BOOKS FOR GARDENING WITH NATIVE PLANTS
Motivation
Why Natives
Garden Goals
Site Preparation
Site Analysis
Site Plan
Hardscapes
Plant Selection
Which Native
Planting Hints
Suggested Plants
Resources
Books
Links
Suggested Books
Bornstein, Carol, David Fross and Bart O’Brien, California Native Plants for the Garden. Cachuma Press, 2005. Excellent pictures and informative text with lists for various garden conditions, including allergenic plants and deer resistance. Lists places to see or buy native plants.
Bornstein, Carol, David Fross and Bart O’Brien, Reimagining the California Lawn, Cachuma Press, 2011. Water-conserving plants, practices and designs to replace the traditional lawn.
Emery, Dara E., Seed Propagation of Native California Plants, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1988. Explains seed treatments and provides a list of recommended seed treatment for many native plants.
Harlow, Nora, and Kristin Jakob, Editors, Wild Lilies, Irises and Grasses. University of California Press, 2003. A guide for gardening with California monocots.
Keator, Glenn and Alrie Middlebrook, Designing California Native Gardens. University of California Press, 2007. Uses the plant community approach to design artful, ecological gardens. Discusses where to go to see the plants growing and where to buy them.
Lowry, Judith Larner, Gardening with a Wild Heart. University of California Press, 1999. The Landscaping Ideas of Jays: A Natural History of the Backyard Restoration Garden. University of California Press, 2007. Warm-hearted and caring descriptions of gardening with native plants, including ecological concerns and awareness of our surroundings.
Nevada County Master Gardeners, Western Nevada County Gardening Guide. University of California Extension, 2006. A comprehensive guide to all kinds of gardening, starting with knowing your soil and ending with a month-by-month calendar of garden tasks. Master Gardeners conduct a Saturday morning talk show on the radio and are available to answer questions by phone during the week at 530-273-4563.
Redbud Chapter, Wildflowers of Nevada and Placer Counties, California. Redbud Chapter, California Native Plant Society, 2007. Over 500 excellent photographs of wildflowers along with interesting facts and comments. Not a gardening book but a good flower-recognition guide covering the zones from the valley grasslands to the Nevada Sierra crest.
Rowntree, Lester (Edited by Lester B. Rowntree), Hardy Californians, A Woman's Life with Native Plants, University of California Press, 2006. The author lived from 1879 to 1979 and became known for her writings on California native plants. Although she interacted with many academic botanists, she taught herself through travel and hiking. Her book has many descriptions of native plants and their suitability for the garden. For any gardener who longs to explore the wildfloers of wild places, it is fascinating to read her observations. The scientific plant names may be a bit daunting.
Schmidt, Marjorie, Growing California Native Plants. University of California Press, 1980. A classic guide for gardening, propagation and ways to use specific native plants.
Sierra Nevada Alliance and Michelle Sweeney, Editor, Sierra Nevada Yard & Garden. Sierra Nevada Alliance, 2008. Uses actual examples from gardeners in the Sierra Nevada to describe the regions, the problems and solutions through design and plant selection.
Smith, M. Nevin, Native Treasures, Gardening with the Plants of California. University of California Press, 2006. Discusses the favorite native plants grown by Smith, a Californian horticulturalist who expresses his opinions, helps with plant decisions, discusses horticultural varieties and gives cultural advice.
Sunset book editors and Kathleen Norris Brenzel, Editor, The Sunset Western Garden Book. 8th Edition, Oxmoor House, 2007. Lists more than 8,000 plants, including horticultural varieties, native and non-native species. Western garden experts provide gardening tips.