Grow Native: Bringing Natural Beauty to Your Garden

by Lynn M. Steiner

Support your local ecosystem! A guide to transforming your yard into a beautiful landscape using native plants—includes inspiring photos.You don’t have to compromise beauty to create sustainable, ecologically responsible natural landscapes. In master gardener Lynn Steiner’s Grow Native, you’ll find guidance for planting stunning gardens using native species that support your local ecosystem. Organized in an easily accessible way, the book offers instructions for planting and maintenance, helpful tips about soil, watering, and fertilizing, and gorgeous photography. With advice about how to weave native plants into your landscape and replace common ornamentals with natural plants, Grow Native combines inspirational garden shots of native landscapes with plant-specific chapters and photos. Topics covered Hardiness Zone Maps - Inspiration Gardens Full of Native Plants - Why Grow Natives? - What Do You Mean by “Native”? - Choosing plants that are drought-tolerant, hardy, easy to care for, and moreAdditionally, sidebars throughout offer pointers for attracting specific butterflies, birds, bees and other beneficials to your yard—all through plant selections.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Nature

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2016

Reviews

[Beth Fioritto · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good first look at native plants; a major downside is that the author doesn't provide any information about where the plants she highlights are native. North America's a big place and a lot of these won't be native to your region. Good suggestions for some cultivars that can work for smaller spaces.

[Lorilin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second half of the book is so handy. It's a bunch of one-page (surprisingly comprehensive) write-ups of native plants. I find myself referencing it all the time for ideas and care plans. Love this book.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of using native plants in the home landscape. Includes sidebars about some of the wildlife you might see as well as nice lists of plants to use in different situations. The only reason I didn't give it 5 starts is because the section describing the plants in detail was too short, but what was there was very helpful.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is invaluable for anyone interested in native plants. Not only are there helpful lists such as good for rain gardens, or good for shade, but the plant profiles section is extremely practical. It tells you the optimal planting conditions, but also the best ways/types of gardens to use the plant, the best companion plants, and even maintenance tips for later on (which I always wonder about but are not often included with plant profiles). Highly recommend for all native plant lovers!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book in regards to native plant life. I do wish the second chapter had been broken down to light/water requirements a little better. Just so you could go directly to what your area supports.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for people just starting out on growing native plants in their yards. I especially appreciated the honesty about the drawbacks of a native garden and how to compensate. I learned some things that I haven't seen in other native gardening books.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Add this to personal library! It’s a keeper!

[Susan Damon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you're a seasoned traditional gardener transitioning to sustainable practices or a complete novice, Lynn Steiner's new book, Grow Native, is for you!

The first part of this comprehensive guide covers all aspects of gardening with native plants, including plant selection, soil preparation, landscape design, maintenance and, most importantly, ecological benefits. The second part of the book profiles in detail native plants recommended for the garden. (As a veteran native plant gardener who struggles with the consequences of choosing some species that are far too aggressive for the residential landscape, I applaud Steiner's wise plant selections!)

If Grow Native's magnificent photo illustrations don't convince you that native plant landscaping is the right choice, Steiner's eloquent arguments about the benefits of native plants for birds, native pollinators and other fauna surely will.

Susan Damon, Native Plant Gardener since 1993

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good encyclopedia of native plants at the back of the book.