This is the perfect book for getting rid of that unsustainable lawn and replacing it with beautiful, year-round plants in a tiny meadow inspired by nature. In Tiny+Wild, (Cool Springs Press, 2023), author and designer Graham Laird Gardner. As he explains in the introduction to the book, large, natural spaces characterized by "texture, energy, and seasonality" can be transposed into a "container, corner, or entire lot." He adds, "The sum of these small efforts is greater than their individual moments of beauty. Together, they offer a patchwork of habitat, forage, and cover--pathways for pollinators, food for songbirds, and delight for humans."
Gardner takes you through the process of creating, designing, planting, and caring for your small meadow in the following chapters, accompanied by gorgeous photos of gardens and plants. At the back of the book, there are a number of very useful lists of meadow-appropriate plants for all conditions (ie, bulbs, part-shade plants, dry sun plants, annuals, grasses, groundcovers and more).
Another plus is a list of gardens, books, and designers where you can find more info, but particularly more inspiration. If you didn't think you could ever have a meadow, this is the book you want.
If you live in a dry climate region, you need water-wise plants and planting design. In Dry Climate Gardening, (Cool Springs Press, 2023), author and horticulturist Noelle Johnson (known as the "AZ Plant Lady") shows you how to design, install, and maintain a garden with minimal water.
As she explains in the introduction, dry climate gardens can be much more than rocks and cacti. "You can have a garden filled with flowering shrubs and groundcovers or one filled with unique shapes of cacti and succulents, or a combination of both....a beautiful outdoor space that will shrug off the stress of low humidity, drought, and intense heat."
In the following chapters, she explains how choosing the right plants can prevent water loss, how to design for impact, how to reduce fire risk, and much more. Plant profiles accompanied by photos illustrate the possibilities for beauty, and gorgeous photos of gardens throughout the book are truly inspirational. Resources at the back of the book include additional books and online resources on the subject and a list of arid climate botanical gardens where you can see the results yourself.
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