Native Plants for High-Elevation Western Gardens, Second Edition

This is a beautiful book! A wonderful reference for high altitude gardening. Very thorough information on when, where, how and what to plant to have a beautiful natural landscape. Well written, beautifully photographed. This book is not, however, a good resource for plant/flower identification because it is arranged in alphabetical order by the scientific name, which I seldom know. This is not a "field guide" per se, which might be arranged by flower color.

I agree with the other reviewer on all points with a single addition. Since the plants are listed by their genus it can be difficult to find a particular plant by their more common name. That would have been helpful and is the only reason I rated it a 4 instead of a 5 star item. Otherwise a stunning book full of information with some beautiful photography.

I'm very disappointed with my purchase. Although the glue is holding the pages together, about 2/3 of the pages do not adhere to the spine binding. The book must be handled very carefully to keep the pages from falling out.

Helpful information for the Western gardener

Comprehensive resource with pictures that will help with the decision of what and where to plant! Still a little foggy on what zone I am in but I will figure that out soon.

Great book - condition as described - arrived very fast!

This book, put together in a partnership with the Arboretum in Flagstaff Arizona, is a good read for someone just getting into planting natives. It is also a valuable guide to help you find out even more about regional native plants through lists of arboretums. It also provides some useful information about zones, both where you live and terms of the micro-climate that exists in different areas and exposures in your yard.The area that will draw your eyes to are the species descriptions with wonderful pictures showing flowers in bloom. These species are listed in alphabetical order by genus. These species descriptions provide such useful information as the botanical family of the plant, the size, zone hardiness, native range, bloom time, outstanding features, culture, landscape uses, and a description of the species and similar species and complementary plants that go well with them.Like all books such as these, there is a judgment call on which plant species to highlight and which to exclude. This book also focuses on primarily perennials and grasses, which means you will need to look elsewhere for information and recommendations on shrubs and trees. The species listed in the book is slanted towards native plants from the Flagstaff area which is fine since Flagstaff is a wonderful example of a high elevation area with relatively dry climate.. There is plenty of good recommendations available for western wildflower lovers. Though not an all inclusive guide to native gardening in the west, for many of us, this book is a nice start.