Planting Design for Dry Gardens: Beautiful, Resilient Groundcovers for Terraces, Paved Areas, Gravel and Other Alternatives to the Lawn

by Olivier Filippi

Green lawns are restful to the eye, provide an excellent backdrop to plants and trees and keep the weeds down, but in low-rainfall regions they often end up looking scrappy and brown. This book offers low-level planting designs that are ecofriendly and so beautiful they redefine the conventional distinction between lawn and plant borders. Inspired by the wild plant communities of Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S., these rigorously trialed plant combinations can be used on terraces, paths, gravel beds and flower borders, as well as areas that are traditionally laid to lawn. Plant choices include the tough new macrothermal grasses, carpeting groundcovers and stunning wild flower mixes that thrive among gravel and stone. With a plant directory that lists over 200 tough but beautiful dry garden plants and Filippi’s innovative maintenance techniques, this book will delight all dry garden owners

Genres: Gardening, Horticulture

240 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2016

Reviews

[Leonard Gaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

English and French gardens have been the yardstick for any garden, big or small, anywhere in the world, for decades, even centuries. As a result, designing a garden without a lawn is almost inconceivable. As the author of this book demonstrates, it hasn't always been the case: ancient palaces, from Spain and Italy to the Levant and North Africa, have magnificent gardens without lawns, which are better adapted to the dry and hot climate of the Mediterranean.

This book provides the modern gardener with quite a few alternatives to the perpetual lawn: from specific ground-covers to gravel steppes and meadows. Each example is amply explained and illustrated. A charming book; a shame it doesn't cover trees and shrubs as well.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very euro-centric, but just gorgeous.

[Josh Fogelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers drought-tolerant European groundcovers in great detail. Not so useful for me in California, but the book itself is beautiful with lots of great photos. Interesting if you want to learn about European drought tolerant plants.

[Kathleen Negrete · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t wait to purchase this book! Such a great resource!

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ideas and descriptions.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting for botany freaks like myself. Some overlap with gardening in the Wasatch, particularly because of my love of lavender.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, practical and inspirational. I'll be referring to this book as a reference for a long time to come.

[Mills College Library]

635.9525 F483 2016