Why Grow That When You Can Grow This?: 255 Extraordinary Alternatives to Everyday Problem Plants - Softcover

Keys, Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1604692863 ISBN 13: 9781604692860

Publisher: Timber Pr, 2012

Synopsis

It's a tired turn of phrase, but the grass is always greener on the other side. And for gardeners, it's not just the grass&;it's the flowers, the shrubs, and the trees.

No longer! Pining to grow lilac but lack the full sun? Try the fragrant pink and white flowers of Korean spice viburnum. Love the drama of canna but need something hardier? Try the bold foliage of variegated fleece flower. Why Grow That When You Can Grow This? offers hundreds of all-star alternatives that replace&;and often outshine&;popular problem plants.

Garden designer Andrew Keys makes it easier than ever to skip over the fussy plant prima donnas and move toward the equally gorgeous understudies. Each profile shows the problem plant and offers three alternatives that include three or more of the original plant's characteristics&;hardiness, shape, color, texture, light, and size.

With this fun and accessible guide, you can discover the secret to choosing the plants destined to be the new stars of your garden.

About this title

About the Author

Andrew Keys is a Boston-based writer, designer, and lifelong gardener, host and producer of a podcast and column called Garden Confidential at Fine Gardening Magazine. Andrew also contributes to Houzz, a leading destination site for home design enthusiasts, and through his blog, Garden Smackdown, he's a member of the Garden Designers Roundtable, a monthly blog series on landscape design. Keys has lectured for the New England Wild Flower Society, and is a Northeast Organic Farming Association-accredited organic landcare professional.

From the Inside Flap

"This book will help you solve problems before they start!"

Reviews

Tired of the same-old gardening same-old? Feel like screaming at the sight of one more boring bed of begonias? Frustrated by failures of seemingly fool-proof flowers? In the garden as in life, there is more than one way to pick a pepper. All it takes is a little confidence and a lot of knowledge about the numerous under-used and overlooked trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses, and ground covers that stand ready and willing to transform a dull garden into a dramatic showcase. Following seasoned advice on cultural maintenance and design selection, Keys offers pithy profiles of creative alternatives to plants that have become all-too-common elements of landscape design. The yard next door may be dominated by an out-of-place birch; counter its predictability with a London plane tree. Replace that dull privet with showy mountain mahogany. Pull up that pachysandra, and put down some European ginger. Gardeners looking for vibrant inspiration will revel in Keys’ innovative recommendations. --Carol Haggas

Edition details

• Publisher: Timber Pr
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1604692863
• ISBN 13: 9781604692860
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336