Customer Reviews

California Gardener's Guide Volume II (Gardener's Guides)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We all know that the Sunset Western Garden Book is "the bible" when it comes to horticulture on the Left Coast. But after reading Sterman's fabulous book, it was plain to see what was missing from the other tome. Nan takes us through the rationale for what makes a California garden such a rewarding and unique setting.

As great as her encyclopedic listing of plants is, an equally valuable part of the book is the first 27 pages that help us understand the climate, soil, resources, and the design process. This introduction is worth the price of the entire book and is a must read. Her approach to sustainable practices will resonate with readers, and creates an easy to understand framework for how we can have a beautiful garden while remaining good stewards of the environment.

Though there are only 186 plants featured (far less than Sunset presents), they represent a good cross section of the many categories of plants that play a role in any garden. And the plants are conveniently grouped by category of use.

The information offered for each plant is thorough, and unlike Sunset, gives the same essential information for each plant. By breaking each plant description into four mini-essays, we learn: "When Where, and How to Plant" (about soil type, sun requirements, etc); "Growing Tips" that help us get the plant off to a good start; "Companion Planting and Design" helping the reader to imagine how the plant fits in with an overall composition; and "Try These" which introduces us to other cultivars and varieties of the species plants. The photograph on each page is clear, though two images (one long shot for overall character and another for flower detail) would be even more helpful. Lastly, the array of cartooned icons helps the reader quickly understand opportunities and constraints, like water and solar requirements, habitat value, adaptation to various micro-climates, etc.

I have taught landscape design to average homeowners for nearly 20 years and always recommended the Sunset W. G. Book as a necessary reference. Now there's one more book my students will be needing.

One of the best plants guides for beginning/intermediate San Francisco Bay Area gardeners that I own.

I love plants but am not a talented green-thumb. I want easy-to-grow and not-too-thirsty plants, but don't want my garden to look like any plant bed in a shopping center parking lot. This book includes enough California natives and other unique plants to create a sense of "my own garden," but still are manageable for someone with the level of my green skills. I also like the "Companion Planting and Design" sections to help me with design, or just have fun imagining what her recommendations might look like.

I have Sunset Western Garden Book, which is a wonderful reference book that I treasure. But, it includes too much info not relevant to my zone. Choosing plants from that book is simply overwhelming. Sterman's book is tailored for California gardeners. It has a lot of info for the plants included, each with a photograph (although more will be better). Colorful icons for plant requirements and benefits make choosing plants easy. Chapters categorized by growth type and using common names, rather than botanical names, make this book very user-friendly.

I live in USDA 9b / Sunset 14 zone. Most plants in Sterman's book work in my zone (as well as in the rest of California), and most are non-thirsty. In comparison, California Gardener's Guide volume 1 by Asakawa is geared too much for Southern California, and includes too many plants that are too large for my garden.

On a separate note, if you live in the climate zones similar to mine, I also recommend "Plans and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates of San Francisco Bay Region."

Happy gardening!

When I purchased this book I did so too quickly and didn't realize the word NATIVES was missing.

All the same, I kept the book and like it immensely.

This is a good book, and shows many plants that can be used in a California garden...

HOWEVER:

As the 3rd year of Drought in California goes on (They say it may be ending (2/27/10) I just read in the news) I think that this book and others like it is in part to blame for the water crisis.

Furthermore, due to recent environmental rulings even if we come out of drought, some places will receive %40 less water in coming years.

While many of the plants are excellent, some of them are WATER HUNGRY especially the tropicals that can be used down in L.A and those areas.

People (some of my good friends down by San Bernadino area included) are partially to blame. They have huge water hungry gardens in the desert, well it was desert a year or two ago. Now it's golf course and new sprawling subdivisions.

E.G. My friends live on a golf course and their yard is grass and tropical flowers, and the land was desert.

As FARMERS fields lay fallow due to water restrictions and the fish are dying, people over-water tropical plants not meant to be anywhere near CA.

No salmon fishing again this year they say, they come from Oregon now, but those grass lawns sure are green.

Fisherman are mad, and so are farmers, and they should be.

I understand this book is not to blame, and is rather a symptom of letting populous locales in the desert drain dry the Delta up North... but come on guys.

There are plenty of beautiful CA native plants, some of which are nearly identical, except they are suited to the climate and rainfalls of the area which are not included.

California Gardener's Guide by Nan Sterman fits the need for gardeners in California (not back east) who need to learn more about creating successful gardens with the best plants possible for our winter wet, summer dry climate. She provides the gardening basics, the plant information in great detail, the maintenance issues, great pictures and a wonderful list of places to view and purchase the plants. It's really a pleasure to read and learn from an expert.

California Gardener's Guide Volume II (California Gardener's Guide)Sterman's book fills a large - and until now empty - niche in the library of California and other water-wise gardeners. Although California Gardener's Guide is full of detailed advice on how to plant, prune, divide, propagate and care for myriad plants, its unique value for me is the detailed watering advice Sterman provides for each of the nearly 200 useful and beautiful plants she highlights in her book, everything from bulbs and ground covers to trees. The watering section of each plant listing covers not only initial watering care, but how often to water over the first few years and once the plant is established. This level of detail is missing from other books. All the author's advice flows from her extensive experience growing plants throughout California and takes into account the varied conditions we all face when we put a plant in the ground. She introduces the reader also to new plants as well as new ways to use old favorites along with companion plantings and suitability for use in pots. Everything, in short, is included to make sure our plants, once in the ground, will thrive. The book's handy size, useful organization, and colored photos means this is the book I'll keep in the potting shed and carry out into the garden, with well-thumbed pages, highlighted notes, and muddy finger prints.

I have hundreds of garden books on my shelf and without a doubt, this is the best for California gardeners.

Its concise encyclopedic section points us to the best plants we can grow, with beautiful photography and information that is beyond token. Add to that the introductory section "Welcome to Gardening in California" and you have a book that is complete for any beginner in our golden state and a must-read for even advanced gardeners here who have yet to discover the essentials behind why we grow what we grow.

As Billy Goodnick, I teach general gardening and landscape design and I recommend this as the number one reference to my students.

Yes, the photos are gorgeous but this is not a coffee table book. It's a reference book with an enormous amount of content packed into a small volume and easily navigated at-a-glance. Buy this book and read Nan's sage advice, "Before You Begin Your Dream Garden" on pages 22 and 23. Then take the book to the nursery with you so you are not tempted to buy the wrong plant, and/or, put those you do purchase in the wrong place.

This book is really a guide for all Mediterranean climate gardens, not only Californian ones. I live in South Australia and have found Nan's advice and plant recommendations applicable to my situation, and immensely useful. The book is beautifully illustrated with high quality photos and the information format for each plant is clear and well-organised. (Non-Americans should be aware that imperial measurements and temperatures are used, not metric.)

This is an excellent choice for the California gardener. It has a nice picture of the flower along with a good description about it as well. My Master Gardener friend recommends this book all the time and now I know why.

Love this book California Gardener's Guide Vol.II
Every gardener in California should have a copy because it would save a lot of money, time and effort to know what plants do well in this area. The satisfaction of a beautifully grown garden is expedited. Nan explains all the how, when and where to plant. She let's you know when fruits are ripe and ready to be picked and even what plants compliment each other. Every plant listed includes a beautiful photo.