Creating Sanctuary: A New Approach to Gardening in the Washington Metropolitan Area

by Sherry Mitchell

Residents of the Washington area hoping to create pockets of nature in their backyards will find everything they need to know in this book, which outlines practical ways to conserve water, eliminate chemical and pesticide use, and design environments that provide refuge for wildlife.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Charlotte]

I started this book with the intention of reading it straight through, but I was soon skimming and skipping large sections until I realized it wasn't really very interesting. It's a nice thought/concept: how to design your urban or suburban garden with native plants that attract and shelter wildlife. It ended up being too touchy-feely for me though (the title, "Creating Sanctuary," I guess should have been a red flag!) with the kumbaya-esque rhapsodizing about being one with nature. Sorry, but living in the D.C. area just isn't conducive to communing. Decent advice about and lists of native species, though, so not a total waste of time. I used the information in planning my own (mostly non-sanctuary) suburban garden.