Landscaping with Wildflowers : An Environmental Approach to Gardening [Paperback]

Jim Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 16, 1993

A beautiful and practical guide to natural gardening, this book addresses the increasing interest in recreating natural landscapes. Wildflowers are hardier, less demanding of water, and not so dependent on chemical fertilizers as other species of flowers. In this illustrated book, the author shows the reader how to grow wildflowers on all types of terrain and specialized landscapes such as dry and wet terrain and high-altitude garden.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With his usual breezy, informal style, Wilson ( Landscaping with Container Plants ) tries to tame wildflowers just enough to convince doubters that they can convert part of their yards to meadow, prairie or woodland. Previous books have explored in equal or greater detail the same ideas, but Wilson's recognition as the host of PBS's Victory Garden South may lend his approach greater authority. The examples used to illustrate the various garden designs are invigorating, but may prove too large in scope for readers to feel comfortable adapting them to modest plots (how many people have a one-acre front yard to transform into a prairie? And how many towns would allow it?) Wisely, Wilson advises readers to check local ordinances before tackling such plans. That criticism aside, the book contains much that is useful: how to plant and maintain the garden, strategies for gardeners in the desert Southwest, the mountainous West and the Pacific Northwest, and strategies for gardeners with problem soil (damp, boggy). He devotes a chapter to luring butterflies and birds. Regional plant lists, garnered from experts across the country, will prove helpful, as will Wilson's analysis of those ubiquitous seed mixtures sold in cans. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (April 16, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039566926X
• ISBN-13: 978-0395669266
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,731,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Landscaping with Wildflowers, April 10, 2010

By 

avid gardener (Bellingham, WA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Landscaping with Wildflowers : An Environmental Approach to Gardening (Paperback)

This book discusses ways in which the home gardener can successfully cultivate natural gardens that are self-sustaining and environmentally-friendly using native plants. I purchased this book as a gift for a relative who built a Prairie-style home and then landscaped with a true prairie garden. She appreciated this book and told me it added significantly to the "prairie" section of her library. Inspired by sustainable gardening and her mid-western (U.S.) prairie home, she designed and executed a lovely, natural garden using this and many other books. Last time I visited her garden (last week), there were too many wild birds to count, from owls to wrens, and woodpeckers (4 kinds that I saw) to meadowlarks. The garden was lovely, even in spring thaw mode, and alive with activity.