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Title: Natural Shade Garden by Kenneth Druse, Ken Druse ISBN: 0-517-58017-9 Publisher: Clarkson N Potter Publishers Pub. Date: 01 March, 1992 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $45.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (14 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The Natural Shade Garden
Comment: This is my second copy of this beautiful book. A friend "borrowed" the first one and never returned it! But I can't blame her because this book is a delight to the eye and a treasure trove of ideas for the shady yard. I must say that I do not have a green thumb, but my once lackluster yard now supports a huge assortment of hosta in every shade of green. You have to love a plant that flourishes in shade, comes up every year with very little care and doubles its size! The photos in this book are beautiful and will make you want to try and recreate the vistas. A wonderful book for the gardener or the lover of beautiful books.
Rating: 3
Summary: Not for the beginner....
Comment: THE NATURAL SHADE GARDENER by Ken Druse is a beautiful book even if the photos are slightly "touched up." I have to laugh at the oxymoronic title, however. There is nothing natural about shade gardening, and this is not the WILD GARDEN William Robinson wrote about where drifts of plants are allowed to form naturally. I can tell from Druse's photos someone has been working very hard. Nature's version of vegetation in shade is quite different. Plants in nature tend to run to riot. If you don't think so, take a walk in the "real" woods. In nature, the toughest plant wins.
For example, Druse says English Ivy is a good ground cover in shade. Well, it is. English Ivy will grow in shade---and grow and grow and grow. Recently, a group of local volunteers in our area pulled English Ivy from the trees in a local nature preserve. The stuff kills. Another vine Druse recommends without a warning is Porcelain-berry which is becoming a major problem in along the east coast. Are you old enough to remember the introduction of the new wonder vine Kudzu??
On the other hand, Druse says Tradescantia, a native of Virginia brought to England where it was hybridized at Kew Gardens is a pest. Well, it is a prolific plant if you reintroduce it in a Zone 7 garden, but it can be controlled without a great deal of effort, unlike Lysimachia clethroides (White Gooseneck Loosestrife) which Druse recommends without warning that it will take over if you invite it into your garden. Allen Lacey and other garden writers have ID'd Gooseneck Loosestrife as a "thug in the garden" and I can tell you from personal experience they are absolutely correct (of course I had to find out for myself!!).
I tend to agree with the reviewer from Maplewood NJ below who says THE NATURAL SHADE GARDEN by Ken Druse is not for the beginner. This book is for advanced gardeners who can "take what they need and leave the rest." Shade gardening is something you take up after you've mastered other less complicated types of gardening. Of course, if you're stuck with shade you'll have to start somewhere.
I have been using George Shenk's book THE COMPLETE SHADE GARDENER for years. It's not as colorful, and contains those annotated lists of plants which some do not like, however, Shenk's plant classifications are not exhaustive so you won't be overwhelmed, and the trees, shrubs, etc. are classified by their behavior--i.e. what will work in which circumstances. Like many gardeners I once planted a Maple tree in my yard. Shenk's book contains a listing of shade trees and from it I discovered Maple trees are shallow rooted and not at all friendly toward other plants. I also discovered the Black Walnut can be a killer. In the nick of time had the Maple tree removed and planted a Persian Walnut instead. I've been able to grow Crepe Myrtles, Viburnums, Nandina, and a host of other plants under the Walnut, though I sometimes have to water in August. Some of us don't want to end our gardening experience in order to have a shady patio in July.
Rating: 5
Summary: inspiring and practical
Comment: If you have a shady garden space, this book will make you feel like the luckiest gardener in the world. Ken Druse structured the book around the organization of natural woodland plants: understory, middle layer, and overstory. (Note that this is not the right book for you if you are looking to create a formal shady garden.) The beautiful photographs, both closeup and scenic, and the detailed yet readable text make this book a success on two fronts. There is enough practical advice to take you from designing your shade garden to keeping it healthy and beautiful through the seasons and years. There is even a resource list to help with ordering your plants. Did I mention how amazing the photographs are? This is my favorite garden book so far, and I am accumulating quite a little collection.
Partial shade, dappled shade, and deep shade are all addressed with beautiful pictures of plants and gardens and with descriptive, practical text.
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Title: Eighty Great Natural Shade Garden Plants (Ken Druse's Natural Garden Guides) by KEN DRUSE ISBN: 0609800434 Publisher: Three Rivers Press Pub. Date: 22 April, 1997 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Complete Shade Gardener by George Schenk ISBN: 0881925349 Publisher: Timber Press (OR) Pub. Date: 01 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Perennials for Shade: Easy Plants for More Beautiful Gardens (Taylor's 50 Best Series) by Houghton Mifflin Company ISBN: 0395873312 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Pub. Date: 01 February, 1999 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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Title: Natural Garden by KEN DRUSE ISBN: 0517550466 Publisher: Clarkson Potter Pub. Date: 12 December, 1988 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
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Title: The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest by Rick Darke ISBN: 0881925454 Publisher: Timber Press (OR) Pub. Date: 01 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
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