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Florida's Best Native Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals
"This beautifully illustrated book is loaded with practical information that professionals and homeowners will find very useful."--Jeffrey G. Norcini, University of Florida
"Gil Nelson's book provides a very good selective overview of native plants readily available in the nursery trade that can be used in landscaping and the best ways to utilize them."--Richard P. Wunderlin, author of Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida and Flora of Florida, Volume 1
Florida's Best Native Landscape Plants is an illustrated guide for landscape designers, home gardeners, and restoration professionals. Published in cooperation with the Association of Florida Native Plant Nurseries and the Florida Department of Transportation, it provides technical information on the design and maintenance of native plants that are readily available from the state's native plant nurseries for use in Florida gardening and landscaping. The 200 species were selected for their availability and for their general hardiness, popularity, and ease of use in both commercial and residential landscapes. All are easily found in the native plant trade and will perform well in both home and commercial landscapes.
Each species profile details size and form, uses for landscaping and/or gardening, best features, range and distribution, physical appearance, culture, best companion plants, allergenic properties, cultivars, and similar species. Each account is illustrated with one or more color photos, over 700 in all, and 180 of them are further illustrated with an original watercolor. An introductory section introduces readers to the importance and benefits of using native plants in landscaping.
Both federal and state guidelines mandate the incorporation of regional native plants in public site design to the maximum extent possible. Gil Nelson's book provides information for those charged with selecting easy-to-obtain native species for use in state and local parks and along our highways—and assists planners and designers, architects, and homeowners in making educated decisions about native plant selection and use.
Gil Nelson is a writer, naturalist, and educator who lives and works in Tallahassee, Florida. He is the author of Ferns of Florida, Shrubs and Woody Vines of Florida, Trees of Florida, Exploring Wild Northwest Florida, and Exploring Wild North Florida and coauthor of the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southeast, and Florida Wetland Plants.
"Gil Nelson's book provides a very good selective overview of native plants readily available in the nursery trade that can be used in landscaping and the best ways to utilize them."--Richard P. Wunderlin, author of Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida and Flora of Florida, Volume 1
Florida's Best Native Landscape Plants is an illustrated guide for landscape designers, home gardeners, and restoration professionals. Published in cooperation with the Association of Florida Native Plant Nurseries and the Florida Department of Transportation, it provides technical information on the design and maintenance of native plants that are readily available from the state's native plant nurseries for use in Florida gardening and landscaping. The 200 species were selected for their availability and for their general hardiness, popularity, and ease of use in both commercial and residential landscapes. All are easily found in the native plant trade and will perform well in both home and commercial landscapes.
Each species profile details size and form, uses for landscaping and/or gardening, best features, range and distribution, physical appearance, culture, best companion plants, allergenic properties, cultivars, and similar species. Each account is illustrated with one or more color photos, over 700 in all, and 180 of them are further illustrated with an original watercolor. An introductory section introduces readers to the importance and benefits of using native plants in landscaping.
Both federal and state guidelines mandate the incorporation of regional native plants in public site design to the maximum extent possible. Gil Nelson's book provides information for those charged with selecting easy-to-obtain native species for use in state and local parks and along our highways—and assists planners and designers, architects, and homeowners in making educated decisions about native plant selection and use.
Gil Nelson is a writer, naturalist, and educator who lives and works in Tallahassee, Florida. He is the author of Ferns of Florida, Shrubs and Woody Vines of Florida, Trees of Florida, Exploring Wild Northwest Florida, and Exploring Wild North Florida and coauthor of the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southeast, and Florida Wetland Plants.
432 pages, Paperback
First published December 16, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 28, 2019
This book seems more beneficial for roadside and development projects than backyards.
April 7, 2014
As the title implies, this book contains entries for 200 Florida natives. Each plant receives a two-page spread, including a hand-drawn illustration, several full-color photographs and a species account. The species account includes much of the same information found in the UF EDIS database, including native range, detailed form description and plant characteristics, plus recommendations for use. Propagation method is not included.
Unfortunately, as an amateur gardener, I found the book very difficult to use. The plant entries are arranged alphabetically by scientific name with no common name index. For me this does nothing. I know very few scientific names, so to find a plant entry I have to flip through the pages until I see the right picture. I found several plants which I know by a different common name then was listed, so I'm not sure the index would have totally helped that much anyway. This would probably not be a barrier for a professional but I have to imagine I am the average homeowner, the other target audience of the book.
It would have also been nice to see some appendices devoted to grouping shade plants, border plants, drought-tolerant, butterfly gardening, etc.
Also, this book is devoted to all of Florida, so some of the entries are north Florida or south Florida only. It would be nice if the Florida zone was included in a more conspicuous place other than buried in the Culture text to quickly discern the area.
In general, this book would benefit from some better formatting - icons on the pages to indicate certain characteristics, and definitely some better ways to find the plants.
Unfortunately, as an amateur gardener, I found the book very difficult to use. The plant entries are arranged alphabetically by scientific name with no common name index. For me this does nothing. I know very few scientific names, so to find a plant entry I have to flip through the pages until I see the right picture. I found several plants which I know by a different common name then was listed, so I'm not sure the index would have totally helped that much anyway. This would probably not be a barrier for a professional but I have to imagine I am the average homeowner, the other target audience of the book.
It would have also been nice to see some appendices devoted to grouping shade plants, border plants, drought-tolerant, butterfly gardening, etc.
Also, this book is devoted to all of Florida, so some of the entries are north Florida or south Florida only. It would be nice if the Florida zone was included in a more conspicuous place other than buried in the Culture text to quickly discern the area.
In general, this book would benefit from some better formatting - icons on the pages to indicate certain characteristics, and definitely some better ways to find the plants.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews