Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas [Paperback]

George Oxford Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2006

Have you ever planted a beautiful, and expensive, shrub in your yard and watched it slowly die because it was in the wrong location? Not enough light, too much water, improper soil, or too hot an exposure can turn the nursery-perfect specimen into an eyesore. This all-in-one guide helps you beautify your yard, not with high-maintenance imports, but with native plants adapted to your local growing conditions. Whether as a foundation hedge, mass planting, or accent shrub, native species can provide year-round beauty to your yard. While the interest in native-plant landscaping and xeriscaping (sp?) has mushroomed, the necessary "how-to," "when-to," and "what-to" has been slow in coming. In this comprehensive, richly illustrated guide, George Oxford Miller describes the best of the best. Covering wildflowers, shrubs, trees, vines, cacti, and groundcovers, the book selects the species that combine ornamental qualities, growth habit, adaptability, and year-round beauty for the highest landscape value. Chapters with photos, maps, charts, and design samples provide guidelines for species selection and planting, ongoing maintenance, landscape design, and water and energy conservation. Plant descriptions and photographs provide detailed habitat requirements for each and illustrate how each plant looks and responds to landscape conditions. New and experienced gardeners alike will find the facts and advice needed to choose the plants best adapted for their particular landscape design. The unique botanical heritage of Texas provides a treasure chest of choices for home and commercial landscaping. The ornamental beauty of our native species and the economic advantages of using plants adapted to the local climate have demonstrated that the best for our yards sometimes comes from our own backyards, often literally as urban sprawl creeps across the prairies, hills, and forests of our state. But perhaps most importantly, using native plants encourages the repair and preservation of natural plant communities and the wildlife they shelter.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Web site, May 2006 (circ. unavailable)

“George Miller offers the definitive guide to choosing the best of the best among Texas’ native plants.”
                                                                                                                                                  

Houston Lifestyle & Homes, April 2007

“Author George Oxford Miller will teach you how to successfully incorporate local plants into your landscape.”

 

The Monitor (McAllen TX), May 12, 2006 (circ.: 50,000, also online)

“This seems to be the only guide you will need to earn that ‘yard of the month’ sign by the 4th of July.”

The Bryan-College Station Eagle (Bryan, TX), May 12, 2006

“I applaud Miller’s effort to get gardeners to push the envelope on landscaping flora, and I like the way the 192-page softcover book is organized … Also worth noting: Special lists near the front of the book

About the Author

Environmental photojournalist George Oxford Miller is writer, photographer, and third-generation nurseryman. He is well known for his many magazine articles, books, and photography on the plants and animals of Texas and the Southwest. His work has appeared in periodicals such as Living Bird, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Wildlife Conservation and in publications of the National Wildlife Federation and the Sierra Club. He is author or co-author of several books, including Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas, A Field Guide to Wildlife of Texas and the Southwest, and The Ozarks: The People, the Mountains, the Magic. Miller resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Voyageur Press; 1st edition (April 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760325391
• ISBN-13: 978-0760325391
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #805,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource, May 2, 2007

By 

Maria James (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas (Paperback)

I love this book. I took it to the nursery with me to pick out my plants. I have started my native garden and all the plants are doing marvelously well- exactly as the book stated. I look forward to years of developing my Texas garden. I strongly recommend this book. I am a beginner gardener and really have no idea what I'm doing, but this book has helped me immensely.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fabulous, October 23, 2008

By 

L. Dobbins - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas (Paperback)

There are some books that are more than good--they are fabulous. And what makes this one so great? Pictures! And the right pictures...this is how it really looks...in a typical "garen" or landscaped area. That's what makes this book so fabulous. The book shows you what it could look like, shows you variances, and then how to do it. Buy it!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Butterfly Garden, April 22, 2009

By 

Sidney W. Vanloh "master gardner" (Temple, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas (Paperback)

The book provided the necessary information that allowed me to design a landscape butterfly garden for a local school project. It assisted in the selection of plants that both attract butterflies and provide food for their larva. The book was clear and comprehensive in the information provided.