Plant This!: Best Bets for Year-Round Gorgeous Gardens

by Ketzel Levine, Rene Eisenbart (Illustrator)

Overview

Plants, plants, plants. It's a madness! How does a thinking gardener decide WHAT to plant? Ketzel Levine, the Doyenne of Dirt on NPR, solves this problem by sticking her slightly smudged neck out and picking one hundred gotta-have plants: trees with trunks that glow in the moonlight, shrubs with magic blue beans, and perennials you'll have to beg to stop flowering! The lusciously illustrated pin-ups of each selection, combined with Ketzel's zeal, inspire pure plant worship. Plant This! will send you to the nursery with a purpose.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781570612459
Publisher:	Sasquatch Books
Publication date:	01/28/2002
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.82(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

Both Ketzel Levine and artist René Eisenbart live in Portland, OR.

Table of Contents

	Spring
	Arisaema	12
	Astrantia major	14
	Baptisia alba	16
	Berberis	18
	Brunnera	20
	Ceanothus	22
	Clematis macropetala	24
	Corydalis	26
	Enkianthus	28
	Epimedium	30
	Euphorbia	32
	Halesia	34
	Variegated Iris	36
	Pacific Coast Iris	38
	Lychnis	40
	Magnolia	42
	Phlox	44
	Pleione	46
	Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum'	48
	Primula	50
	Rosa glauca	52
	Sambucus	54
	Sanguinaria canadensis	56
	Scrophularia auriculata 'Variegata'	58
	Smyrnium perfoliatum	60
	Tiarella	62
	Zenobia pulverulenta	64
	Summer
	Angelica gigas	68
	Buddleia	70
	Clethra	72
	Cotinus	74
	Echinops	76
	Fallopia	78
	Firmiana simplex	80
	Fuchsia	82
	Geranium	84
	Helianthemum	86
	Itea ilicifolia	88
	Knautia macedonica	90
	Lagerstroemia	92
	Pennisetum	94
	Phlomis	96
	Phormium	98
	Phygelius	100
	Salix eleagnos	102
	Sidalcea	104
	Stachys	106
	Stewartia	108
	Stipa gigantea	110
	Thalictrum	112
	Trachycarpus	114
	Verbascum	116
	Vitex agnus-castus	118
	Zauschneria californica	120
	Fall
	Acidanthera	124
	Aronia	126
	Callicarpa	128
	Camellia	130
	Carex elata 'Aurea'	132
	Clerodendrum	134
	Decaisnea fargesii	136
	Helianthus salicifolius	138
	Humulus lupulus 'Aureus'	140
	Origanum	142
	Osmanthus	144
	Oxydendrum arboreum	146
	Persicaria	148
	Pistacia chinensis	150
	Rhus typhina	152
	Salvia guaranitica	154
	Schizostyus	156
	Solidago	158
	Tricyrtis	160
	Vitis	162
	Winter
	Abies koreana	166
	Arbutus menziesii	168
	Azara	170
	Chimonanthus praecox	172
	Choisya	174
	Clematis cirrhosa	176
	Cornus	178
	Corylopsis	180
	Cryptomeria japonica 'Spiralis'	182
	Daphne	184
	Dichroa febrifuga	186
	Edgeworthia	188
	Garrya	190
	Grevillea victoriae	192
	Helleborus	194
	Kadsura japonica 'Chirifu'	196
	Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'	198
	Pinus bungeana	200
	Polygala chamaebuxus	202
	Pseudocydonia sinensis	204
	Ribes sanguineum	206
	Rhododendron lutescens	208
	Salix melanostachys	210
	Sarcococca	212
	Senecio	214
	Uncinia	216
	Index	218

Editorial Reviews

Levine is a contributing editor to Horticulture magazine and a popular gardening expert on NPR's Weekend Edition. A resident of Portland, she based this book on columns written for the Oregonian. She profiles 100 recommended perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees in four sections, each corresponding to a season. Attractive watercolor illustrations accompany each plant. Levine, who once ran a landscaping business, knows her stuff, and her selections are an engaging mix of the mundane (butterfly bush, crape myrtle) and the exotic or overlooked (wild parsnip, hoary willow). A number of the plants are better suited to the Pacific Northwest than to much of the rest of the country, where their hardiness will be questionable. Also, Levine's humorous writing style feels a bit forced, especially in the opening chapters (maybe it grew on me?). At her best, Levine offers a fresh perspective on plant selection and use, such as grasses to provide movement in the summer garden, which more than makes up for her often daffy style. Recommended for public libraries, especially in the Northwest.--Beth Clewis Crim, Prince William P.L., VA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Levine, National Public Radio's ever-popular "Doyenne of Dirt," has succeeded in transplanting her witty and whimsical radio charm to the printed page in this delightful, cleverly written, and immensely helpful (especially when it comes to pronouncing those hard-to-say Latin names--verbascum sounds like "don't ask 'em") book. Chock-full of sound, practical advice for every gardener, it covers basic facts and far beyond for those who always wanted to know more. Organized by seasons, it contains more than 100 expertly written entries, each enlivened by an amusing story or history about the plant. Since not all plant selections work in all parts of the country, Levine has given her favorite alternatives in this unique and innovative guide for making plant choices in your home landscape. Rene Eisenbert's watercolor illustrations beautifully complement the text, and Levine's knowledge and enthusiasm are contagious. --Booklist

Doris Taylor

"In this deliciously naughty but entirely legit collection of 100 plant profiles, our Doyenne of Dirt sticks her slightly smudged neck out and picks her favorite gotta-have plants...makes a great gift for any gardener—-if you can bear to give it away."

From the Publisher