Western Garden Book, 2001 Edition [Hardcover]

Kathleen Norris Brenzel (Editor)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 768 pages
• Publisher: Sunset Books Inc; Rev&Updtd edition (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0376038748
• ISBN-13: 978-0376038746
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Kill Your Lawn - Part 3 August 1, 2001

By Bruce Crocker

Format:Hardcover

I live in Zone 23 of the Sunset Western Garden Book. In my zone, a nice looking lawn takes a lot of water. I suspect that's why most of the lawns in my area look mediocre. I feel the pain of my neighbors. It's not that they're lazy, it's just that they want to conserve water. I say to them...KILL YOUR LAWN!! I did and I get hours of enjoyment working in the resulting cactus garden. A copy of the Sunset Western Garden Book is a requirement for anyone putting together a garden in the west, especially if you intend to kill your lawn.

Using the book is easy. First you find your zone. Once you've found your zone, you can find plants to fit any situation you encounter in your own yard. The details in the book allow you to fine tune your garden for areas of shade and sunshine. The book will give you alternatives to plants you might want, but that don't grow well in your zone. In my case, if it needs a lot of water, it's gone.

The advantage to this book is the use of 24 zones. This is a finer zoning than the USDA zones used by many garden books. I think I'll go out and plant another cactus and I suggest that you go out and get your own copy of the Sunset Western Garden Book.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Big help for a new gardener January 16, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I'm a first-time gardener, and I just bought a house in California. I had no idea what sort of plants I could grow in my garden, but this book has been an invaluable resource, giving me info specific to my gardening zone (which is tiny due to southern Cal's microclimates). The plant list is exhaustive, as well.

I find the best way to use the book is to go to my local nursery, find plants I like, then refer to the book to find out where they can be planted, and how drought-tolerant they are. Though, I also finding myself taking the book to bed and just reading about each plant alphabetically. It's so interesting, I'm already up to "M", and that's taken hours!

The one drawback is that the book goes into detail about what each plant looks like, and some of its habits, but very little detail on the specific care necessary - like when to plant, when to prune, how much maintenance it needs overall, etc. If you live in southern California, I recommend "Pat Welsh's Southern California Gardening : A Month-By-Month Guide" as an addendum.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great reference for northwest gardening February 27, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I purchased this book after browsing around in a local store, and it turned out to be a great purchase. I'm a beginning gardener, and I wanted something that would not only explain the basics to me, but help me out with more advanced decisions.

The beginning is a breakdown of Sunset's climate zones, with wonderful maps showing just where you stand when it comes to the growing season. Then there is a section that helps you find a plant by certain categories such as fragrant blooms, decorative ivy, blossoms by season, and even such obscure classes as arid, windy, and humid climates.

The meat of the book consists of an encyclopedia of sorts, with hundreds of entries for different plants that grow in the west, complete with scientific names, growing habits, and helpful hints.

The last portion of the book is a quick reference for everything from watering styles to proper composting techniques.

I recommend this book to anyone, beginner to advanced.