Customer Reviews

Xeriscape Colorado: The Complete Guide

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having a nice lawn in Colorado is a real challenge, and this book is an amazing help. I am so tired of looking at garden books that feature million-dollar homes with landscaping hopelessly unattainable by people of more modest means. This book inspired us to put in a new back yard that is stunning, dog-friendly and cost us under a thousand dollars. If you're a do-it-yourselfer, you'll find this book to be a valuable tool.

I find this book really hard to use. If you are trying to find out information on specific plants, good luck! The index in the back is terrible as it is does not reference the specific plants included in the text. Similarly, although the photos are beautiful, the captions rarely tell you what plants are in the photos. I am very disappointed with this book.

After numerous trips the library and Barnes & Noble, I have come to the conclusion that Xeriscape Colorado is the definitive resource for responsible landscaping in Colorado. Here in Pueblo West the windy, dry, clay-packed soil had me returning plants to Home Depot on almost a weekly basis. I have landscaped the east side of the home (a wee bit cooler but also windier than the western exposure) in more traditional plants, trees, and shrubs, however in the back I utilized the theories and suggestions from Xeriscape Colorado and have had great success! As I only water 1X/week, all of my plantings are thriving, and the only loss I sustained is when I blatantly ignored the book and decided to plant a lilac, you can imagine how well that turned out! So getting to the crux of it all, this book has replaced my Western Garden Guide to become my new Gardening Bible.

This book is an absolute must for those interested in Xeriscape. If has become our gardening bible.

As someone new to gardening in Colorado, where so much of the soil is heavy clay and water can be in short supply, this book has been a valuable aid. The low water and low maintenance xeriscape gardening concept was developed to meet these conditions and this book is loaded with information and photos that illustrate it clearly. The writing style is informative and full of quick tips and funny asides. Closely examining many of the photos reveals that they were Photoshopped. They were well done, but strike me as a curious practice in a book of this quality, and it's why I chose four stars instead of five.

Just got this book for Christmas, and can't wait to get started on my new garden. But I'm really confused - all the before/after photos are "photo-shopped". After so many years of developing this book, I can't fathom why the author chose to include fake after shots. It concerns me a bit that she didn't have any true before/after shots to present. I wouldn't have minded if they were presented as plans - but they are clearly presented as true afters, and they clearly are not. Again, the info contained has been really interesting so far and I'm glad to have this book in my library, but I'll always be a bit perplexed by it.

Very useful guide. Of the several xeriscape books i bought, this is the one that answers my questions the most, by far. Does not provide exhaustive reviews on growing conditions for individual plants. Instead it provides an excellent guide to planning and creating a xeriscape garden (site preparation, what works, what doesn't). A must have in my opinion.
[...]

Great reference book on start to finish xeriscaping in Colorado. Useful full color photos, however, it would help if time lapsed photos illustrated the chief growing seasons spring/summer verses fall dieback.

xeriscape colorado seems to be an excellent resource, it was in like new condition and purchased at a very reasonable price.

The photos are amazing, very colorful, beautiful! That and the list of plants were the main reason for me to buy this book. I'm planning to replace my lawn and would probably just follow the pictures. One of the best books on xeriscape.