Field and Forest: A Guide to Native Landscapes for Gardeners and Naturalists (The Naturalist's Bookshelf)

Covers North American habitats and plant communities, offers tips on designing and maintaining a natural garden, and shows how to restore a natural landscape and grow native plants in a garden

Scott's Botany in the Field ( LJ 5/1/84) described the ecology of American plant communities, with emphasis on the effects of introduced species and other human interventions. Much of this material is reprinted, with light revisions, in Field and Forest , yet this book has a new tone of urgency. Scott hopes that further degradation of native ecosystems can be reduced through natural landscaping and "releasing" forests and fields from introduced species. Unfortunately, the new chapters on natural landscaping are frustratingly skimpy and do little to relate the average yard to the complex and often fragile plant communities described in earlier chapters. Scott herself seems more interested in rehabilitating undeveloped areas. Her advice on gardening for wildlife and selecting native plants from suppliers who do not collect from the wild can be found in many other recent books on wildflower and native plant gardens. Recommended mainly for libraries that lack Botany in the Field. -- Beth Clewis, Prince William P.L., Va.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.