Pat Welsh's Southern California Gardening: A Month-by-Month Guide

by Pat Welsh

First published in 1992, Pat Welsh's Southern California Gardening has sold well over 40,000 copies and received great critical acclaim. This completely revised and updated edition includes 40 new color photographs plus new information on perennials, ornamental grasses, geraniums, and more. Monthly chapters discuss relevant gardening topicsclimate, plant selection, soils, fertilizers, and wateringand are accompanied by handy checklists to help gardeners stay organized. An assortment of sidebars and rules of thumb will prove useful to gardeners in any region. Beautifully photographed and written in Pat Welsh's warm and practical style, this is an indispensable guide for every southern California gardener.

Genres: Gardening, Reference, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1992

Reviews

[Samaire]

At the time the second edition of this book was published, I was a bookseller for Barnes and Noble. I remember my store had a run on this book - we simply could not keep it in stock! Customers requested it in droves and raved about its results. At the time, I was no gardener and I could not understand how such a seemingly provincial gardening book could be so popular. Little did I know! This is my go to reference for all things Southern California gardening. Pat Welsh writes with wit and humor and the book is well organized by month. The reader can skip parts as desired (I didn't read the sections about lawn care, since I don't have one). This book has helped me keep my garden growing and beautiful year round and has inspired me to try new plants (wildflowers and camellias) and to take better care of my existing lovelies (mainly my roses and fuchsia). This book is a must own for Southern Californian gardeners and has sage advice for both beginner and expert gardeners.

[Alexis]

Pat Welsh shares her considerable expertise in gardening for Southern California. Organized as a month-by-month guide, her book is exceptionally user-friendly and makes it easy to understand what tasks are best suited to each season of the year. I find it especially helpful to know exactly what I should be doing in my garden as the seasons change. The information is practical, reliable, and applicable to a wide range of plants and common gardening challenges faced by Southern California gardeners. For me, this is the most useful and practical gardening guide tailored to my specific needs that I have found.

[Eleni Karas]

Clear, helpful and particular to the Southern-Californian gardener, Pat Welsh has great tips to help you along each month

[Lisa Lange]

If you live in Southern California, and you like to garden, you must have this book! It is the absolute best. It is more geared toward the flowering and ornamental side rather than the edible side. However she does have a little bit about everything you can possibly grow here.

[Laura Leaney]

Incredibly helpful. I like the "month to month" aspect because I desperately want someone to hand me a list and say, "do this during the month of July." Pat Welsh, you're like the gardening mother of my dreams.

I wish there was more on vegetables.

[Sandi]

Helpful information, could have been organized better.

[Angela]

The simple, straightforward gardening and landscaping instructions laid out in this book month-by-month are invaluable to someone new to southern California gardening.

[Jill]

Excellent book for San Diego with month-by-month to do lists for your garden.

[Christine]

This is an indispensable book for Southland gardeners. Very readable and useful. I will be consulting it for years to come, on a month by month basis

[Jean]

This book is essential for the Southern California gardener. The book has a chapter for each month so that the reader knows what needs to be done at any given time.

[Brooke]

month by month what to do in your garden