Southern California Native Flower Garden, The: A Guide to Size, Bloom, Foliage, Color, and Texture [Hardcover-spiral]

Susan Van Atta (Author), Peter Gaede (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2009

Plants native to Southern California are uniquely beautiful and thrive on their own with minimal water, pruning or trimming, fertilizers, and soil amendments. This book proves that creating environmentally sensitive design does not mean putting in extraordinary effort or sacrificing beauty. Includes detailed descriptions and growing information for some of the region's most interesting, attractive plants and has easy-to-use tri-cut flip pages.

Susan Van Atta has received numerous awards for her innovative environmentally sensitive designs, including the 2008 National FASLA Award of Honor in General Design and the 2007 Environmental Protection Agency Award for Sustainable Design. She lives in Santa Barbara.

A comprehensive guide to 165 flowering plants native to Southern California
(20100302)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The more you use the book, the better you get at making the most of it, I'm finding. For instance, at first I was just paying attention to make sure the plants I was combining needed the same amount of sun and water. But, then, after awhile, without really setting out to, I began combining plants that had the same origin--woodland, coastal sage, etc.--and the combinations, not surprisingly, looked like they belonged together.

I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised this would be a great book. I've seen and loved many a Susan Van Atta garden--several of which have appeared in Sunset's pages. And I know Van Atta dearly loves native plants and that the 164 species she's chosen for this book have been thoroughly vetted.

(Susan Cohoon, Senior Garden Writer Sunset )

From the Back Cover

The Southern California Native Flower Garden is a comprehensive guide to 164 flowering plants native to California. Plants native to this region are uniquely beautiful and can thrive on their own with minimal water, pruning or trimming, fertilizers, or soil amendments.

The Southern California Native Flower Garden includes:
o Detailed descriptions and growing information for 164 native plants.
o Easy-to-use tri-cut flip pages with illustrations to mix and match plants.
o Information on height and spread, soil needs, and Sunset Climate Zones.
o Symbols showing growing season and water and sunlight requirements for at-a-glance comparison.
o Icons depicting the type of wildlife each plant attracts.
o A comprehensive resource section.

Susan Van Atta, FASLA, is founder and president of award-winning landscape architecture firm Van Atta Associates, Inc. She holds degrees in environmental studies and landscape architecture, and dedicates herself to environmentally appropriate landscape design, habitat restoration, and the use of native plants.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover-spiral: 144 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith; 1 Spi edition (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423603281
• ISBN-13: 978-1423603283
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #839,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

SUSAN VAN ATTA, FASLA
Van Atta Associates, President

Long before sustainability became a focus in the design professions, Susan Van Atta's work reflected a commitment to environmentally appropriate landscape design. Susan approaches design with a deep understanding of environmental processes gained from a degree in environmental studies from UC Santa Barbara and an early career in California coastal planning and environmental impact assessment. Her experience includes over twenty-five years as a practicing landscape architect since obtaining a degree in Landscape Architecture from CPSU, San Luis Obispo. Van Atta's award-winning designs pay careful attention to form and detail, but her work transcends mere aesthetic improvements. Instead, Susan strives to "make places better" by regenerating the land, engaging the public in site understanding and site stewardship, and promoting health for both people and the environment.

In 2009 Susan Van Atta was elected to the ASLA 2009 Council of Fellows for the impressive body of work she has created with a two-decade-long commitment to landscape design, habitat restoration, and the use of native plants. She is often called upon to give lectures on topics of design and sustainability at seminars, colleges, and other community forums.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent referrence guide for sustainable gardening, March 17, 2010

By 

M. Webb "yousatonmycactus" (Ventura, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Southern California Native Flower Garden, The: A Guide to Size, Bloom, Foliage, Color, and Texture (Kindle Edition)

The Southern California Native Flower Garden by Susan Van Atta is the most comprehensive guide for determining sustainable landscape plants for your Southern California garden that I have ever read. Water needs, beneficial insect and bird attractors, growing habits, soil requirements, sun and shade needs, color palette, companion plants, it's all there. The unique three segment pages allow for quick comparisons for all of the above.

The author, Susan Van Atta knows her plants and knows Southern California. She designed the new rose garden at Lotusland, attempting to "channel" the style of Madame Ganna Walska, the donor of the world reknowned Botanical Garden in Santa Barbara.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Southern California Native Flower Garden, February 24, 2010

By 

Stephen Wayne Hosea - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Southern California Native Flower Garden, The: A Guide to Size, Bloom, Foliage, Color, and Texture (Kindle Edition)

I love this handy size, you can take it anywhere and it isn't heavy! I really like the organization of plants by color, size, which animals are attracted, drought tolerance, and texture. You can actually design a garden yourself with this small book easily, layering plants to create shapes and contrast. I have always been interested in landscape design, this book gives me an understanding of how to actually create a sun and shade garden in California with native plant life. I couldn't be happier!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic garden book!, February 15, 2010

By 

Wendy B (Santa Barbara, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Southern California Native Flower Garden, The: A Guide to Size, Bloom, Foliage, Color, and Texture (Kindle Edition)

This is a wonderful, practical garden book! The organization of the native plants according to size is very helpful for planning a garden with the 3 split page format. It's a handy size easy to carry either to nurseries or when hiking in the back country to identify plants. The descriptions are thorough and helpful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in planting native flowers and concerned with drought tolerant plants.