California Native Gardening: A Month-by-Month Guide

by Helen Popper

Overview

This is the first month-by-month guide to gardening with native plants in a state that follows a unique, nontraditional seasonal rhythm. Beginning in October, when much of California leaves the dry season behind and prepares for its own green “spring,” Helen Popper provides detailed, calendar-based information for both beginning and experienced native gardeners. Each month’s chapter lists gardening tasks, including repeated tasks and those specific to each season. Popper offers planting and design ideas, and explains core gardening techniques such as pruning, mulching, and propagating. She tells how to use native plants in traditional garden styles, including Japanese, herb, and formal gardens, and recommends places for viewing natives. An essential year-round companion, this beautifully written and illustrated book nurtures the twin delights of seeing wild plants in the garden and garden plants in the wild.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520265356
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	03/26/2012
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	369,738
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Helen Popper is Professor of Economics at Santa Clara University.

Table of Contents

Introduction - California Local
October - Change in the Air
November - Spring Is Here
December - Green Tidings
January - A Happy, Wet New Year
February - Clean and Weed
March - Spring Anew
April - Flowers
May - Collect Your Seeds
June - The Wise Water Balancing Act
July - Mist and Tinder
August - Siesta Time
September - Plan for Fall
Using Natives in Many Garden Styles

Cutting Times
Places to See Natives
Good Friends on the Bookshelf
Acknowledgments
Plant Index
General Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Eminently readable. . . . The native gardener in California should not be without it."—Pacific Horticulture

"With this book Popper has filled a hole in the native plant canon, helpful in a number of ways. For beginners, its month-by-month advice on gardening activities in the native plant garden should greatly reduce the intimidation factor. For the more experienced, it's a delightful way to keep organized, planning your gardening time in advance, making sure you haven't forgotten anything, and not least, taking pleasure in the shared experiences of a long-time native plant gardener. And then, there are the photographs, which are nothing short of spectacular, among the best I've seen. They identify, clarify, and instruct."—Larner Seeds Newsletter

Editorial Reviews

With this book Popper has filled a hole in the native plant canon, helpful in a number of ways. For beginners, its month-by-month advice on gardening activities in the native plant garden should greatly reduce the intimidation factor. For the more experienced, it's a delightful way to keep organized, planning your gardening time in advance, making sure you haven't forgotten anything, and not least, taking pleasure in the shared experiences of a long-time native plant gardener. And then, there are the photographs, which are nothing short of spectacular, among the best I've seen. They identify, clarify, and instruct.

Larner Seeds Newsletter

Eminently readable. . . . The native gardener in California should not be without it.

Pacific Horticulture