Xeriscape Handbook: A How-to Guide to Natural Resource-Wise Gardening

Review - "Xeriscape Handbook" by Gale WeinsteinGayle Weinstein has written a complete guide to gardening in a dry climate, specifically the Denver Area, although the principles will apply in any arid climate. She takes off with understanding the climate climate, the microclimate and your own piece of ground. Then Gayle leads us through evaluating your site, drawing up what is present before moving on to attempting to plan your landscaping on your site.There is an excellent chapter on soil which incorporates all the recent soil research, making it accessible for the lay user of this book. Gayle follows this with a chapter on "Compost, Mulch and Fertilizer" which is one of the more complete reviews of the topic I have ever seen.The the details of planting the plants, everything from small annuals to huge trees are laid out. Plant health and maintenance is well outlined.Finally there is an entire chapter on "applying water" to your landscape.The book is well written, reads well and has good pictures and diagrams emphasizing the clarifying the points made.The book seems to be written as part of a trilogy, this book, "Xeriscape Plant Guide" and "Xeriscape Color Guide." This book does not provide much in the way of individual plant information, but that is found in the "Xeriscape Plant Guide." All three books are from Fulcrum Publishing, in Golden, Colorado. And while the copy of the Color Guide is not yet here, I suspect that would greatly augment the plant selection process.

compact, yet thorough primer on gardening and garden design. Would have liked a few more lists of drought-tolerant plants and accompanying pictures would have been fabulous, but would have made a much bulkier (and more expensive) book.

This book continues the theme of shallowness set for me by theXericape color guide. It will helpto keep the coffee table from being empty as house guests might want to quickly leaf through them to look at illustrations of plants that actual photographs would have helped a reader see how a xeriscape might come to be in their own endevour for a xeriscape displayed in their own yard..

The book has little to do with xeriscaping; the subtitle would have made a better title. Only chapter vi is about watering & irrigation. The book isn't for those receiving little rainfall, but for those who usually have enough rain with occasional rainless periods who want to avoid watering at all. The section on soil composition was good.

I use it for horticulture school. It is very informational, straight-forward and easy to understand. It's a great book to add to a gardener's library.

Best book to show what plants, how to lay out and organize for water resistant gardinging.

Just did not cover the needs I have for my project - that's all i have to say say say

The Xeriscape Handbook goes into an area of landscape design not often touched on - landscape design from the plant's point of view. Gayle Weinstein has written a book that will help gardeners and landscape designers at all levels figure out why their planting designs aren't working out as planned and how to start moving in the right direction to achieve desired results. It's in big part due to Weinstein's writing style, which succeeds in making complicated subjects interesting without being overly simple or to scientific. The "root" of the problem is often found in the choices they make in plants for their site. To help people make the best choices, Weinstein's book provides plenty of good information about the environment and on why plants grow where they do. The book tells you how to organize plant groups according to their needs for water, sunlight, etc. to achieve what Weinsten calls "a compatible alliance among the garden, landscape, and natural world." One of the best things about the Xeriscape Handbook is that anyon in any part of the country can use it. Using the steps outlined in the book, you gain a better understanding of your site and the unique challenges you face in landscape projects. Yes, the book pays particular attention to more arid regions of the country, but it teaches all readers how to "read" their own site. Landscape Architects call this "site analysis" and use the techniques as one of the first steps in professional design. You can use the techniques too, no matter where you live and this book provides a clear outline on the steps involved in fun and interesting ways. Another Plus to this book is that it provides lots of good information on maintaining plants once you have selected them and have your design in the ground. Utilizing the "Principals of Xericsape" found in the book, you will end up with a landscape design that uses less water and is easier to care for, while still providing beauty and functionality. That saves not only money, but minimizes many of the frustrations faced in gardening. The bottom line is that everyone can use the information in this book to create better designs, in ways that connect and relate their design to the beauty of the natural world...no matter where you are in it.As a Landscape Architect, I highly recommend this book along as a good addition to any gardening library.