Gardening With the Native Plants of Tennessee: The Spirit of Place

Rating:
Summary: Excellent handbook on Tennessee natives
Review: On my first gardening day after purchasing Margie Hunter's book, I used it at least three times to make sure I had the right plant in the right growing conditions. Margie has managed to squeeze an amazing amount of information in a small space, using a very pleasing format. Her book, while providing excellent details, presents the information with a chatty, casual voice, as though one was getting advice from a neighbor with a very green thumb. The section on the geology of Tennessee was a delightful surprise for me with its explanation of the origin of the variety of soils within our state. My only criticism of the book is the size of the excellent photographs. While the handbook size of the book makes it easy to take to the garden for reference, these middle-aged eyes of mine find the small pictures a little disappointing. For Tennessee gardeners in particular, and mid-south gardeners in general, anyone interested in gardening with native plants will find this book to be a thorough, well-researched and enjoyable aid to their efforts.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful resource for a gardener new to Tennessee
Review: This is a lovely book. I'm an experienced gardener in England and my husband bought me this when we moved to Tennessee. It has given me the confidence to understand what I'm doing in this new climate, and to ensure that my efforts to 'improve' the land I garden here won't damage it.

The book has good detailed information on native plants and starting points for acquiring them.

Normally with a reference book on any subject, I would just dip into it as needed. This one I picked up and read cover to cover !