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Native Plants of the Southeast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Best 460 Species for the Garden
Using native plants in a garden has many benefits. They attract beneficial wildlife and insects, they allow a gardener to create a garden that reflects the native beauty of the region, and they make a garden more sustainable. Because of all this, they are an increasingly popular plant choice for home and public gardens. Native Plants of the Southeast shows you how to choose the best native plants and how to use them in the garden. This complete guide is an invaluable resource, with plant profiles for over 460 species of trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, grasses, and wildflowers. Each plant description includes information about cultivation and propagation, ranges, and hardiness. Comprehensive lists recommend particular plants for difficult situations, as well as plants for attracting butterflies, hummingbirds, and other wildlife. Native Plants of the Southeast will be the definitive reference on the region's native flora for years to come.
356 pages, Hardcover
First published January 8, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 16, 2014
It's taken me a while to finish perusing this book, and you'll see why. Mellichamp's preface expressed his desire to promote native plants by demonstrating the beauty and diversity of those in the southeastern United states, as well as acting as a guide to selecting and utilizing them, and I believe in this he has accomplished all those goals while also challenging assumptions that are so basic that many people never consider anything different! (That said, he's not *rabid* about native plants, and merely helps you find the best plant for a situation, whether native or exotic, and he doesn't neglect the common or obvious plants in favor of the more obscure, though often offering alternatives.)
He sets out guidelines that assist in consciously planning and choosing plants to fit your needs, and includes references to other books as well as best practices for gathering, planting, cultivating and caring for your garden, how to make some plants less aggressive. He offers suggestions: where to find plants, resources for gaining or understanding them, how to differentiate one type of grass from another, and the different leaf or needle traits of conifers, the different functions that they might serve (foundation plants around the house, accent plants, shade trees, etc.), and warnings as to which are more aggressive, have no herbicide for effective control, don't like to be disturbed, or even which smell like cat urine!
Six main physiographic provinces are used, and each area is described with detail: the area, elevation, trees, soil and some brief botanical history of each, hardiness even within zones, and light levels. Each specific plant entry also contains relevant details; the data on each plant goes far beyond the usual basic light/soil/height/perennial info, and star ratings make it very easy for new gardeners to spot the best plants to start with, or for others to see what they might have missed. Specific terms are explained well before use, so if you're new to this do read the introductory section first.
Featured plants are thoughtful choices: mainly perennials, suitable for a variety of areas within each region, vines which are ornamental and which die back (avoiding the kudzu effect), and with plenty of data to allow you to choose what you want and have a reasonable expectation that it's suitable and will survive in your area.
I was reading through the plant info with an eye to my own needs, and can see myself - or any local gardener - returning to this again and again. Most of the plants listed I'd never seen, though there were some which I knew (but not by name), and only a handful with which I was already familiar. (I've got notes for which to find though, and now know what to do with a very problematic area of my yard.)
It concludes with some useful lists of plants for special situations and purposes, such as wet soil in sun, those which attract hummingbirds, those with colorful fruit to attract birds, those with outstanding fall color and even those with distinctive bark, hardiness zone charts with temperatures, F/C and metre/feet conversions and (in the finished product) an index of all plants listed.
This is a book to keep, to leaf through, and to inspire new plans and endless wishlists... but what makes this book so outstanding are the eyecatching photos depicting an incredible variety of height, color, and texture. I'd never seen pictures like these before, so detailed and showing the true wonder and beauty of the plants. I just kept stopping to gaze at the pictures, marveling at the fiddleheads and spores on the ferns, the differences in seeds and petals between varieties, and noticing one intriguing detail after another. It's a rare page that doesn't contain at least one picture, and most contain two or more, and one even enabled me to identify a previously-unknown tree.
In short, an excellent reference book which won't be out of place on your coffee table, bedside table or gardening basket!
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
He sets out guidelines that assist in consciously planning and choosing plants to fit your needs, and includes references to other books as well as best practices for gathering, planting, cultivating and caring for your garden, how to make some plants less aggressive. He offers suggestions: where to find plants, resources for gaining or understanding them, how to differentiate one type of grass from another, and the different leaf or needle traits of conifers, the different functions that they might serve (foundation plants around the house, accent plants, shade trees, etc.), and warnings as to which are more aggressive, have no herbicide for effective control, don't like to be disturbed, or even which smell like cat urine!
Six main physiographic provinces are used, and each area is described with detail: the area, elevation, trees, soil and some brief botanical history of each, hardiness even within zones, and light levels. Each specific plant entry also contains relevant details; the data on each plant goes far beyond the usual basic light/soil/height/perennial info, and star ratings make it very easy for new gardeners to spot the best plants to start with, or for others to see what they might have missed. Specific terms are explained well before use, so if you're new to this do read the introductory section first.
Featured plants are thoughtful choices: mainly perennials, suitable for a variety of areas within each region, vines which are ornamental and which die back (avoiding the kudzu effect), and with plenty of data to allow you to choose what you want and have a reasonable expectation that it's suitable and will survive in your area.
I was reading through the plant info with an eye to my own needs, and can see myself - or any local gardener - returning to this again and again. Most of the plants listed I'd never seen, though there were some which I knew (but not by name), and only a handful with which I was already familiar. (I've got notes for which to find though, and now know what to do with a very problematic area of my yard.)
It concludes with some useful lists of plants for special situations and purposes, such as wet soil in sun, those which attract hummingbirds, those with colorful fruit to attract birds, those with outstanding fall color and even those with distinctive bark, hardiness zone charts with temperatures, F/C and metre/feet conversions and (in the finished product) an index of all plants listed.
This is a book to keep, to leaf through, and to inspire new plans and endless wishlists... but what makes this book so outstanding are the eyecatching photos depicting an incredible variety of height, color, and texture. I'd never seen pictures like these before, so detailed and showing the true wonder and beauty of the plants. I just kept stopping to gaze at the pictures, marveling at the fiddleheads and spores on the ferns, the differences in seeds and petals between varieties, and noticing one intriguing detail after another. It's a rare page that doesn't contain at least one picture, and most contain two or more, and one even enabled me to identify a previously-unknown tree.
In short, an excellent reference book which won't be out of place on your coffee table, bedside table or gardening basket!
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 1, 2024
Useful reference book. I love that it is all about planting plants native to your area.
November 24, 2013
Like many gardeners I started my first garden with lots of enthusiasm, but little planning. I ended up with one of many non-native plants, and a few natives and they mostly bloomed in the spring; it was gorgeous, but by 1 August looked dead. Over the years I have learned restraint and a bit more patience along with a healthy respect for native plants. Many of the local plant societies have plant sales; they should be a gardener's first choice! Some of the plants look underwhelming, but they will thrive if situated well. The author has done a great job of describing the plants and their ideal habitats. He includes a section in the back that lists plants for shady dry or sunny wet conditions along with excellent fall color choices and which plants appeal to hummingbirds and butterflies. The organization is by type: vine, aquatic, etc. (I really want a bog garden!) This book is very useful to the novice and the experienced gardener and will be popular in Southeastern libraries.
March 16, 2023
Some nice information on native plants that might be interesting to grow. I wish the pictures would have shown more of the plant, to give a better idea of what it looked like, and to make it easier to identify.
February 20, 2021
Terrific and beautiful resource for planting natives in your southeastern US gardens.
March 11, 2023
Easy to follow, a bigger book, so more space dedicated to each plant (also, bigger type). May be one to add? I am grateful to my library for having so many to compare & contrast.
April 8, 2023
An excellent guide with ratings and suggestions for everything the home gardeners.
February 11, 2025
Super fun to hike with!
April 14, 2025
Excellent resource, extremely user-friendly even for a beginner gardener.
January 11, 2023
Great reference book, great illustrations
November 6, 2014
This is a beautifully illustrated book with lots of helpful advice about what to plant where, how to maintain it, etc., and makes a great coffee table book, both for its beauty, and because you can use it to speak to engage people who visit you on the topic of why planting natives is important. The only reason I give it four stars instead of 5 is, the author lists several trees that are very good for wildlife, like Black cherry and Box-elder, and then says you would want to stay away from these trees in terms of planting them in your landscape, but gives no explanation why. Yes, I know I can search the internet to find out more, but that doesn't seem quite fair. If you are going to diss a tree, I think it's important to provide an explanation (and I'm planting both anyway).
April 4, 2015
An absolutely invaluable resource for anyone interested in growing native plants of the Southeast!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews