that just like to tinker in our gardens.
The Only Books You Need for Florida Gardening.......2006-03-10
I have purchased all of Pamela's books because they tell you everything you need to know about Florida gardening, with pictures! But most importantly, Pamela has experimented with every plant described in the books and knows what works and what doesn't. She also discusses the maintenance and light conditions required for each plant to keep it looking healthy. Follow her advice and enjoy you garden. It will be beautiful!
Don Meder
Delray Beach, FL
An Excellent Resource for (South) Florida Gardeners.......2005-03-30
My husband got this book for me when he saw all the positive reviews. I was initially reluctant because I thought it was going to be just silly and repetitive. I was WRONG.
This book is never on the shelf, but always on my desk. Ms. Crawford does an excellent job of organizing the material, and particularly excels in giving you the information you need for each particular plant (light, shade, water, companions, etc.). She has tested each and every plant in the book, and therefore her comments are insightful. I particularly like the thumbnail section for types of gardens (bright, medium, shade and variations thereof).
My only criticism would be that she can be repetitive in her plant selections (lots of recommendations for ruellia katie and golden shrimp plant). However, I can't think of a better "plain-english" guide to gardening in this difficult climate.
Book Description
This beautiful book advises Florida gardeners on how to select and care for plants that will thrive in the environment.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful & Knowledgeable.......2007-02-11
Great book. Shows many pictures of native plants, trees, shrubs, flowers, vines, etc.
Also talks about how they grow, best areas, etc.
While this book will show you all the native plants in Florida, it does not touch (of course) on plants that WILL grow in Flrodai, of which would be an even bigger book.
Still very useful & will stay on my shelf for many years.
Native Florida Plants.......2004-06-02
I am the co-author of "Native Florida Plants". The new revised edition was printed in early 2004. The new book is not listed on www.amazon.com I think the problem may be the different ISBN number. The new ISBN number is 1-58979-051-0. The book is available from National Books Network at 1-800-462-6420. We hope to see our book on www.amazon.com very soon. This is a great site to get new and used books. I am a customer. Robert Haehle
New Edition.......2004-06-02
Native Florida Plants is NOT out of print! A new, updated edition was published early this year, and includes additional plants, an updated source list, and a list of family names. Hope it appears on Amazon's website ASAP. (I am the co-author.)
Native Florida Plants: Low Maintenance Landscaping and Garde.......2003-09-03
As a fairly new resident of Florida I look forward to Robert Haehle's NGA email each month, with his great advise & tips. This book is a "must have" for anyone new to tropical gardening, as well as, the Southern natives. The information & beautiful photos are especially helpful in identifying what is in my yard & what I would like to add.
Phenomenal Book.......2003-08-28
This was very helpful. It organizes plants by type, but gives enough information so you know where they best grow. It has lots of color pictures and also some landscape designs that make it easy for you to create something for your own yard (especially if you are a beginner). I wish there were something like this for the Pacific Northwest (now that I've moved).
Book Description
Tough Plants for Southern Gardens is for Southern gardeners who want low care, no care, tried and true plants for their gardens. This is the book for gardeners who want plants they can plant and forget!
Tough Plants for Southern Gardens is written for novice and accomplished gardeners alike, for all gardeners who value their leisure time. They also value the appearance of their home and appreciate the benefits of well-placed landscaping…however; they do not want to devote too much time to keeping it beautiful.
Tough Plants for Southern Gardens includes 120 of the toughest plants for Southern gardens, including annuals, bulbs, perennials, shrubs and small trees, ornamental vines, and lawns. Each featured plant is noted for its ability to thrive with minimal care. Many of the selections can withstand drought, poor soils, and minimal (or no) pruning, while providing beauty and charm in the home landscape.
Each selection provides specific information on the plant's use in the landscape, mature size, flowering characteristics (if applicable), varieties, soil preference, and propagation. Each chapter also contains informative essays covering topics such as: companion planting tips, pest avoidance, and handling invasive plants.
Customer Reviews:
A terrific resource for wanna-be gardeners.......2007-10-04
I moved from a shady lot in the bitter-cold North to a new house with full sun in the South. I had to re-learn nearly everthing I knew about gardening, and this book got me through. It gave me a wonderful roadmap of where to start.
The book is filled with tips on specific plants. Some of these plants are things you see in everyone's garden, but quite a few are unusual beauties. The author tries to keep things simple, such as the confounding (to me) subject of pruning roses. Information is presented in a surprisingly humorous way. Even my husband--who has zero interest in gardening--was reading it and laughing out loud.
Also, with a new baby sitting on my hip most of the day, I need low care plants. Maybe I will become a master gardener someday, but I don't foresee it happening for about eighteen years! In the meantime, I can still have a beautiful garden, with the help of this book.
Tough Plants for Southern Gardens.......2007-08-29
I love this book. I'm always referring back to it. I would love to find more books like it.
for new and experienced gardeners alike.......2007-03-31
Felder Rushing is my personal gardening guru. This book explores a vast selection of plants that are nearly unkillable, from houseplants, annuals, perennials, and tropicals. He's one of the more humorous garden writers around, to boot.
Great book; easy to understand, much useful information........2006-07-25
I like this book a lot. Terrific pictures, simple explanations. It is just what I needed to find the kinds of plants I can grow in the south without driving myself nuts.
Great for novices and transplant gardeners - and funny!.......2006-04-20
I'm not an avid gardener, and don't have a shelf full of garden books - in fact this is nearly the only one. Fortunately, it turns out to be all I needed to make my little bit of space presentable without spending lots of money and effort. Whether you'd rather not water for environmental reasons, can't spend a lot of time coping with your lawn, or just like sturdy Southern plants, this is a great book. It's also surprisingly funny! (The bulbs section starts with a sidebar entitled "Tulips Hate the South" - already found that one out, thanks.)
A short introduction covers horticulture topics at a very general level, but the primary focus is on describing a large number of no-maintenance plants that do well in the Southern climate and soils. The book is divided into sections by type of plant (perennials, shrubs, and so on); for each plant, details are given on how to plant it, how to care for it, where to put it, and what to expect from it over time. Each has a picture, usually detailed enough to allow you to identify it at a nursery. Additionally, sections begin with short lists of plants that are "Great for beginners" (extremely easy to deal with) or "Kinda tricky." Random advice, like how to successfully plant wildflowers in your lawn, is scattered throughout.
CONS (sorta): Probably not terribly informative to an experienced Southern gardener. Not a general book on horticulture. Not restricted to native plants.
Book Description
Essential reading for those who desire a beautiful garden without the back-breaking work,
The Low-Maintenance Garden is the guide to enjoying your garden rather than spending hours toiling in it. This book shows how to minimize and simplify gardening tasks, and over time create a virtually maintenance-free garden.
Packed with planting plans, charts, ideas and step-by-step techniques for minimizing work,
The Low-Maintenance Garden is beautifully laid out with easy-to-access information for every type and size of garden. In addition to many full-color photographs and illustrations, the book features:
- Easy Surfaces and Structures - creating an easy-care surface in the garden
- Easy Planting Solutions - low-maintenance plants for a wide range of situations
- Transforming Gardens to Lower Maintenance - how to turn any size garden into a low-maintenance garden
- Low-Maintenance Techniques - essential tips on reducing time spent on basic gardening chores
- Directory of Easy-Care Plants - from trouble-free trees to easy grasses and water plants
With real-life case studies and many tips and suggestions, gardeners can now recapture leisure time.
Customer Reviews:
Low-Maintenance... helpful to the amateur.......2000-05-23
If you want to work in the yard or garden, but don't have time... OR even if you don't want to work in the yard or garden and enjoy the simply pleasures of a well landscaped yard... this book is for you. There are ideas and designs for walkways, small ponds, fountains, rasied beds, and seating areas. Picking the right plants is most important and this book helps to narrow the choices. There is also a section on how to minimize your chores. And of course there are some photos that help you get the creative juices going for ideas on everything from Japanese Gardens to Urban Jungles... Good Resource!
Book Description
Hardscaping -- the use of materials such as stone, wood, brick, and tile in landscape design -- has become enormously popular in recent years. Low maintenance, durable, and attractive, hardscaping brings a totally unique, personalized look to any outdoor space, and increases curb appeal and property value. This gorgeous, full-color reference, written by the host of HGTV's Garden Architecture, explains how to blend function and materials to create a beautiful, long-lasting outdoor living space. Projects range from simple to complex, and the author covers every issue from budgeting to planning and installation.
- Covers porches, patios, retaining walls, walkways, steps, poolscapes, driveways, and more
- Practical advice on choosing and working with contractors and designers
- Beautifully illustrated with 200 full-color photos
- How to establish and stick to a budget
- Details the properties of popular materials such as wood, concrete, asphalt, pre-cast and natural stone
Book Description
Tired of being a slave to that green carpet in your yard? Enjoy gardening but don't have much space to work with? Love the idea of a water-saving, pesticide-free, natural-looking yard that also happens to look great?
This refreshing book offers a wealth of ideas for nontraditional outdoor spaces that are as beautiful as they are low-maintenance. Written by veteran landscape designer Keith Davitt, this guide shows how to banish cutting, watering, and weed worries forever by creating lovely outdoor spaces that replace the traditional grass lawn with rock walls, sculptures, native grasses, mosses, wildflowers, and more.
Davitt guides readers through making design choices that suit their unique needs, such as determining which plants will thrive in particular climates and soil conditions. Filled with easy-to-follow tips and techniques, illustrative photos, and color renderings of design plans for outdoor spaces, this is a comprehensive guide to simply beautiful alternative gardens
Keith Davitt has been designing, building, photographing, and writing about gardens around the globe for 20 years. He recently won the Herald Award for Excellence in Garden Communication, and his gardens and articles have appeared in numerous gardening magazines. He is also the author of Small Spaces, Beautiful Gardens (Rockport, 2001). He lives in New York City.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book!.......2004-11-25
This is a great book for the gardener with little space. All of the gardens featured are pretty small by suburban standards. But none the less, the gardens and designs Keith Davitt covers are spectacular.
You will discover how to get rid of that same old boring lawn that everyone else has on the block. Davitt takes you through creating your very own unique garden with stone, brick, gravel, water and lots more. He covers why it works for the owner and the space given. It gives valuable insights for the gardener planning a new space.
Crafting a unique, personal, and relaxing atmosphere.......2003-10-10
Written by gardening expert Keith Davitt (winner of the Herald Award for Excellence in Garden Communication), Beyond The Lawn: Unique Outdoor Spaces For Modern Living is a simply beautiful and exceptionally "user friendly" sourcebook of ideas for creating harmony with stone, brick gravel, rock, water, herbs, conifers, planted pots, native and wild plants. Lavishly illustrated with full-color photography, Beyond The Lawn is a treat to page through and recommended for gardeners everywhere looking to add a bit of originality to the grounds outside their home. Offering a vast panoply of materials for crafting a unique, personal, and relaxing atmosphere, Beyond The Lawn is a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to professional and personal gardening reference collections.
Many unusual beautiful gardens & good design analysis.......2003-08-08
This book is full of pictures of unusual and beautiful gardens all very different from one another. I especially enjoyed seeing the variety of what is possible. The text focuses mainly on design with discussion on style and analysis of what works and why. Although I think Keith Davitt's first book "Small Spaces Beautiful Gardens" was a superior book with more information on how each garden was created and before & after pictures, I still highly recommend this book for its many examples and design tips.
Book Description
Ornamental grasses are at home in a mixed border or as striking individual specimens. They adapt to a wide range of climates and soils, need little or no maintenance, and resist most pests and diseases. They can anchor a slope or live happily in a container. They are also new to many gardeners, for whom this book will be both an introduction and a very practical guide, with its 165 full-color photos of landscape ideas and portraits of the best grasses for any site - wet or dry, sunny or shady.
Customer Reviews:
The grass is not only greener - ---------------------------!!!.......2007-08-31
It comes in hundreds of colors, varieties and useful blendings in a modern and private garden. This book gives wonderfull pictures and ideas on the proper decoramental grasses for your garden. Love this book as a preplanner and usefule guide for what will lwork.
Fine resource...but check the condition........2006-01-29
This is an excellent presentation of everything one might care to know about ornamental grasses. But the first copy I received had a LOT of blank pages where text and illustrations should have been. Of course Amazon replaced the defective copy with no additional cost to me. Check your copy carefully upon receipt.
Book Description
Some would-be gardeners simply have the opposite of a green thumb: everything they touch seems to wilt. But perhaps the problem lies not with the person but with the plant! These 37 varieties of flowers, foliage, and cacti will hold their own in the face of minimal TLC—which is absolutely perfect for anyone who wants lush greenery but hasn’t the time to spare. Best of all, there’s no need to sacrifice beauty: the selection includes the delicate Baby’s Tears, a Chinese Evergreen, a Lacy-Tree Philodendron, African Violets, a Peace Lily, and Christmas Cactus. In addition to an easy-to-follow basics section, the entries include photos, information on caring for each plant, and tips for growing them like a pro.
Amazon.com
West Coast gardening guru Ann Lovejoy has gained a significant following, and deservedly so--she's a gifted teacher, a lyrical writer, and a passionate advocate of organic solutions to even the most daunting garden problems. Her Organic Garden Design School is meant for readers who still consider themselves students, but who are serious enough to "move beyond the beginner stage." A 36-page workbook concludes this glossy, lavishly illustrated volume. Workbook assignments include "Drawing a Map," "Testing Soil," and "Minding Your Mulch."
As a designer of gardens that are faithful to the natural world and don't require too much pruning or artificial control, Lovejoy invents her own terms. Her style resembles English gardening, except she warns against the nostalgic impulse many gardeners fall into, determined to create gardens from another era or another country. Lovejoy's an advocate of "gardening where you live," not forcing a dream of another place onto the landscape. She emphasizes native plants, designing around slopes or flaws, working with shade or sunlight as they appear. Perhaps most instructive are her "five senses" of the garden: the sense of welcome, enclosure, and entry, flow, and place. "Rather than physical attributes," she writes, "these are more subtle aspects that give each garden its own flavor and character." --Emily White
Book Description
This new paperback edition of Ann Lovejoy's spectacular organic gardening book brings a lifetime's worth of experience and knowledge from one of this country's leading gardening experts. In it she shows readers how to apply her organic design principles to any site, large or small, to create healthy, self-sufficient gardens that are easy to care for, ecologically sound, and enduringly beautiful. 'As gifted a writer as she is a gardener, Lovejoy is always a pleasure to read, and her lyric prose is at the heart of this inspired and inspiring volume....Readers may find themselves as charmed by her singular turns of phrase as they are by her horticultural wisdom.'-Publishers Weekly, starred review 'In this powerhouse of a book, Ann Lovejoy, the prolific queen of American garden writing, tackles the toughest subject-designing one's garden. She puts the effortless flow of her beautiful prose along with her characteristic humor and intelligence to work on intense concepts, such as organic gardening and layering. The result is a superb clarification of the mysteries of garden design.'-Lauren Springer, author of The Undaunted Garden
Customer Reviews:
clearly written.......2002-09-14
I have enjoyed using this book as a good reference for my growing garden. Lovejoy's style is clear, she provides some worksheets in the back of the book, which I found helpful. I also noted her 'voice' in the book is not haughty or stuffy - she is friendly, and clear, which as an avid reader of garden books, I found refreshing. Her ideas are both simple and logical. I love this book.
Poorly organized but good information.......2002-05-27
Since I'm currently resolved to redesign my yard in the interests of increasing its ecological value and decreasing required maintenance, this "organic garden design school" SEEMED like the perfect book for me. And there is a lot of good information in here, about design considerations, planting tips, etc, some of which I've found nowhere else, and which have made the book worthwhile to me. HOWEVER, winnowing that information from the book was not very easy. Though the title suggests this is a textbook, it is really a long series of 1- or 2-page rambles about one or another aspect of the author's experience gardening her own yard (and one other yard). This work is poorly edited and organized, and there is a huge emphasis on just those two examples of garden design. To apply the lessons of this book myself, I needed more than anecdotes from two situations unlike my own. I needed some generally stated design principles, as well as some very specific techniques (e.g. how to build raised beds like the author's). While this information is in there, and some of it is quite illuminating, those gems occur nearly randomly within the 1- or 2-page rambles. If the book was titled something like "Design Thoughts," perhaps I wouldn't be so disappointed, but a "school" and a "guide," with all the clarity those words suggest, this book is not. A workbook section at the end of the book makes up for this by finally providing the reader with a definite guide for action. But it would have been a much more of a "school" and a "guide" if the workbook had been integrated into the chapters, rather than tacked on at the end.
An excellent guide for all gardening levels.......2001-05-19
Create a beautiful and easy organic garden with the aid of Organic Garden Design School, a design-oriented book which covers topics ranging from linking cultivation efforts to the natural environment offered to using colors and textures in the garden. Using space wisely, choosing native plants, and creating a garden mood are all covered in an excellent guide for all gardening levels.
Excellent guide to organic gardening and design.......2001-04-02
The author teaches garden design classes near Seattle, Washington and shares her outlines here. She is a strong advocate of naturalistic gardening and encourages gardeners to seek out the native plants growing in their particular area and use them to their greatest advantage in an entirely organic way. She begins by discussing the principles of design with the "five senses of the garden" (welcome, enclosure, entry, flow, and place) and continues with other design principles such as "green architecture" (elements of the garden such as plants and structures), creating natural backdrops, "sandwich gardening" (intermingling plants in the same location), and using combinations and vignettes. Other informative sections focus on paths and walkways, layering plants to scale, and problem-solving. Helpful charts list specific plants for certain situations. The last third of the book focuses on maintenance and offers clearcut advice and instructions on mulching, composting, etc. Included at the end of the volume is a 34-page workbook for readers to list plant choices, set goals, and create their own garden plan.
Book Description
California has unique and varying growing conditions. This easy-to-use guide for California gardens gives you step-by-step instructions on selecting and growing for more than 150 low-maintenance plants and shrubs that thrive in diverse California, including annuals, perennials, vines, shrubs, and trees.
In addition, you'll find gardening basics for maximum result, such as:
- The benefits of one-time soil preparation
- The secret of summer and winter mulching
- The "less is more" fertilization technique that keeps your plants in perfect shape
- The best methods for irrigation
- Tips on keeping your plants pest free without over-using traditional pest controls
Customer Reviews:
A gardener with a sense of humor!.......2007-07-12
Intrigued by the title, I began reading this book and found myself laughing out loud with the author's descriptions. Though a good book for anyone with an interest in gardening, with its easy-to-follow instructions, beautiful pictures and recommendations, this is also a 'good read' for those of us who are already gardening addicts. I was glad to find someone else who couldn't pass up an intriguing plant even though we had absolutely no idea where we were going to put it. This is a book for the curious, the experimenter, and those who simply find joy in the garden. I loved the book, have already enjoyed reading the commentary over and over again...and, of course, will look for some of the recommendations I haven't heard of before. This would also make a great gift for any 'budding' gardener!
Books:
- Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist, Second Edition
- Essential COM
- Fatal Flaw: A True Story of Malice and Murder in a Small Southern Town
- From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Your Own Wine
- Garden Mosaics: 25 Step-By-Step Projects for Your Outdoor Room
- Gardens of Longevity In China & Japan
- Golf Course Irrigation: Environmental Design and Management Practices
- Growing Carnivorous Plants
- Hamptons Havens: The Best of Hamptons Cottages and Gardens (Hamptons Cottages & Gardens)
- Hamptons Havens: The Best of Hamptons Cottages and Gardens (Hamptons Cottages & Gardens)
Books Index
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General
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Best Garden Color for Florida (Florida Gardening Series)
Container Gardens for Florida
Stormscaping (Florida Gardening Series, Vol. 3)
Native Florida Plants, Revised Edition: Low Maintenance Landscaping and Gardening, Revised
Florida Gardener's Guide, 2nd Edition
