Reimagining the California Lawn: Water-Conserving Plants, Practices, and Designs

by Carol Bornstein, David Fross, Bart O'Brien

Reimagining the California Lawn features water-conserving plants from around the world and offers design ideas and practical solutions to help you create a vibrant garden that complements our mediterranean climate. From greenswards and meadows to succulent and kitchen gardens, this book presents alternatives to the traditional lawn that can reduce water use, beautify the landscape, and attract birds and butterflies. The authors of Reimagining the California Lawn,Carol Bornstein, David Fross, and Bart O Brien, are visionary horticulturists who wrote the award-winning book California Native Plants for the Garden. With this new publication, they share their passion for water-wise plants and landscapes to help Californians discover the many possibilities and pleasures that come with reimagining the lawn.

If you are thinking about removing or reducing your lawn, this inspiring book is the perfect companion to help you begin the process. Its detailed text provides information about how to plan, install, and maintain an attractive landscape that can replace your lawn and describes hundreds of water-thrifty plants from California and other mediterranean climates of the world. Reimagining the California Lawn is illustrated with more than 300 color photographs and offers a variety of plant palettes to choose from as you begin the process of creating a more sustainable landscape.

Genres: Gardening, Plants, Nonfiction, Landscaping

160 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2011

Reviews

[Ita]

This book is printed on great paper, mostly to ensure the pictures stay clear and vibrant. And the pictures make the book. I am trying to get rid of my grass and have no design ability, so my strategy is take something pretty and copy it EXACTLY. This book is filled with lots of wonderful pictures to give people inspiration.

I got it from the library but am very seriously considering buying it. And I try not to buy books because my house is collapsing from book-overload. It's that good!

[c]

Great reference book led by Carol Bornstein of LA Natural History Museum & other projects. I have seen photos of some of Bornstein’s work, which ranges from wild pollinator gardens to neat, structured gardens that any HOA would approve of. I think anyone in California would find this useful regardless of the type of garden they want.

Like her other book, California Native Plants for the Garden, it has handy lists of plants for particular situations (for example, allergenic plants; plants that tolerate poor-draining soil; fast-growing; dry shade; and bullet proof plants anyone should be able to grow). This book also has fantastic lists of plant palettes for particular garden styles:

- greenswards (lawns)
- meadows
-rock gardens
- succulent gardens
- carpet & tapestry gardens
- kitchen garden
- green roofs

Not limited to California native plants, tho they are included and highlighted in this list.

As this is geared towards lawn replacement, it does not include trees and the shrubs are groundcover height.

Photos are great.

[Josh Fogelson]

Good overview on how to remove a lawn and replace it with water conserving plants. 10-20 pages on strategies followed by a list of plants and details on the plants.

[Linda]

This is an excellent book for people thinking about replacing their turf grass lawn with a beautiful and environmentally friendly landscape. The information was inspiring yet practical. I especially appreciated the color photos that accompanied the plant profile section. Showing how a plant looks is just as important as its scientific name and preferred climate.

I used this book as resource for a post series about the American Lawn. Read it at: http://greengroundswell.com/the-ameri...

[Jennifer Barber]

I checked this book out from the library. I liked it so much that I bought it. It gives examples of great plants that would grow in my region in California. I think this will be the book that I will mostly use when relandscaping my front yard.

[Erin Casteel]

Might be my favorite garden book I've read. A wealth of information, presented well: from discussions of styles of garden to a plant encyclopedia. The encyclopedia is even broken down into lists of plants that are tough, deer-resistant, fragrant, do well in shade, etc.

[Susan Morrison]

I recently reviewed this on my blog www.blueplanetgardenblog.com Excellent, actionable advice on what to do if you're ready to move beyond the lawn.

[Tracey]

adult nonfiction; garden. It doesn't happen often that I would consider purchasing a book, but this would be one that I think I'd like on my home reference shelf.

[Maureen Pierre]

excellent information

[Nate]

Practical guide for choosing plants that are friendly to California's Mediterranean climate with emphasis on natives. Each chapter has a different focus for alternatives to lawns.

[Brenda]

An excellently done resource on ways to eliminate or minimize water-hungry lawn space.

[Yvonne]

Not a thrilling read, but it informed me well enough to begin ripping out my yard and putting in something more friendly to our local climate.

[Lucia]

opl has it

[Lada]

Not only does the book mention different types of plantings that can be put in place of a lawn, but it also points to public gardens where examples can be seen.