The Undaunted Garden: Planting for Weather-Resilient Beauty [Paperback]

Lauren Springer Ogden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 2000

A fresh new voice in American gardening combines authoritative, practical gardening advice with commentary on the art of painting with plants to show readers how to choose plants that will offer beauty and resilience in the difficult garden. Includes detailed descriptions of more than 65 recommended plants--as well as lists of more than 200 beautiful yet tough plants organized according to season. 264 color photos by the author.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This book is for the active gardener yearning for continued intelligent, informative counsel. Weather-resilient planting is discussed in terms of all types of plants that have been proven--in the author's own garden--to withstand such extreme situations as dry shade or hail. She is a veritable fount of horticultural wisdom, presenting a range of topics that encompasses far more than simply weather resilience. The most eye-opening facet of this book (and one sure to intrigue avid gardeners) is the wealth of references to unusual plant varieties not found in most gardening books. Alice Joyce --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Lauren Springer has created a classic work about plant composition...Her gardener'snet is flung worldwide to capture the most beautiful species and those most effortless to grow." —Fine Gardening Magazine

"This is the 'tough plants for tough places' idea done to perfection." —National Gardening

"Lauren Springer has the gift of infectious enthusiasm, and as a gardener, writer, and photographer she takes her place among the best." —American Horticulturalist

"One of the most sensible and helpful garden books to come along in years." —Harrowsmith Country Life

"One of the earliest, and still best, books on the topic (of draught-tolerant plants)." —This Old House Magazine

"Hundreds of Lauren Springer's luminous photographs illustrate an enormously painterly approach to garden design." — Nina Williams, editor, Country Living Gardener

"A witty, lyrical manifesto for gardening in continental regions. This is a horticultural chinook blasting stale ideas and cliches out of the way." —Panayoti Kelaidis, curator, Rock Alpine Garden, Denver Botanic Gardens

"An instant classic! Lauren Springer's ground-breaking book broadens the horizons of every gardener working in difficult climates. It is practical, passionate, and persuasive..." —Rob Proctor, author of The Outdoor Potted

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing (July 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555910076
• ISBN-13: 978-1555910075
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,227,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superlative!, February 16, 2000

By 

Kathy King (New Mexico) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Undaunted Garden: Planting for Weather-Resilient Beauty (Hardcover)

I have checked this book out at the public library so many times I wonder if anyone else had a chance! I live at 7300 feet, and appreciate Ms. Springer's attention to our unique weather problems. But I first read the book when I lived at 200 feet, and everything worked for that altitude, too. She advises on those tough places in your garden, like Dry Shade, and includes tons of recomendations on annuals, long blooming perennials, and 'roses for the realist'. You can always get basic gardening advice from those encyclopedia garden books - Ms. Springer shows you how to put plants together for a great look. Her photographs are breathtaking! Do not go another season without purchasing this book!

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! My new garden bible and friend!, November 17, 1999

By 

Shari Hogan (Ashfork, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Undaunted Garden: Planting for Weather-Resilient Beauty (Hardcover)

Lauren Springer has written an entertaining, informative and beautifully photographed book! She is obviously well educated in her field yet came across like the wife and mom with hobbies that she also is. This made me feel like even I, the novice gardener and homemaker new to the high desert, could also have a colorful landscape. We have the additional challenge of living on forty arid acres off-the-grid so water comes only from nature or on a truck. I had a fantasy of turning this barren land into a lush paradise, but was paralyzed by the overwhelming task ahead and fear of failure, before THIS BOOK. Now there's a plan! The first steps in soil preparation have finally begun, seeds started, and a few trees even planted! This book stands out among dozens of others because Ms. Springer "talked" to me like a neighbor over coffee. Down to earth, logical comments along with the education made me feel like I could relate and accomplish anything; "failures" will now only be learning experiences and compost material. For anyone living in dry, high, hot summers and cold winters like here in No. Arizona and Denver, make this the anchor book in your gardening library ("Dry-Land Gardening" by Jennifer Bennet is also a great addition). I'll probably buy any of this author's future publications, regardless of the subject, because this one was so well written. Thanks, Lauren!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plant Choices for Tough Garden Sites, October 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Undaunted Garden: Planting for Weather-Resilient Beauty (Hardcover)

As a landscape designer, I have found Lauren's book 'The Undaunted Garden : Planting for Weather-Resilient Beauty' to be as important a tool as pruners, shovels and trowels.

By dividing plant lists into groups that agree with every kind of climate around a building, I can quickly go 'there' and select just the right plant(s). Then I can fantasize about and enrich my knowledge of others. The listing of not-well-known natives and adapted plants is breathtaking and should spur the nursery trade into a production frenzy. I especially love the color and textural combinations pictured. The photography of these plant alliances is so delicious that I get hungry for dirt under my nails just by looking at the cover! Imagine how it helps the novice gardener create a great garden with fewer mistakes.

If you live in the Rocky Mountains, The Undaunted Garden is a must. If you live on a prairie, even better. It's also a gift that I'm going to send my Dad now that he's planting his own Xeriscape.