Grow Wild!: Low-Maintenance, Sure-Success, Distinctive Gardening with Native Plants (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Andrew Leyerle (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Newcomers to the garden will likely be drawn by the title, but this whirlwind sampling of native plants, gardens and techniques doesn't deliver on its promises. Despite her admission that "one book can never do justice to the unimaginably complex variations at work in any one region," Johnson (Green Future) seems to attempt just that. The country's regions are covered in three chapters encompassing extended areas of the Northwest, the Prairies and the Northeast. Included are discussions of local conservation efforts; lists of native plants suitable to the region and, importantly, invasive exotics; and abbreviated visits with local gardeners. Profiles of specific gardens are interspersed among the plant lists but do not expand on the lists by demonstrating how the plants can be grown and used. A Pennsylvania gardener with two acres of moss for a lawn boasts "no weeding, no watering," but his stance is somewhat misleading, for only certain Northeast locales could successfully support this particular approach. The final chapter, "The Nuts and Bolts," presenting tips, techniques and sources for planning and planting a native-plant garden, is an overview. Like the volume as a whole, it is best used as a starting point for the rigorous effort of establishing the care-free native-plant garden.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Lorraine Johnson is president of the Canadian wildflower Society and the author of several books on gardening and environmental issues.

Andrew Leyerle is a photographer and illustrator.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing (December 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555913962
• ISBN-13: 978-1555913960
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,300,663 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars extremely helpful, especially for the Midwest US and Canada, October 25, 2001

By A Customer

Ms. Johnson writes from a Canadian background. The plants and gardens are very adapted to the Midwest, and most could easily be duplicated there. Other areas are represented, but gardeners in the Midwest would benefit the most from using this book. The photos show actual, easily achieveable, garden results. This book might help someone make up their mind whether this is "the look" they will
like in their garden. I hope many people decide they like it, because it is a low-maintenance, environmentally-friendly, water-conserving approach to having the most envied garden on the block!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very good book, April 18, 2003

By A Customer

This book is very helpful and a good overview for someone who still needs convincing about native plantings. It has some notes on native shrubs and trees, although I would have liked to have seen a few more references to that but it does describe several types of native gardens and areas in north america that tend towards having different native plants.And it describes many native perenials

For really practical advice and good illustrative photos I would suggest her other book " 100 native plants".

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars nice but skimpy, December 22, 2004

By	birdmanct (West Hartford, CT USA) - See all my reviews

A decent book, but just an overview. How can you do justice to, and give useful information about, the wild plants in about 60% of the US and Canada, and in just 116 9 x 7" pages?? You can't!