The Right Plants for Dry Places (Paperback)

by Sheryl Bowman (Author), Inc. Suncoast Native Plant Society (Editor), Suncoast Native Plant Society (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Information about propagation and cultivation of native species can be hard to come by. Field guides can help you identify a plant, but they don't tell how to grow it. This guidebook tells how to identify, where to use and how to take care of 40 native trees, shrubs, groundcovers and vines. It also gives blooming and fruiting times, mature size, wildlife value and vital information. Choose native Florida plants for your home landscape-it's a great way to celebrate our state's environmental heritage, provide food and cover for wildlife, and conserve our natural resources!

About the Author
The Suncoast Native Plant Society is the Florida Native Plant SocietyÂ’'s Hillsborough County chapter. It was founded in 1983 and shares with its parent organization an important mission: to promote the preservation, conservation, and restoration of native plants and native plant communities. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Great Outdoors Publishing Co; 1st edition (July 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820004162
• ISBN-13: 978-0820004167
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,344,523 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Right Book for Ecological Landscaping, April 4, 2000

By	Daniel Markus (Jacksonville, Florida) - See all my reviews

This book is an excellent source of information about native Florida plants that can be used in landscaping projects. These plants grow well in Florida without the large amounts of care and water required by many exotics. They also provide habitat for native animals and butterflies. For each plant described in the book the authors give both the common and botanical name. They also provide a color photo, a written description, mature size, growth rate, water, soil & light requirements, salt tolerance and propagation tips for each plant. Although some of the plants are hard to find, they also provide sources to help locate nurseries that carry native plants. This book is a must for anyone that wants to help the environment, reduce their use of water, fertilizer and pesticides on their lawns and save money in the process!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Landscape planning help, August 15, 2007

By	J. Parks - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Right Plants for Dry Places (Paperback)

Interesting book. VEry helpful in setting up a zeroscape. I am starting to use more native plants and this book refered to both native and not native species for Florida.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for the Value, February 23, 2005

By	Glenn T. Anama "avid plantdude" (Tampa Bay, Fla-- home of the Buccaneers!) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Kudos for this ecologically correct book published in response to xeriscaping and the shift to using native plants and the reasons for using them in the landscape. Although exotic plants are arguably beautiful, this book opens your eyes to using native Floridian plants for landscaping.


First, these plants evolved in the central Florida area so are well adapted to the rigours of the climate- disease, watering, temperature requirements, water requirements, etc. These already adapted plants will not just look attractive, but will flourish in your landscape. Also, being native, the worry of introducing yet another exotic pest plant to the already endangered Florida ecosystem is negated. Thirdly these plants tend to be xeric-- drought resistant when established- a godsend for those waterwise and ecologically responsible gardeners.

As far as the book goes, the photographs are fair to excellent and many show what the plant appears..not just closeups, of say the flower, or a twig. For the most part one can picture what the plant will appear in the garden. The language used in the book is easy to understand for the beginner, yet technical enough for the avid gardener.

I love the conciseness of the description of each plant from its scientific name to its growth rate,landscape maintenance and other specific growth needs. There are also "Notes" which provide the gardener specifics, such as if a plant is toxic, or other specific characteristic, for example.

All in all, the reader of this book will be impressed by the information. If nothing more, it will open Floridians' eyes to the possibility of incorporating these neglected, but beautiful plants into their landscape. For the price, this book is a wonderful value. It is going in my "can't do without" collection in my library-- and you will find it indispensable, as well.