Customer Reviews

The Pacific Northwest Gardener's Book of Lists

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

 

 

This book will make you an instant plant guru! Anyone who's ever needed a plant to fill a particualr spot in their garden and wished for a reliable source will love The Pacific Northwest Gardener's Book of Lists. The authors have divided the plant kingdom up by its major forms - i.e., trees, shrubs, annuals, etc - with a couple sections devoted to special groups such as roses and rhododendrons. Each section is comprised of plant lists for various conditions - for shade, dry shade, hot sun, evergreen foliage, all-year interest, etc. Both common and botanical names are listed in most cases, making this book appealing to both new and experienced plantspeople. And it's well-indexed for easy cross-referencing. Each section is also peppered with sidebars from various experts from the local horticultural community. Their comments usually expand on the topic of the nearest list and provide a fresh, first-hand perspective. The only thing this book doesn't provide is pictures an! d plant descriptions. When I sit down to down to do research with The Book of Lists, I typically grab my Encyclopedia of Garden Plants to provide more information. Add a cup of coffee and a window looking out on my yard and I'm content for hours!

Consult this book before you start your projects. As a master gardener it has been invaluable answering questions from the public. What species of tree can I plant in a wet land? What shrub can handle dark shade? Over 200 lists answering this type of question. Geared for the Puget Sound.

In one sense, this book is great. If you want a list of plants that fit one certain criteria, just look for that list. The book is fairly easy to use in this sense, and that's why I gave it three stars; it seems like the authors spent a lot of time thinking about how to organize this book so you could find the list you were after.

The problem is that no one picks a plant based upon one single criteria. One could page back and forth to see which lists contain which plants, but that seems rather more complicated than simply reading the complete descriptions in your copy of Sunset's Western Garden Book.

Of course, you need to narrow your focus before diving into the Sunset book. And there is the dilemma. This book answers that dilemma, sort of. It offers a first step, a way to begin the process of elimination. But you'll drop this book immediately upon narrowing your focus. If, say, you're looking at the 13 trees in the "trees with fragrant blossoms" list and then proceed to the Sunset book to read complete descriptions of each tree you'll discover that one of the trees in the "fragrant blossoms" list (Southern Magnolia) is difficult or impossible to grow things underneath. You could also find this out by looking up "trees that are impossible to grow things underneath" in the Book of Lists, but you wouldn't know to do this without having already looked in the Sunset book. Confused yet?

Basically, this book offers one way to narrow the focus a little before you begin investigating specific plants. That's worth something, I guess. However, if you are expecting that you will be able to use this book to determine the right plant for a situation, it won't work for that.

This is a book of lists, yes. We love lists especially when someone else makes them for us. Then we can simply check off what we want to buy. This book is just that. Lists, lists and more lists. The disclaimer I mentioned in my title should read: Some of these lists include noxious or invasive weeds.

A few weeds on the list that are included in the book are: English Ivy/Hedera helix; Creeping Buttercup/Ranunculus acris and Butterfly Bush/Buddleia davidii. These plants are listed as Noxious Weeds or Weeds of Concern on the King County WA Weed List.

Becase the authors include such weeds in their book it leads me to believe that they just threw in any old plant that would grow in a specific climate or microclimate in the PNW without regard to exactly how it grows. If you are familiar with creeping buttercup you know what I mean.

If you still are interested in this book of lists then at least do a bit of research on the plants you're considering. Take a look at your county website and see if there is a weed list before planting anything. Your best bet is to find a native plant resource website or book so you can be sure your plants aren't noxious or invasive and that they are native to our area. Here is one:
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This a great place to start your adventure into landscaping. Pick the microclimate,pick if you want a shrub, tree etc. Check out the appropriate list in this great book. It gives a great place to start when you have limited knowledge and an empty space you can't wait to fill!. I followed up the list refering to books/internet/nurseries which describe the plants in detail.

Length:: 1:42 Mins

I love the lists in this book for jogging my memory or giving ideas for tough situations. Since the book is just lists and doesn't flesh out what each plant does in detail, you do need to know your plants before this will be useful to you, but if you are in need of some brainstorming help, this is a great place to turn. I use my copy often.

A rose needs lots of sun and looks really sad trying to grow under a tree. Put the right plant in the right spot - take this book plant shopping and enjoy growing plants that thrive in the right location. Most often garden planning starts with a site that needs something and the authors simplify this process with lists of plant suggestions that fit the site conditions.