An essential reference to gardening in hot and cold dry climates.

Gardening where summers are hot and prone to periods of drought, or where winters are snowy one week and freezing rain the next, is best managed by xeriscaping -- dryland gardening techniques that favor not only water conservation but also the conservation of time, energy and other resources.

Xeriscaping enthusiasts exist throughout North America wherever the climate calls for dryland gardening, from the Great Plains prairies to the California desert.

Dryland Gardening explains time-tested strategies:

• Coping with limited access to water
• Dealing with invasive plants
• Dealing with trees under stress
• Nurturing groundcovers and grasses
• Starting bulbs, perennials and vines
• Growing vegetables, herbs and annuals.

This book includes both practical advice for dry-climate gardeners as well as an extensive planting list for grasses and groundcovers, bulbs, perennials and vines, vegetables and annuals, herbs, roses and shrubs.

Each plant entry provides:

• Common and botanical names
• Detailed descriptions
• Planting instructions, care and maintenance.

Dryland Gardening celebrates a resilient garden with a beauty that requires fewer resources and less time.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Gardening where summers are hot and prone to periods of drought, or where winters are snowy one week and freezing rain the next, is best managed by xeriscaping -- dryland gardening techniques that favor not only water conservation but also the conservation of time, energy and other resources.

Xeriscaping enthusiasts exist throughout North America wherever the climate calls for dryland gardening, from the Great Plains prairies to the California desert.

Dryland Gardening explains time-tested strategies:Coping with limited access to water Dealing with invasive plants Dealing with trees under stress Nurturing groundcovers and grasses Starting bulbs, perennials and vines Growing vegetables, herbs and annuals.

This book includes both practical advice for dry-climate gardeners as well as an extensive planting list for grasses and groundcovers, bulbs, perennials and vines, vegetables and annuals, herbs, roses and shrubs.

Each plant entry provides:Common and botanical names Detailed descriptions Planting instructions, care and maintenance.

Dryland Gardening celebrates a resilient garden with a beauty that requires fewer resources and less time.

SYNOPSIS

With some daunting statistics on the impact of global warming, this gardener writer/editor introduces xeriscaping with drought-tolerant, adaptable plants. For gardening in this new unpredictable climate, Bennett discusses water conservation measures and lists plants (from herbs to shrubs) suitable for low-water landscapes. She includes favorites, color photos from botanical gardens in North America, a simplified climate zone map, and resources. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Increasingly common watering restrictions augur the necessity of growing drought-tolerant plants. Garden writer and editor Bennett (Lilacs for the Garden) shows how, with careful plant selection, gardeners can create beautiful, diverse, low-maintenance gardens using little water. She begins by sharing ways to conserve water, use rainwater, build watering systems, and choose and care for plants; suggestions for hundreds of drought-tolerant plants-most of which grow in USDA hardiness zones 4-7-follow. While these young plants need watering when first transplanted, and their seeds require water to germinate, once mature they are generally drought-resistant. Bennett divides her coverage of these hardy plants into six sections: herbs, grasses and ground covers, bulbs, perennials and vines, annuals, and shrubs; each section is arranged by scientific name. Entries include common name, hardiness zones, a general description, cultural information, and suggested cultivars with descriptions. Lovely color photographs illustrate the text, though not every genus is pictured. Easy to read, informative, and timely, this book is recommended for public and horticultural libraries in zones 4-7.-Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove P.L., IL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.