Customer Reviews

The Southern Gardener's Book of Lists: The Best Plants for All Your Needs, Wants, and Whims

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Finally, a concise book of lists for Southern Gardeners! Unlike most garden books that muse on the pleasures of gardening, this book presents information in an easily retrievable format. It helps to have knowledge of plant material to use this book. A good companion to The Southern Gardeners Book of Lists is Dr. Mike Dirr's book Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. As a registered landscape architect, I use these two books consistantly. I recommend The Book of Lists to all of my serious gardening clients.

Besides a great book about southern plants, this book is also very, very funny. I've been consulting it for a couple of years now--the categories listed always make me laugh. I also appreciate that book divides the south is divided into climate zones--coastal south, middle south, etc. It does make a difference.
What I wish the author would do next is to create a CD to accompany the book that would cross-reference these lists. Right now, I'm hunting a tree that's small enough for a New Orleans courtyard, has good fall color, preferably fruit too, easy to rake leaves, heat and drought resistant, and won't topple over easily in a storm. See what I mean?

This book is necessary for any serious garderner in the South. Chaplin has hundreds of plant lists, covering everything from "Trees with Inconvenient Litter" to "Vines for the Beach". Each plant is accompanied by the recommended best planting areas: All South, Upper South, Middle South and Coastal South. She also includes advice from area nursery owners and respected garderners. This book puts all the plants together in an easy to find format, which should be helpful to all garderners, whether amature or professional.

I bought this book years ago and refer to it often. I've also given it as a gift to several friends. If you garden under difficult conditions (i.e. heavy clay, shade) this book will make your life easier.

This helped me sort out my own list for what I want in my garden, and what I want to get out of it. Information is to the point. Experienced gardeners/designers/nursery professionals sharing their choices, all simply stated.
Without the positive reviews on this book, I might have passed it over. Nice one to have on the shelf.

Excellent resource for the wish-I-knew gardner. Will keep you from making plant selection mistakes.

I am floored that this book is out of print. I have purchased this book over and over again for gifts. It is a one of a kind book and should be in every gardener's library. It is worth the wait to get this book! Buy it and get extra copies to give away.

Beware of one small problem - according to this book, if you live south of Gainesville, Florida you are no longer in the "South". It only covers the Upper South through the Coastal South and, as a result, many of its recommendations are just not workable in the Tropical South (Zones 9 - 11).

I sure wish I had this book when I moved to North Carolina.
As a novice gardener I spend a lot of money on plants that just were not for my garden. Recently, a friend moved to Florida and I purchased this book for her. I am sure it will be very useful with landscaping her new home.

I was expecting to see WHAT these plants look like, but to my disappointment,there weren't many photos-
This one will make it to the garage sale...