WATER-WISE GARDENING : America's Backyard Revolution

Assesses the water crisis facing American gardeners, looks at new approaches to gardening with less water in various regions around the country, and describes the use of native plants

Christopher ( In Search of Lost Roses ) roved around the United States for several years, looking for new ways American gardeners had found to adapt their plots to water shortages; he wrote this book as a consequence. It's intelligent and illuminating. "I've learned that the need for water conservation has become the driving force of a gardening renaissance," Christopher notes, and remarks on the "extraordinary imaginativeness" he discovered among those setting out to cope with a limited vital resource. In Texas, as he reports, he spent time with xeriscapers (who organize gardens into areas of differing water requirements, keeping those with high-water demand minimal). In and around Tucson, Ariz., he investigated desert gardening and the innovations made in irrigation systems and native landscaping. In Denver, he looked on as gardeners cultivated alpine plants and flowering "weeds." And in Brooklyn, N.Y., he visited the drought-resistant wildflower garden of Wall Street Journal gardening columnist Patti Hagan. As one might expect, it is the sense of gazing over Christopher's shoulder at all of these spots--and of overhearing the conversations--that intrigues a reader, along with the more practical hope of picking up useful guidance (also answered). Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Let there be drought, proclaims Christopher (In Search of Lost Roses, 1989); let your garden bloom. And drought there is, not that Christopher has anything to do with it, but he advises gardeners nevertheless to get real and accept the fact that they can no longer expend thousands of gallons of water on their plantings. To this end, he presents an array of water-saving ideas: the slow-drip method and the use of gray (waste) water, water harvesting and clay-pot irrigation. But his greatest concern is designing gardens with an eye on the water capacity of the area. Through the use of natives and feasible exotics, Christopher shows that there is no reason to go without color and variety just because your locale is water-poor. Interviews and garden tours--from Santa Barbara to Brooklyn--make up much of the book and give it a light touch, although hard-core gardeners haven't been forgotten: species zoning, soil analysis, and effective maintenance come in for major scrutiny, and an avalanche of Latin will keep taxonomists on their toes. In Christopher's skillful hands, discussions of pittosporum and Arecastrum romanzoffianum seem like everyday stuff. His chapter on the introduction of nonnative plants--when they are invaders and when they are welcome pilgrims--neatly reveals his depth of knowledge and accessibility. Nor is he above the occasional joke (``the energy a sequoia expends in transpiration would be sufficient to launch a can of soda into low earth orbit''). Gardeners need not fear a sprinkerless future; as Christopher points out, xeriscaping by no means equals zero-scaping. (Twenty- four pp. of color photographs--not seen.) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

These complementary books both address the need for American gardeners to acknowledge the growing scarcity of clean fresh water and adjust their gardening techniques accordingly. Northeast gardeners may consider this a problem for the arid West only, but both authors point out that this attitude is erroneous, as is the notion that limiting watering means limiting gardening. They explain that saving water requires a two-pronged approach: using plants best adapted to the area's natural rainfall and making sure that no drop of water is wasted. Springer, a Colorado gardener, uses principles developed by the National Xeriscape Council, including planning, wise use of lawn, grouping plants with similar water needs, efficient irrigation, and mulching. She then provides brief lists of suitable plants for five climate regions. This addition to the "Burpee American Gardening" series is a bargain for libraries beginning their collections on this topic; those that wish a similar approach with more extensive plant lists should also invest in Connie Ellefson's Xeriscape Gardening (see Beth Clewis's "Cultivating a Garden Design Collection," LJ 12/92, p. 93-96). Christopher's book shows how gardeners around the country have put water-conservation principles to use in their own backyards. Some apply the guidelines already mentioned even more stringently, while others have been pioneers in encouraging the use of native plants. While most of the examples come from the South, Christopher also describes a Wisconsin prairie and a Brooklyn backyard. All libraries serving gardeners should purchase Springer's book; those in areas where water shortages are common should consider Christopher's as well.
- Molly Newling, Piscataway P.L.,
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.