Product Description

California Native Plants for the Garden is a comprehensive resource that features more than 500 of the best California native plants for gardening in Mediterranean-climate areas of the world. Authored by three of the state's leading native-plant horticulturists and illustrated with 450 color photos, this reference book also includes chapters on landscape design, installation, and maintenance. Detailed lists of recommended native plants for a variety of situations and appendices with information on places to see native plants and where to buy them are also provided.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23429 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 280 pages

Review
"California Native Plants for the Garden"... is a stunner and comes at just the right time . . . a marvelous new resource. -- San Jose Mercury News, December 10, 2005

An authoritative reference on California gardening, with detailed advice on landscape design, installation, watering, pruning, and pest control. -- Los Angeles Times, January 26, 2006

Go out and buy "California Native Plants for the Garden"... [this] new book is a must-have. -- San Francisco Chronicle, February 15, 2006

This guidebook . . . is both practical and inspirational. Lovingly detailed plant profiles . . . make you covet each species. -- Sunset Magazine, April 2006

[It] provides a dazzling array of native plant possibilities for every garden situation, combined with a wealth of practical information. -- Pacific Horticulture, January 2006

[The authors] have combined their deep knowledge of and extensive experience with California plants into a thorough and charismatic guide. -- Sue Rosenthal, Bay Nature Magazine, Fall, 2005

From the Publisher
"California Native Plants for the Garden" is a recipient of the 2006 Book Award from the American Horticultural Society

About the Author
Carol Bornstein is the Director of Living Collections and Nursery at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, which is devoted to the study, display, and conservation of California's native flora. In her work with native plants, she has experimented with innovative design applications, introduced new cultivars, and provided a strong voice for regionally appropriate landscaping through her writing and teaching.

David Fross is the founder and president of Native Sons Wholesale Nursery, a grower specializing in plants from Mediterranean-climate regions of the world. He teaches horticulture at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and directed the development of the California Collection at the university's Leaning Pine Arboretum.

Bart O'Brien is the Director of Horticulture and Curator of the Living Collection at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont, an educational institution dedicated to research, conservation, and horticulture of California native plants. A fifth-generation Californian, he is an authority on the native flora of the state and of northern Baja California and is an accomplished collector, grower, lecturer, and author. He was named Horticulturist of the Year in 2005 by the Southern California Horticultural Society.

Customer Reviews

Great book for CA native gardeners
I love this book! I bought it a few weeks ago and I've kept it close to me ever since.

*Fantastic color pictures, easily averaging two per page. (If nothing else, the photography alone would make it a great coffee table book. It transcends that limitation however by being so research intensive.)

*Crisp, informative writing with attention paid to color (flower, foliage, bark, etc), shape and habit, site analysis, and seasonal interest for every entry.

*Three-to-five chunky paragraphs for each plant with key families like manzanita and pine getting several pages.

*Clear, straightforward endorsements and appraisals. "Desert willow is simply the best summer-blooming large shrub or small tree that California has to offer." "Though justly and thoroughly praised through the years as the queen of California's wildflowers, Matilija poppy is both finicky and aggressive in the garden." "This first-rate sage [Salvia spathacea] satisfies on all counts and truly lives up to its name by attracting hummingbirds to your garden." "It would be difficult to come up with another California native to top giant coreopsis in the weird-looking plant category."

*Appendices include several pages listing native plant nurseries and public gardens throughout CA, and a five page bibliography.

I could go on praising this book. (I only found one plant missing from this book I'd have expected to see: Vaccinium ovatum.)

Wonderful book!
This book distinguishes itself by offering wonderful color photgraphs of most of the plants it discusses. This is a significant advantage for neophyte native plant gardeners. Other valuable and well-respected books on the same topic, such as Growing California Native Plants by Marjorie G. Schmidt, don't offer even close to the same pictorial experience.

Don't think that it's all about the photgraphs, however. The rest of the book is put together well and stands side by side with any other California native plant guides for completeness of information.

A review of plants best suitable for California gardens, covering cultivation, landscape design usage, water needs, and more
If you're a California gardener you can't be without CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS FOR THE GARDEN, which is deserving of ongoing recommendation as one of the most comprehensive guides on the subject we've seen. Color photos pack a comprehensive review of plants best suitable for California gardens, covering cultivation, landscape design usage, water needs, and more. From pruning requirements to common diseases and insect problems, plants in CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS FOR THE GARDEN are all thoroughly detailed.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch