Anyone with an interest in hardy, drought-tolerant plants will find an abundance of tempting possibilities. Gardeners in the Interior West and Great Plains face a daunting challenge: a harsh, semi-arid climate of scorching summers and brutally cold winters. These climatic extremes rule out many standard garden plants that thrive in areas with greater rainfall and more moderate temperatures.
In this comprehensive volume, Robert Nold describes the best picks among perennials and annuals; grasses; bulbs; rock garden plants; cacti; yuccas and other similar plants; shrubs; and trees - more than a thousand plants in all. Leavened with humor and rueful wisdom, Nold's pithy descriptions zero in on each plant's outstanding ornamental characteristics while giving the reader an accurate idea of what to expect from the plant's performance in the garden. A must-have for readers in: Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Robert Nold is a member of numerous plant societies, including the Alpine Garden Society and the North American Rock Garden Society (who honored him with its Award for Service), and a regular writer for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society and the Colorado Gardener. His monograph on the genus Penstemon (Timber Press, 1999) was honored as an Outstanding Academic Book by Choice magazine. Bob enjoys his garden in Lakewood, Colorado, with his wife, Cindy, an artist who shows her own fondness for plants and hawkmoths through her photographs and watercolors.
A humorous, practical book for any Western gardener looking for drought-friendly gardening advice. -- Renee Struthers-Hogge East Oregonian 20080615 With tips on breeds of plants that can thrive in the climate and survive both extremes of temperature, High and Dry is a scholarly and well researched book on gardening in inhospitable climates. Highly recommended. Midwest Book Review 20080801 A must-have primer for the water-conscious gardener. -- Dana Coffield Denver Post 20080425 Nold, an adept and often funny writer, has written a plant book that will be invaluable to gardeners and plant specialists for its presentation of his extensive knowledge of these native plants and his experience growing them, without any irrigation. SciTech Book News 20081201