Encyclopedia of Northwest Native Plants for Gardens and Landscapes
This massive volume is a must-have for those serious about growing native plants (and strong enough to lift it). While the authors suggest it is…
Plants: Flowering plants, vines, and bulbs
The Secret is Finding the Right Landscape Designer
We had found our dream designer: Bernard Trainor. It was clear that Bernard was in the vanguard of a movement that celebrates gardening in the “spir…
Fire and Ice in a Southern California Garden
The year 2007 was an odd one for Southern California: a severe freeze in January, extreme heat in late summer, and fierce fires in October. Just a few…
Garden Allies: Soldier Beetles
A lack of potential for commercial use may help explain why soldier beetles have been so little studied, despite a voracious appetite for aphids, cate…
Epimediums: Queens of the Woodland
Among the most beautiful and charming perennials in the woodland is the epimedium. The delicate early spring bloom and the lovely, yet unobtrusive fol…
Clematis for Small Spaces
The subtitle of Raymond Evison’s latest book, “150 High-performance Plants for Patios, Decks, Balconies and Borders,” will no doubt lure those relatively uninitiated to clematis…
Roots Demystified: Change Your Gardening Habits to Help Plants Thrive
We all know that there are roots beneath a plant, and we have a vague mental image of how they must look. We also know…
The Self-Sustaining Garden: The Guide to Matrix Planting
One of the most important garden books I’ve ever read was Peter Thompson’s The Looking Glass Garden: Plants and Gardens of the Southern Hemisphere (Timber…
Fragrance in Wild Western Gardens: Irises
In California, the best smelling wild irises are to be discovered from around San Jose northward to Laytonville (in Mendocino County), or Garberville …