Book Description
Do I prune my hydrangea in the fall or do I wait until early spring?
When is it safe to put out tomatoes?
Can I divide iris now?
If you have ever asked yourself questions like these, Month-by-Month Gardening in The Desert Southwest is for you. Gardening is a journey, not a destination. The day-by-day gardening experiences - planting a few onion sets in the first warm afternoon of spring… the surprises - a purple crocus before the snow has even gone … the satisfaction - fresh green beans on the dinner table, or tomatoes, bright and red, safely in quart jars … these are the things that keep the gardener coming back year after year.
Month-by-Month Gardening in The Desert Southwest is packed with information that explains what needs to be done and when it needs to be done in the southwestern garden. Topics include:
- The most effective planting techniques.
- How and when to prune.
- The best season for fertilizing your lawn.
- The differences between bare-root, container, and balled-and-burlapped plants.
- Eleven plant categories, including Annuals, Bulbs, Herbs, Vegetables, Houseplants, Lawns, Perennials, Roses, Shrubs, and Trees.
- Twelve monthly calendars for each plant category - 132 calendars in all! - that make is easy to find the proper gardening advice.
Whatever your gardening interests or the time of year, you can take the guesswork and mystery out of gardening. You will become a more satisfied gardener … and your garden will show it!
Customer Reviews:
Gardening book's a keeper.......2007-10-16
I needed a couple books to supplement the gardening books I currently had. After a few searches and questions, I ended up with the "Month-by-Month Gardening in the Desert Southwest" and "Edible Landscaping in the Desert Southwest: Wheelbarrow to Plate."
Both books complimented each other in that the Month-by-Month book was explicit in what to plant as each month of the desert came around, and the Edible book allowed me to work in several edible plants into my yard and garden plans - both of which I wanted. I like plants with duel purposes. I'm glad I went ahead and purchased both.
Specifically to the Month-by-Month book, the only reason I didn't give it a rating of "5" is because I got caught up short by it's page organization. However, after I caught on to how it's arranged - subject matter first, THEN, activities month-by-month - it was easy to reference. I guess I was expecting to pick it up in October and see everything that was available to plant for that month, but that's not how it's arranged. You find the kind of plant you want FIRST, say, TREES, then look up what month you're in. Unlike George Brookbank's book, "Desert Gardening" that is organized by the month. Still, if I had a 4 and 1/2 rating for Month-to-Month, I would have given it that rating.
The pages in Month-to-Month have good pictures and the text and instructions are clear. It has wonderful botanical references with specific names for each plant, so if I went to the garden supply shop, I'd know exactly what plant I was looking for - a great help.
It's starts out with delineations of Regions, USDA Cold Hardiness areas, and Zone Map - a must in knowing what plants are better suited for your own particular area of the SW desert.
The major sections are Basic Horticultural Practices such as getting and maintaining a healthy soil (tough in caliche), How to make compost (something we need so much in the desert), fertilizers, tools, watering (VERY important in the desert), etc.
Chapter One covers Annuals;
Chapter Two is on Bulbs; Corms, Rhizones, and Tubers;
Chapter Three is on Cacti, Succulents and other Desert Perennials;
Chapter Four is on Fruits;
Chapter Five is on Grasses (a nice surprise);
Six is on Perennials;
Seven is on Roses;
Eight- Shrubs;
Nine - Trees;
Ten - Vegetables and Herbs (my main interest);
and the Appendix.
For example, specifically referring to the Annual listing with its common and full botanical name lists over 100 plants, and that's just the Annuals pages; so if you can't find something to plant from this book, you're just not trying.
There are lined spaces in each month of each plant section so you can make your own notes - a great idea. You can use it to keep track of what you planted each year and how it did right there in each month/plant section you used. Great, year-to-year reference.
It seems whenever I flip the pages, I always have to pull up short by a heading, Helpful Hint, etc. that catches my eye. Like on page 113, the Helpful Hint is on Native Fruits - cool - prickly pear, wolfberry, mesquite pods, etc. The book also covers a little bit on interplanting and companion planting.
In a final note, on the plants lists, it also states which plant is Native and which plant isn't. That's a great help on knowing what plant might acclimate better to your desert garden.
Excellent.......2007-09-10
Being a new arrival to a dry climate, this book has helped me understand more when to do things in this environment. Highly recommend.
Great book.......2006-11-10
this is a great book, everything is listed month by month, I am new to desert gardening so this is a great book for me!
Help in a strange climate.......2006-03-05
This is my gardening bible. I read it at the beginning of every month to plan my gardening activity for the next few weeks.
The Arizona desert is like no other climate in the USA. It has low rainfall, concrete-like soil and huge temperature variations. Gardening in this state is very unique and this book tells me what I need to do... so I don't have to remember.
Information from books written by authors without the experience of gardening in Arizona, doesn't work in this state. Mary Irish has spent her life working for a variety of Arizona gardening organizations and is an expert on agaves. She knows the climate so her information works... simple as that
The book is organized by section - trees, shrubs, grass with a chapter for every month in each section. Tasks are outlined so the information you need is easy to find.
Book Description
Gardening is now the favorite outdoor leisure activity in America. Homeowners realize the health benefits available from gardening and the potential increase in their home's property value.
Regional gardening titles offer the most useful advice because they provide credible information on the plants that perform best in specific states. Gardeners want information they can trust and use successfully in their own gardens.
The Arizona Gardener's Guide is a full-color plant selection resource guide written especially for Arizona gardeners. It includes the top 175 landscape plants as recommended by one of Arizona's most respected horticultural experts.
Customer Reviews:
An indispensible guide for Arizona gardeners.......2007-06-30
Information from books written by authors without the experience of gardening in Arizona, do not work in this state. Mary Irish has spent her life working for a variety of Arizona gardening organizations. She knows the climate so her information works... simple as that.
This book is good for making plant selections when planning your garden. It offers nice photos and hardiness information specific to Arizona climate and soil conditions. Use in conjunction with Irish's Month-By-Month Gardening in the Desert Southwest and you should succeed.
There is a very short list of books required for Arizona gardening (see my list on Amazon)... but this one is high on it.
Good quick-reference guide for Arizona gardeners.......2007-06-12
We moved to Arizona two years ago, and my wife wanted a good quick reference guide to use in planting and tending our desert garden. This book fills the bill nicely, providing descriptions and clear photos of approximately 200 plants, along with tips on how to best use them in a garden. Ms. Irish's writing style is straightfoward, even a bit plodding, but readable. A good companion to "Plants for Dry Climates" by Duffield and Jones.
Arizona Gardener's Guide.......2006-02-25
Excellent book. Has given me many ideas of flowers to plant in this area.
good, but . . ........2005-08-31
This book was recommended to us highly by our real estate agent when we moved to Arizona, it also seems everyone in the subdivision has it. I found it too elementary. It was glossy, and pretty, etc, well presented by publisher.
Sonoran Desert Gardening.......2004-10-26
This book is one of the best introductions I've found on gardening in the Sonoran desert. It is well-designed, with graphical cues that tell readers if the plant is drought-tolerant, fragrant, wildlife-friendly, Sonoran, etc.
Information is presented in convenient and easily digested sections, e.g., shrubs, trees, vines, etc. Common names are featured prominently, with botanical names underneath. (I eventually learned the botanical names so that I could read and understand books that offered more in-depth information, e.g., on particular agaves, yuccas and nolinas.) It also includes brief information on care, companion planting, bloom period, size (you'd be surprised how big some of these plants get), etc.
If you seek books with greater depth, check out "Agaves, Yuccas, and Related Plants: A Gardener's Guide" by Gary and Mary Irish, or "Landscape Plants for Dry Regions: More Than 600 Species From Around the World" by Warren Jones and Charles Sacamano. Another good resource for Sonoran gardeners is the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix (they offer a hotline and many other resources).
Book Description
Drawing upon her vast knowledge of perennials and how they perform in the arid Southwest, Mary Irish has produced the definitive guide for gardeners who want to create lush, colorful gardens while keeping artificial irrigation to a minimum. This book will help Southwest gardeners meet the challenge of growing perennials successfully by providing inspired, practical information on how to design dry-climate gardens and an A–Z guide to 156 proven plants. Each entry includes the plant's scientific and common names, distribution, cultural needs, drought tolerance, and ornamental characteristics. Written in a clear, reader-friendly style and profusely illustrated with sparkling color photographs, this invaluable volume makes Irish's expertise available to every gardener.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Guide to Perennials!.......2007-09-28
Another winning book by author Mary Irish! I have several of her books, and the style and information within is wonderful. The first part of the book includes designing your landscape, as well as garden prep, the care of perennials and disease/pests. Much of the information relates to plant care in general, so it's a great benefit for any gardener. Add to that the pages upon pages of recommended perennials, with color photos, and it makes for a great reference book for the arid gardener.
Whoa, give this book a chance!!!.......2007-06-05
I feel this book deserves a much higher score for the information it contains about this under-represented area of gardening. I hate to see a book trashed for odd reasons and would like to elaborate on why I value this book.
One reader has a problem with the fact that this book is not for the Four-Corners area. As one who lives in sizzling Phoenix, I can relate to the disappointment of not having books relate to my area. (So few books relate to Phoenix that it's fantastic to find a good one that does.) The description of the book in Amazon and on the cover of the book may not have adequately given away it's low-desert content, but that doesn't make it a bad book. If the book had been flipped through at a book store, the buyer would have known whether the book met their needs. Buying on Amazon is a short-cut. The fact that we are giving up our ability to peruse every page is the down side to the ease of purchase and lower prices we pay.
Another reader didn't like the fact that everyone in their neighborhood had a copy of this book. Sounds like whoever recommended it was being very responsible in urging water conservation and in steering homeowners toward plants that won't die the first season they are planted. The fact that Phoenix nurseries sell plants that won't live here without excessive babying leads many people down the wrong path. Crispy plants are a disappointing phenomenon that plagues gardeners without sufficient knowledge of the locale.
Of all the arguments, the one about the photos being too small is the only one that actually pertains to this book. Yes, the pictures are small. But the book is so good that I'm happy to do a "G00gle Images" search to see what MANY photos of a plant look like before deciding if I want it. To me, detailed information about each plant is of more value than expensive, space-consuming photos. I am a veteran in the publishing business and if the book containing this many plants accompanied by large photos, the expense of the book would be phenomenal.
Buyers, give this book a chance -- and remember G00gle Images for an array of photos that will provide greater knowledge of any plant from ANY book.
A MISTITLED book.......2007-03-30
Ordered this book and was all excited waiting for it to come; figured it was right up my alley.
When it arrived and I looked inside I knew when I saw the map that it was about area like Yuma, Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso. The HOT areas of the Southwest. Well, there's a lot of the Southwest that is high and cold and this book is for the low, hot areas. If you live within site of the Colorado mountains as I do in the Four Corners, this book will be of no use at all. Too bad I was given no hint about that and now have to deal with the hassle of a return and pay for it too!
Should have called it something like "Low Desert Gardening" or something...
Great info, HORRIBLE photos.......2006-05-24
I own several Mary Irish books and find them immensely useful for those of us who garden in the desert southwest. Since I wanted to brighten up my yard with some perennials, I figured this would be a perfect addition to my library. The information about each plant is great, but the photos are often useless - they are so small that it's often impossible to see what the plant looks like, and some are taken from such a distance that even the form is not evident. The perfect book would have a long view of the plant form, with a closeup of the bloom/foilage.
Book Description
Field guide to over 100 of the most common flowering desert plants of the Southwest, emphasizing those likely to be found in National Park Service areas. Detailed line drawings for identification.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent day-hiker's guide to Sonoran desert plants.......2000-05-13
This Sonoran desert guide to common plants is published by the Southwest Parks and Monuments Assoc. It is an excellent guide to keep in your day pack as you hike southwestern deserts. Black and white illustrations are well done and are a great help in identification. Plants are organized by color of flower blossoms which makes it easier for the everyday hiker who is not familiar with botanical taxonomy. The book includes commons species of cacti, desert trees, shrubs, annuals, and perennials. I particularly enjoy the inclusion of details about medicinal and/or edible uses of the plants by native Americans of the area. My appreciation of our desert plants is greatly enhanced when I understand how the plants have been used -- and can still be used today. I am a 30-year veteran educator, and use information from this book regulary when on nature hikes with students of all ages. The book has only 4 pages of color photos of plants. I would rate the book as 5-star if it had more color-photo pages. Other desert plant I.D. books have more color pages, but are also much more expensive.
Book Description
Fully illustrated and comprehensive guide to planning and planting a garden in the low deserts of Arizona
Customer Reviews:
Excellent, thorough guide, but flip pages are hard to deal with.......2007-05-10
Everything you need to know to successfully grow desert flowers, with hundreds featured. Maybe it's me, but the small, separated flip pages featuring each flower are really hard to maneuver. I've yet to figure out why this page style was chosen. Has beautiful illustrations. A must-have book for any Arizona low desert gardener.
Book Description
Spring is a very special time in the Desert Southwest. An astonishing variety of wildflowers, nurtured by the winter rains, can bloom in wondrous profusion and carpet the desert floor and mountainside slopes with glorious color. Indeed, each year thousands of visitors time their trips to the desert Southwest to coincide with wildflower season, and in a good year the spectacle can make front-page news. Author Meg Quinn is a recognized authority on plants of the desert Southwest and is in demand as a public speaker. In Wildflowers of the Desert Southwest, Meg Quinn helps even the most amateur botanist to identify more than eighty-five of the most common and showy species found in the Sonoran Desert. Each species is described in detail and depicted in full-color photographs in their natural habitat. Species are further organized by color for ease of identification. Quinn also includes tips for the best locations to look for specific wildflowers.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent introduction to wildflowers of the southwest U.S........2001-01-13
A great introduction to the common wildflowers of the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Mojave deserts of the southwestern United States. This little book has great photographs and simple clear concise descriptions of each species. There are even some very interesting ethnobotanical tidbits for many of the species, which I found fascinating. Each flower is conveniently grouped by color, which contributes to its ease of use in the field. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting our southwestern deserts in the springtime!
Book Description
Describes and depicts 100 Southwest desert flowers. Photos by the author and others. Includes index.
Book Description
For old hands or inexperienced newcomers, A Desert Gardener's Companion is the essential reference for creating and maintaining a bountiful and environmentally sensitive Southwestern gardens. Master Gardener Kim Nelson provides a wealth of information in an easy-to-use seasonal format, covering what to do week-by-week in the desert climates of Southern California, Arizona, southern Nevada, southern New Mexico, and West Texas. Nelson covers everything from planting agave americana to mulching melons to adding zinc chelates to desert soils: one hundred sixty specific topics in all. Delightful drawings by noted nature artist Paul Mirocha demonstrate proper planting and pruning techniques, suggest complimentary landscape groupings, and illustrate specific low water-use plants. No other single volume provides as much useful advice about selecting, planting, and caring for such a wide variety of plants and gardens as Nelson packs into A Desert Gardener's Companion. Her informative and entertaining prose reflects her years of successful, hands-on gardening experience in both Southern California and Arizona and her wealth of knowledge gained as chair of the Plant Clinic at the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Tucson.
Customer Reviews:
Finally, a practical guide for the desert.......2001-06-02
There has been a rush on new books about desert gardening lately, but most of them don't contain the secrets required to be successful. A Desert Gardener's Companion provides practical, only-learned-through-experience knowledge. In the manner of a confidante, it relays the intimate wisdom gained from a close, day-by-day relationship with a garden in the desert climate. With ecological explanations of why things happen, the suggestive advice makes good sense. This book could only have been written by a Master Gardener with a real love for their garden and the earth.
Average customer rating:
|
The Wildflower Gardener's Guide: California, Desert Southwest, and Northern Mexico Edition
Henry Warren Art
Manufacturer: Garden Way Pub. Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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By Plant
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ASIN: 0882665650 |
Books:
- Moss Gardening: Including Lichens, Liverworts and Other Miniatures
- Mosses Lichens & Ferns of Northwest North America
- Mushroom Cultivator: A Practical Guide to Growing Mushrooms at Home
- My Secret Garden
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (National Audubon Society Field Guide Series)
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region (Audubon Society Field Guide)
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region (Eastern)
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region (Eastern)
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region (Eastern)
- National Audubon Society Pocket Guide to Familiar Trees of North America : East (The Audubon S ociety Pocket Guides)
Books Index
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Arizona Gardener's Guide
Desert Gardening: Fruits and Vegetables
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Perennials for the Southwest: Plants That Flourish in Arid Gardens
Gardening In The Southwest
