Landscaping Revolution: Garden With Mother Nature, Not Against Her

by Andy Wasowski, Sally Wasowski

The Landscaping Revolution is a call to arms for gardeners like you who are searching for a better way to plant, maintain, and enjoy their gardens.

Genres: Gardening

166 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2000

Reviews

[Jill]

I was hoping for more specifics from this book, but instead I was taught the logic behind the movement. Not a bad surprise at all.

The author describes reasons and evidences to landscape naturally with plants that are native to your area. I have always shied away from this idea. I have seen plenty of rocky front yards that scream "low water usage!" But nothing beautiful that tells about native plants that suit the people or the birds, animals, etc who live in the climate or that reflects the nature I see when I travel to undisturbed areas near by.

I don't live in the authors native state or on the Eastern seaboard so there weren't a lot of plant suggestions I could use right away. This didn't bother me. The "why" for choosing this method of landscape was compelling enough to research my local options further on my own.

The photos, bio sketches of other natural landscapers and tales of "weeding police" and meadow gardens and attractive, intentional landscapes that highlight the seasons were written with such a fun light touch it was a fun read.

I saw the error in long held traditional landscape "musts" as well as how they came to be so popular.

Does this mean I'm ripping out my bluegrass? Not yet. But it does mean I am going to think about why I think about landscaping the way I do. And that I will be more conscientious about the choices I make to our bit of earth.

I finished he book with the conclusion that of I love going "into nature" so much, why do I eradicate the same beauty from right outside my back steps? Invasive weeds? Sure, rip 'em out. But don't scrape your landscape to follow a prescribed norm and then bemoan the lack of vegetation.

If the author's goal was to get me to think about that expanse of lawn we mow weekly and the beauties that we could easily grow near our home that are fit for our climate and soil, he was successful.

[Sharon]

There are many books that discuss "native" plants and plantings but many fail to mention for which location the plants are native. Non-hybridized plants are all native somewhere (but won't necessarily survive in your yard!). This book discusses few specific species but is a great overview of the whole native planting concept. With wit, the author discusses the need to excape from our typical manicured, pruned, watered, and toxic landscapes. He highlights success stories, issues with neighbors and "weed police" and provides resources for further information. A very readable discussion of an inportant issue.

[Kate]

There is nothing all that revolutionary about this book - it realy just champions the idea of using native plants in natural arrangements for home landscaping. Rather than plant a lawn, why not plant a yard full of cactus? That's pretty much the gist of it. But the authors' enthusiasm for non-traditional landscaping is infectious and charming and worth the read.

[Nancy]

Feels dated, and clearly done with the whole country, especially drought-prone areas, in mind. Still, a good primer on why most conventional landscaping does not take natural features of the land in mind.

[Carol Drufke-Zeller]

This book is very eye-opening...

[Kristina]

Older book, but still has some good tips for where and how to start your own natural landscape. Also has some resources to check out, although they may be outdated at this point.

[Jane]

A fun book by a total enthusiast. Highly recommend it with the "enjoy!" command. But as all things cannot be for all people, I just needed more northern information.