Customer Reviews

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guide)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I typically take books like this out of the local library when I need them, but I've bought this one, because of a combination of factors: low price, great readability, good pictures, good comprehensive overview of the plants. It is not really useful to me in quite the way the authors might have intended, that is, "Don't buy plant X, buy plants Y or Z or W instead..." One's likes/dislikes for plants can be so finessed, that I don't think anyone else could choose substitutes like that for what I might like.

Rather, I just use it to read about the native plants (which is 98% of the book anyway -- it gives very little or no description of the "bad invasive" plants, doesn't explain why or how they're invasive... you must take on faith that those plants are bad.) The book is primarily an inexpensive, well-written description of native plants you should like to use, rather than describing invasives. Very, very good descriptions of the plants, from authors who not only know the plants well, but can pick out the very specific things about each plant that a gardener will like to know when cultivating them. E.g. "can't tolerate extreme heat" or "goes dormant if no moisture" or "has a long taproot so once established shouldn't be moved" -- these are the specifics about plants you've really got to know, and this book seems to tell me much more of those details than others like it.

It's another of many great books from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Incidently, it's not just for east coasters... seems to cover the entire country and all zones fairly well.

This book is kind of like two books in one - it provides the Federal List of Invasive Garden Plants by plant name and state, then takes some of those plants and gives good native alternatives for them.

The natives are good selections and come with photos, descriptions and growing tips. Usually several native options are offered for each invasive.

Aside from being a good resource for identifying invasive plants, it's great to have an easy way to find better plant options.

This book is a bargain at $9.95, even if Amazon isn't discounting the price. And it's a nice way to help support the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

I purchased this book because I was interested in replacing some very aggressive, invasive plantings we inherited when we purchased our current home 4 years ago. I was so very pleased with the depth of information contained regarding native alternatives to common invasives found in a great many regions of the country. Not only did the book describe the native plant's attributes but where best to place them within your landscape as far as soil and light requirements. I enthusiastically recommend this book for serious gardeners anxious to return their properties to a more natural balance. My only disappointment was that there were not more entries! Hope the author writes a second book on the subject!

This book has great photos. After mentioning invasive species, the author recommends native species to use instead. Before reading this book, I did not know that there were so many common plants that are considered invasive. The native alternatives given would look great in any garden.

Great book if you serious about planting native species in your garden. Love everything about this book. Buy it!

This book is useful and relatively inexpensive, but it does have some limitations. Like many gardeners who are concerned about our local ecology, invasive species of plants are a major problem we face. In fact, many of our most noxious weeds are in fact plants that were brought to our continent by the horticultural industry, which by the way, continues to sell many of these invasive species to this day. This book doesn't really seek to describe the invasive species and what makes it invasive, but to describe some alternatives to the invasive plant species that might fill a similar niche in our gardens.

The book faces a couple of monumental challenges. First, a plant that is invasive in one particular part of the country may be well behaved in another. Buddleia davidii (butterfly bush) is indeed invasive in the Eastern part of the country. Here in the west, it is contained in gardens and is unlikely to escape cultivation because of the requirements of water. If it did escape cultivation, it would probably be outcompeted along waterways by either native willows are another invasive plant, tamarisk. All these subtleties are not addressed in the book, which limits the scope, but probably assists the reader from getting bogged down with information overload.

This book, try as it might to provide a national perspective to the problem of invasive plants and provide alternatives, it does seem a little bit geared towards the eastern part of the continent. A large percentage of the species listed are not invasive here in Utah, and would not likely survive outside cultivation. For more and better regional information, I would encourage people to check with their local extension service or look for other regional based services.

The descriptions of many of the plants seem to be the best part of the book and it is for this that I give the book four stars. Looking for good alternatives to invasive species is a worthy goal, and this book starts the gardener on their way with some viable alternatives. I suggest to all gardeners to use this book as a starting point, and to contact local native plant societies and other resources. Out native wildlife will benefit, and when they benefit, we all seem to.

Best book I've seen so far that gives lists of native plants with characteristics similar to the non-native, invasive plants gardeners often plant. Many reference books listed in back for further reading as well. Many books list all the invasive species, but gardeners like to plant them because, well, they're pretty! Often, there is a North American native alternative available that is good/safe for the environment and just as pretty or functional, but average gardeners just didn't ever hear about them. Our ancestors brought many of these plants with them from Europe to remind them of home in the big, unfamiliar wilderness, but these plants have no native checks on them and have caused harm to the environment. This book will undoubtedly help any gardener toss off the fear that "Going Native" in their gardens means going weedy or for less floriforous plants. Book gives several alternatives for most plants so there is much variety from which to choose. One of the best guides I've seen to date.

This is a handy reference for the gardener who wants to replace invasive and harmful exotic plants with natives that sustain wildlife and survive without expensive chemicals and watering. Mr. Burell is a knowledgeable gardener. He explains why the exotics are harmful and suggests good replacements for them, describing the conditions in which they grow and thrive. Although this is a slim book and covers a limited number of plants, there are numerous references to other source, so all of ones favorite natives should be covered. After reading it I wanted to throw out all the foreigners from my yard and replace them with lovely natives. Practicality and budget will control that urge and I will replace some of the most offending species.

This book is a mystery to me. It has a list of invasive, what states they're invasive in, and goes as far to recommend replacements. What I don't understand is why it's a pocket sized book (about that of a novel).

Am I expected to carry it around the woods or a garden store with me?
No, the pictures of invasive plants are far to small to ID anything with. The garden store is usually good enough to have things labeled but rarely do you find one good enough to carry some of the native plants this book recommends. I have never seen a ButtonBush sold anywhere but online, and actually it's hard enough just to find Milkweed. Though there seems to be a trend growing where more native plants are showing up in garden stores. I busted out laughing when I saw one selling Goldenrod. Native trees and wildflowers you'll have better luck finding at the nursery.

These books never seem to have the balls to out right say These plants should be banned from sale! Purple loosestrife is an invasive plant in most of the US but it's not banned from sale at garden nurseries in a lot of the states. This undermines the millions of dollars put towards conservationist work.

I suppose it's good to have a book on this topic but this is more like a reference and nothing more. It doesn't tell you why they're invasive or what damage they can do.

This little book is pretty good. The information is up to date and accurate. The suggestions are useful. I would recommend it to anyone.