Southern Shade: A Plant Selection Guide Paperback – Illustrated, March 1, 2008

Pretty pictures, charming narrative,and good beginner's advice if you live in Oxford, MS. As a useful book for all Southern zones, forget it. Ditto for Southern Shade, the companion book.This is the first gardening book I've seen intended for the South to recommend digging up elephant ears for the Winter. Here in New Orleans, we dig them up all the time, but they just keep coming baaaakkk...Our record December 1989 freeze actually froze the ground (a new experience for us!), but did not deter the elephant ears one bit.

Excellent shade plant book/guide, and wonderful photos!

I checked this book out of our library and have added it to my Wish List here. It's a valuable resource for southern gardeners with shade. I even learned that blue hosta do not fare as well as the green and gold varieties in our climate and heat which explains why the Elegans I planted last year wilted and parched. I found her articles on various shade perennials, annuals and shrubs very helpful as I try to landscape our creek and goldfish pond area which are shaded by deciduous trees.

I have a lot of shade and have tried for five years to select plants here and there to liven it up. I've read every article and book in the library or bookstore I could get my hands on for help. I found some good ones but this book is a very practical guide. It's to the point - I don't need an encyclopedia - just some guidance- and this covers the key points very well. My favorite part is the "pairs well with" section. This has helped me design mixed beds and borders that are starting to look awesome! I highly recommend this book!

I find this book, Southern Shade and its companion, Southern Sun, to be excellent resources for the Southern gardener. Both books provide many plant options - some that perhaps you haven't thought of - which are beautifully photographed. The books are laid out in a way that makes them easy to read and access. I would recommend investing in both so that you have a complete outdoor gardening guide - they make great gifts, too!

As a shade loving gardener, I found this book delightful. Not only is it very specific, but it is fun to browse through. It's always a challenge to find something new to grow in shade, but Jo does a great job of giving the details. I especially liked the "getting acquainted" part of each plant guide. It helped with overview and selection.

This book helped me transform my yard to a beautiful sanctuary. Finally, though the help of this book, my landscaping is easy to maintain. I have learned so much from the authors' explanations and photographs of the plants that do well in shade. I recommend this book and her other book, Southern Sun: A Plant Selection Guide, as a marvelous housewarming gift for new homeowners.

Just like Southern Sun this book is beautiful, interesting to read and provides great advise for the non-professional. You can enjoy the read and you can use it as a great work book. Pictures are beautiful.