GREAT PLANTS FOR TOUGH PLACES by Amos Sharon
A garden is rarely so straightforward as to have smooth flat lawns and borders of rich, easily dug soil. Some of us have to put up with damp sunless corridors between neighbour's houses, awkward slopes or plots shaded by trees or neighbouring buildings. Equally difficult to plant are seaside gardens exposed to gale force winds and salt spray, waterlogged plots with poor drainage, and dry soils exposed to the merciless glare of the sun day after day, without the slightest shade. Try to plant up any of these areas with a standard selection of garden-centre plants and the chances are you'll end up with a display of unsightly brown leaves and dried stems as the plants become defeated by the unsuitable habitat. What you need is an unkillable plant - one that will shrug off all the worst conditions in your garden and actually thrive in them and make good growth. Of course the plants aren't literally unkillable- put a drought-tolerant broom into a bog garden and it will die, of course - but they are invincible in the specific hostile conditions they have evolved to cope with.
All gardens have a tricky spot be it deep shade under a tree, barren soil along a hedge, dry, sun-baked soil or a damp cornerSharon Amos displays her gardening knowledge with solutions for all these difficult sites. And not necessarily boring ones - ornamental rhubarbs for damp patches, hydrangea petiolaris to brighten a dark corner with its sparkly white flowers, spiky yuccas and Californian poppies will brighten up an arid patch while periwinkles and tolmeias will put up a fight with a greedy hedge to thrive in its shadow. Tantalising photographs by Steven Wooster whet the appetite and inspire the mind, turning what was once thought of as a problem area into one that can be transformed by the right plant. And with the addition of basic gardening techniques this is an ideal book for a novice gardener unsure of what to plant where. - Lucy Watson
Sharon Amos is a freelance journalist and author. She has written extensively on rural issues, gardens, and crafts. Her previous books include Pulbrook & Gould Flowers, Country Living: Garden Wisdom and Plants for Free.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781855859432 |
| ISBN 10 | 1855859432 |
| Title | GREAT PLANTS FOR TOUGH PLACES |
| Author | Amos Sharon |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Year published | 2003-01-20 |
| Number of pages | 144 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |