Ornamental Grasses for Western Gardens Paperback – September 1, 2005

This book has great pictures and lots of information on grasses. A small light weight book. I look at it often.

For years now, I've long been wanting to include grasses in my garden, but have been holding back for fear of planting something that won't like my climate, something that will become an invasive pest, something that will up and die on me. Marilyn Raff's new book, Ornamental Grasses for the Western Garden, has several good points that made it an excellent investment for me. In Raff's book, the plants have all been pre-selected by the author to succeed in my hot, arid climate. When grasses first became the new "must-have" thing, I bought a good reference book on the subject, but it was encyclopedic, meant for use by all gardeners in all climates. Every time I found a grass I liked, it turned out to have requirements I couldn't meet, such as a need for constant moisture. I soon became discouraged and gave up on finding grasses that would work for me. With Raff's book, I don't have to worry. Most of the plants selected will do well in my Northern California garden, where the clay is heavy and summer water is hard to come by.Secondly, Raff loves plants, and shares that love with her readers by discussing the many companion plants she grows with her grasses. I was gently led to discover new things besides grasses that would do well in my garden. Nearly every plant in every photo is clearly identified with both botanical and common names, so I wasn't left wondering in frustration when I saw something appealing that wasn't a grass.The third "good thing" is the Quick Reference Grass Chart at the back of the book. It conveniently lists the plant name, height, color, water needs, preferred exposure, etc., on four convenient pages. I photocopied those and went back through the book, marking each plant I liked on the copies. It's a ready-made shopping list that I can easily take with me when I visit the nursery. When I go into the garden to plant, it will help me choose the best planting site to achieve the finest results.Last, but not least, are the photographs themselves, some of which are superb. I'm a photo-driven reader. I see a good photo of a plant and I want the plant, then I check the text to see if it will do well for me. Mind you, the book does have some flaws, and the photos that are of poor or indifferent quality are the worst of it. In some cases the photo was clearly taken for other reasons than to spotlight the grass, which is sometimes barely in the frame. In other cases, the author is having trouble with depth of focus and the results are fuzzy. Sometimes the plant is just not looking its best, no recommendation to grow one in my garden. The author's evocative description of porcupine grass was not enough to convince me I wanted one and it was only a distant blur in Raff's photo. Luckily, my other grass book had a good close-up of it and that plus Raff's recommendation convinced me to add it to the shopping list.Best of all is the author's laid back garden-side manner. For fear of doing the wrong thing, I've been reluctant to try grasses and have avoided them for years. Raff has given me the confidence to act, at long last.