United States
£ GBP
This is the first month-by-month guide to gardening with native plants in a state that follows a unique, nontraditional seasonal rhythm. Beginning in October, when much of California leaves the dry season behind and prepares for its own green "spring", Helen Popper provides detailed, calendar-based information for both beginning and experienced native gardeners. Each month's chapter lists gardening tasks, including repeated tasks and those specific to each season. Popper offers planting and design ideas, and explains core gardening techniques such as pruning, mulching and propagating. She tells how to use native plants in traditional garden styles, including Japanese, herb, and formal gardens, and recommends places for viewing natives. An essential year-round companion, this beautifully written and illustrated book nurtures the twin delights of seeing wild plants in the garden and garden plants in the wild.
Introduction - California Local
October - Change in the Air
November - Spring Is Here
December - Green Tidings
January - A Happy, Wet New Year
February - Clean and Weed
March - Spring Anew
April - Flowers
May - Collect Your Seeds
June - The Wise Water Balancing Act
July - Mist and Tinder
August - Siesta Time
September - Plan for Fall
Using Natives in Many Garden Styles
Cutting Times
Places to See Natives
Good Friends on the Bookshelf
Acknowledgments
Plant Index
General Index
Helen Popper is Associate Professor of Economics at Santa Clara University.
Eminently readable. . . . This is the book I've been looking for to guide me through a year's program of maintenance of the increasing number of native plants in my own garden. The native gardener in California should not be without it.
- Pacific Horticulture
"For anyone interested in gardening, this book is a delightful read. For anyone interested in gardening with California native plants, this book is a must-read. Helen Popper clearly lays out the tasks required to ensure maximum success with growing, propagating, and maintaining a garden in rhythm with the seasons. This book will definitely be included in my reference library."
- Scott Soden, Artscapes Landscape Design
"Helen Popper has created a lovely resource for both experienced and novice native plant gardeners. The gorgeous photographs will inspire readers to see the natural beauty of natives and challenge us to use them in many garden traditions, from a cottage garden to a Japanese garden."
- Leslie Gray, Executive Director, Environmental Studies Institute, Santa Clara University
