Planting design for dry gardens Beautiful, resilient groundcovers for terraces, paved areas, gravel, and other alternatives to the lawn

This gorgeously illustrated book is a revolt against the "dreary uniformity" of expansive lawns in deference to natural sustainable landscapes. Lawns demand lots of water, plenty of fertilizer, abundant sunshine, and (worst of all) mowing. Filippi (The Dry Gardening Handbook) makes the case for a paradigm shift from lawns to landscapes by incorporating herbaceous plants, ornamental grasses, ground covers, and even plants typically thought of as weeds. The book highlights the history of lawns and how they came to dominate the horticultural imagination, and then goes on to identify and explain alternative designs with an effective use of gravel gardens, flowering steppes, stone terraces, slopes, and stone-surface gardens. A gravel garden, for example, is covered by thick mineral mulch, which drastically reduces the need for weeding and allows for extensive ground-cover planting, requiring little maintenance while yielding a stunning visual effect. Filippi includes guides for suitable plant types, design strategies, soil preparation, plant choice, water management, and dealing with invasives. The directory of 200 species and their varieties makes this a comprehensive and indispensable resource that will surprise and delight the courageous gardener who is looking to maximize beauty and minimize upkeep. Color illus. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

In southern France, Filippi (The Dry Gardening Handbook) owns a nursery specializing in dry-region plants. After studying drought-resistant plants in their natural habitats, the author tests the plants and various cultivation techniques at his nursery. In this authoritative, visually attractive book, he shares numerous alternatives to traditional lawns using plants suitable for growing in dry climates around the world, from the Mediterranean countries to Australia to Southern California. These include the ground cover that may be walked on or pioneer plants to stabilize slopes, as well as flowering steppes, gravel gardens, mixed perennial and shrub gardens, and flowering meadows. The author then explains how to build and maintain these spaces, concluding with an A-Z of dry garden plants. Arranged alphabetically by scientific name, each entry includes place of origin, height/spread, cultural information, hardiness, drought resistance, a description of the plant and how it changes through the seasons, and propagation techniques. Most items are illustrated with a color photograph. However, measurements are listed only in metric units. VERDICT This attractive, comprehensive work shows how to care for many kinds of beautiful, drought-resistant gardens. It will be savored by gardeners living in Mediterranean-type climates.-Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove P.L., IL © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.