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Mediterranean Gardening: A Waterwise Approach

Gardening in harmony with a Mediterranean climate means taking advantage of winter rain and allowing the garden to rest over hot summers. In this beautifully illustrated, practical handbook, Heidi Gildemeister provides both novice and experienced gardeners with a comprehensive guide for waterwise gardening, with over one thousand drought-tolerant Mediterranean plants chosen both for their beauty and for their easygoing ways. Well indexed with common and botanical names, Mediterranean Gardening will be indispensable not only for gardeners in California, the Mediterranean basin, and Mediterranean climate areas in South America, Australia, and Africa, but for anyone living in a region that experiences drought.Gildemeister explains how drought-tolerant plants that are suitably matched with a site and carefully planted and mulched can live on winter rain and, once established, do not need additional summer water—as in nature. The Plant Selection lists over one thousand plants from nearly five hundred genera, including their preferred growing conditions, propagation, best use, and maintenance. Guidelines in eight steps describe the planning of waterwise gardens, such as for the establishment of dappled shade to conserve precious soil moisture. Successful alternatives to the water-intensive lawn offer attractive design ideas.Mediterranean Gardening offers a wealth of information: "easy" plants for the beginner, new choices for the garden architect, and for botanists the latest findings on minimum temperatures plants can endure. An extensive bibliography covering drought tolerance and a list of useful addresses make this book as helpful to people converting to water-, labor-, and ecology-conscious gardening as to those starting from scratch.

Hardcover: 208 pages

Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (December 8, 2002)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0520236033

ISBN-13: 978-0520236035

Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.9 x 0.9 inches

Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds

Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #2,044,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #192 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > By Region > West #577 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Water Supply & Land Use #713 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Engineering > Civil & Environmental > Environmental > Water Quality & Treatment

I live in the South of France and use this book myself. I sent a copy to my daughter in California so that she might benefit from the the expertise and experience of Hilda Gildemeister. This is a good, reliable basic introduction to gardening in a Med. climate.Easy to read, good plant suggestions, the lists of plants for particular situations is of great use. Especially useful for newcomers to dry condition gardening.

This book gives prefect information on how to grow a garden in a dry climat without going bankrupt on water cost. Invaluable, specially for beginners. Comming from a cold and wet climate I had no idea what to think about when growing a garden in a hot and dry climate, but this book deffinately put me on the right track.The book also contains a long list of plants that will do well in a "dry" garden which is helpfull. The only thing I missed was information on how big the plants become and at what rate they grow. Rather interesting information for a newcommer like me who is not always familiar with the plants described. Many good pictures did help to choose the right types of plants though.

Gildermeister primary concern, and rightly so, is the climate and environment of the mediterranean zone for panting and gardening. Water and heat, wind and salt are factors which until now, have not really been taken into account. Gildermeister does take them into account. Her book examies the unique concerns of the med and has an comprehensive and extensive seltection of plants well suited for such conditions. This book is well suite for both beginner and experts alike.

i live in the south of France and have used this book extensively. i learnt quite a lot from it despite having more than 30 years gardening experience. The written chapters are very informative as are the plant selections and i would recommend the book. It will save you a vast amount of time and moneyHowever, i do find the plant selection chapters (which does contain a vast range of plants) less good. There are too many plants that are highly specialised (OK it is a tour de force by the author). I have spent hundreds of hours researching the plants suggested only to find that large numbers are not available any where in Europe, even by seed. the author does say that 'not all are easily obtained' Probably many come from seed swaps from botanical gardens, i wish i knew honestly.Other species that i grow a lot of seem strangely selected, salvias and agaves particularly.Frost tolerance is not mentioned and this is a weakness for gardens that do have winter frost (which are many in the Med)Overall definitely worth buying...but don't get carried away with the lists of plants.

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