Best Native Plants for Southern Gardens: A Handbook for Gardeners, Homeowners, and Professionals

I purchased this book when I decided to turn a small neglected part of my property into a spot for growing native azaleas and the plants that are at home with them in nature. I knew some plants I wanted---buckeyes, calycanthus, viburnum, for instance---but I wasn't confident of the garden conditions they required or how I might integrate them with the wild azaleas I wanted to plant. Indian pinks (spigellia marilandica) and wild ageratum already grew on the spot, but what other native perennials would work naturally into the site? I had spent a year preparing soil on this curving, sloping spot, and I needed guidance both in plant selection and cultivation to make it the ferny glade I'd envisioned. This book offered everything I needed. I purchased it sight unseen from Amazon books, and it has turned into the most used book in my gardening library. If you too want to turn a niche into a woodland garden or simply to add some natives to existing areas of your garden, this is the book you need. It is well organized, and each page contains both a good photograph of a plant and a clear, well-written description of its native habitat and the conditions to which it will adapt as well as its mature size. The authors treat individual varieties instead of grouping all viburnum into one or two pages, for instance. I especially found this helpful with the varieties of wild azaleas, many of which I did not know until this book. I can't imagine a better guide to southern native plants or their hybrids. Since many of our native plants are being destroyed by encroaching urban development or poor forest practices, preserving them in our home gardens not only enlivens those gardens, but is an ecological good deed. I am in the debt of these writers, and I know others who tell me they are too. This book should be in every Southerner's garden library. I recommend it without a single reservation.

This is a perfect reference for the native plant gardener. The organization is confusing and the index needs a professional indexer. I will use the book monthly.

I've had this book now for a couple of months. This book covers a lot of Southern natives. The pictures and descriptions are good. This has become one of a few of my "go-to" books when I want to add or remove plants from my yard.I only wish it had more plants listed. It covers the most common, and some of the uncommon, varieties for use in your garden.

Great resource for anyone wanting to learn about native plants in the south. Great addition to my landscaping library.

I bought this book for my daughter to use at her new home, and she loves it!

Some info was over the topMost was great for someone like myself needing basic info concerning what plants were good to plant

This is my "go to" book to find what's best to plant in my woodland setting and home gardens. I've enjoyed reading it and well as using it as a reference guide before purchasing native plants.

Lovely photographs and very useful information. I recommend this book for those who want to move toward using more regional native plants in their ornamental garden.

Love this book!