The Natural Shade Garden (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Imagine a walk in the woods..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, New York, West Coast (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Shade can be a gardener's curse or delight, depending on how it's managed. Even a heavy grove of mature trees needn't have bare ground beneath; they can be surrounded with any number of shade-loving foliage, grasses, or grasslike ground covers, including galax, dichondra, ivy, vinca, wintergreen, maidenhair fern... the list of possibilities is a long one. Druse himself gardens in the shadow of a Brooklyn brownstone, so his advice is by no means limited to gardeners with woodland acreage. This book also successfully punctures the myth that a shady flower garden must be colored in greens and subtle pastels: a parade of brilliant camellias, columbines, clematis, and primula proves that a shade gardener's crayon box is as varied as any, and the well-organized Druse sorts the herbaceous perennials by color in an addendum at the back of the book.

From Publishers Weekly

While the idea of shade gardening has cropped up from time to time in garden manuals, Druse ( The Natural Garden ) effectively defines a new American horticultural aesthetic with this enthusiastic volume. He brings clear, engaging writing and gorgeous color photographs (his own) to bear on just about every category of plant and terrain relevant to his subject, and explores the fine differences between "partial shade," "light shade," "dappled shade" and "deep shade" with an appetite that will hearten any gardener whose plot has a tree or a tall building nearby. Druse encourages American gardeners to "live with shade," cultivating native plants that are naturally adapted to shady habitats, augmented by choice species from around the world or hybrids that blend in. He begins with a general discussion of natural shade habitats and shade plant features, and goes on to cover the use of containers, water and other special elements appropriate for shade gardens. The book is especially helpful for its photo essay on exemplary American shade gardens, for its state-by-state list of gardens to visit, for its suggested reading list and for its extensive plant, seed and book source listings. The Natural Shade Garden may very well be the definitive work in the area of shade gardening, which will become increasingly important as Americans seek to grow plant species in their natural habitats even as these are transformed by development. It should be welcome to gardeners in the cities, suburbs and the country alike. Druse's own beautiful plot near downtown Brooklyn, N . Y . , is featured throughout. (Mar .
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1 edition (February 18, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517580179
• ISBN-13: 978-0517580172
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,623 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

127 of 135 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for the beginner...., April 14, 2001

By	Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

THE NATURAL SHADE GARDENER by Ken Druse is a beautiful book even if the photos are slightly "touched up." I have to laugh at the oxymoronic title, however. There is nothing natural about shade gardening, and this is not the WILD GARDEN William Robinson wrote about where drifts of plants are allowed to form naturally. I can tell from Druse's photos someone has been working very hard. Nature's version of vegetation in shade is quite different. Plants in nature tend to run to riot. If you don't think so, take a walk in the "real" woods. In nature, the toughest plant wins.

For example, Druse says English Ivy is a good ground cover in shade. Well, it is. English Ivy will grow in shade---and grow and grow and grow. Recently, a group of local volunteers in our area pulled English Ivy from the trees in a local nature preserve. The stuff kills. Another vine Druse recommends without a warning is Porcelain-berry which is becoming a major problem in along the east coast. Are you old enough to remember the introduction of the new wonder vine Kudzu??

On the other hand, Druse says Tradescantia, a native of Virginia brought to England where it was hybridized at Kew Gardens is a pest. Well, it is a prolific plant if you reintroduce it in a Zone 7 garden, but it can be controlled without a great deal of effort, unlike Lysimachia clethroides (White Gooseneck Loosestrife) which Druse recommends without warning that it will take over if you invite it into your garden. Allen Lacey and other garden writers have ID'd Gooseneck Loosestrife as a "thug in the garden" and I can tell you from personal experience they are absolutely correct (of course I had to find out for myself!!).

I tend to agree with the reviewer from Maplewood NJ below who says THE NATURAL SHADE GARDEN by Ken Druse is not for the beginner. This book is for advanced gardeners who can "take what they need and leave the rest." Shade gardening is something you take up after you've mastered other less complicated types of gardening. Of course, if you're stuck with shade you'll have to start somewhere.

I have been using George Shenk's book THE COMPLETE SHADE GARDENER for years. It's not as colorful, and contains those annotated lists of plants which some do not like, however, Shenk's plant classifications are not exhaustive so you won't be overwhelmed, and the trees, shrubs, etc. are classified by their behavior--i.e. what will work in which circumstances. Like many gardeners I once planted a Maple tree in my yard. Shenk's book contains a listing of shade trees and from it I discovered Maple trees are shallow rooted and not at all friendly toward other plants. I also discovered the Black Walnut can be a killer. In the nick of time had the Maple tree removed and planted a Persian Walnut instead. I've been able to grow Crepe Myrtles, Viburnums, Nandina, and a host of other plants under the Walnut, though I sometimes have to water in August. Some of us don't want to end our gardening experience in order to have a shady patio in July.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very motivating, with wonderful photos, September 7, 2000

By	Hilary Beech (Aptos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Druse's photographs alone would justify the purchase of this book. It's a feast for the eyes, and inspired me to aim for something truly artistic as I begin designing my own shade garden. For those of us who have both shade and a woodland setting, there is a useful chapter specific to woodland gardening, although it doesn't substitute for a full book on the topic. Occasionally it was difficult to determine which plant was which in a photo showing many plants, although Druse makes a huge effort to label all photos in detail. It was also a bit daunting to extract the key information from each chapter, as the text tends to present long discussions of numerous plants in succession. Taking notes is imperative. While the book is necessarily written for readers across the nation, and perhaps has a slight bias towards the northeast or wet climates, I was able to take plants I liked and cross-reference them in more detail with the Western Garden Book, thus locating more appropriate varieties for California.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars inspiring and practical, February 6, 2002

By	Joanna Power (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you have a shady garden space, this book will make you feel like the luckiest gardener in the world. Ken Druse structured the book around the organization of natural woodland plants: understory, middle layer, and overstory. (Note that this is not the right book for you if you are looking to create a formal shady garden.) The beautiful photographs, both closeup and scenic, and the detailed yet readable text make this book a success on two fronts. There is enough practical advice to take you from designing your shade garden to keeping it healthy and beautiful through the seasons and years. There is even a resource list to help with ordering your plants. Did I mention how amazing the photographs are? This is my favorite garden book so far, and I am accumulating quite a little collection.

Partial shade, dappled shade, and deep shade are all addressed with beautiful pictures of plants and gardens and with descriptive, practical text.