A design-focused, easy-to-use guide to colorful, eye-catching foliage and flowers for your whole yard, from the ground plane to the canopy, for homeowners and landscapers faced with replacing thirsty gardens in California and other dry regions in the Western US.
If readers must reluctantly remove water-guzzling favorites from the garden, they need equally beautiful substitutes! This book is a visual treat that supports the transition to dry gardening by proving that gardeners can have all the gorgeous color and flowers they had in the past using just a fraction of the water.
Maureen Gilmer provides chapters on design categories of plants—flowering shrubs, the ground plain, eye-catching accents, ephemeral flowers, perennials for color, animated plants and fine textures, canopy, and edibles—with profiles for each plant plus background info and top picks lists.
The Colorful Dry Garden is unique because it features only bold plants that are also heavy bloomers despite heat and limited water. It also features more than just Western native plants by including varieties from the world's driest climates.
"Compact and easy-to-read, with practical tips for "going dry," a.k.a. transitioning to a drought-resistant yard, along with loads of color photos of flowering shrubs, perennials, ground covers, succulents and grasses."
—The Los Angeles Times
"[This book] couldn't come at a better time. As we adjust to using less water in every part of our lives, Gilmer's book provides practical guidance to gardeners who want vibrant landscapes in the future while using less of our precious resource, water."
—The Oregonian
"This book features beautifully illustrated profiles of drought-tolerant plants"
—Texas Gardener
"Includes guidelines for transitioning yards to an “arid palette,” as well as hundreds of photos and detailed descriptions of flowering plants and trees that provide the punches of color she and other floral fans crave."
—Las Vegas Review-Journal
"Maureen Gilmer consolidates everything you need to know to get started [in water-wise gardening] based on her 30 years of experience in the field.... The perfect resource for folks who may not be hard-core gardeners but want a beautiful yet unthirsty garden all the same."
—Succulents and More
