Tough Plants: Unkillable Plants for Every Garden

Rating:
Summary: Seems like a good idea for a book...
Review: ...but the problem is that what is "unkillable" is some parts of the USA is actually not a good idea at all in other parts. Nope, we're not talking kudzu here, but the book does include Hedera helix, a/k/a English ivy, which can strangle the life right out of trees in the Pacific Northwest. And the book mentions that one of its unkillable plants, teasel, is banned as noxious in three states.

Readers need to pay very careful attention to the cultural conditions that make a plant "tough". There's a fine line between being tough enough to survive a difficult aspect of a garden site and being truly "unkillable". A plant that is unkillable is, ultimately, destined to become a plant growing out of place -- which is the definition of a weed.

This is an intelligently and attractively formatted book and it offers tidbits about soil amendment, microclimates, and composting. But most people will simply want the directory of the tough plants, together with the large photos and the cultural information. If you are a complete novice, then this book will provide botanical names and a starting point. But before you plant, please, PLEASE talk with experienced gardeners in your area to see whether this plant is going to be tough or simply a thug in your garden.

Rating:
Summary: Looks beautiful, and that's about it.
Review: I live in New Mexico, and I thought this book was going to teach me all I need to know about planting in an unhospitible climate. People have beautiful gardens here, and it's astonishing what flourishes in the dry, hot sun.

I'm a novice gardener who plants with a trial and error sensibility. I ask a lot of questions, move plants around, etc. This book didn't help me at all. I found it confusing, lacking in information, and a basic pain in the rear to sort out.

I would have given it one star, but the pictures are lovely.

Ask a gardener. Leave this book alone.