An essential reference to gardening in hot and cold dry climates. Gardening where summers are hot and prone to periods of drought, or where winters are snowy one week and freezing rain the next, is best managed by xeriscaping -- dryland gardening techniques that favor not only water conservation but also the conservation of time, energy and other resources. Xeriscaping enthusiasts exist throughout North America wherever the climate calls for dryland gardening, from the Great Plains prairies to the California desert. Dryland Gardening explains time-tested strategies: Coping with limited access to water Dealing with invasive plants Dealing with trees under stress Nurturing groundcovers and grasses Starting bulbs, perennials and vines Growing vegetables, herbs and annuals. This book includes both practical advice for dry-climate gardeners as well as an extensive planting list for grasses and groundcovers, bulbs, perennials and vines, vegetables and annuals, herbs, roses and shrubs. Each plant entry provides: Common and botanical names Detailed descriptions Planting instructions, care and maintenance. Dryland Gardening celebrates a resilient garden with a beauty that requires fewer resources and less time. AUTHOR: Jennifer Bennett is the author of several books, including Lilacs for the Garden, and writes for gardening magazines. ILLUSTRATIONS: 100 colour photographs

Leavened with humor and rueful wisdom, Nold's pithy descriptions zero in on each plant's outstanding ornamental characteristics while giving the reader an accurate idea of what to expect from the plant's performance in the garden." "Although Nold addresses himself primarily to western gardeners, anyone with an interest in hardy, drought-tolerant plants will find in these pages an abundance of tempting possibilities with which to experiment."--BOOK JACKET.

This book blends numerous areas of interest: First is the basic how-to of desert gardening: heat, soils, water and wind. Second is the exploration of Palm Springs architecture from Spanish to Mid-century modern and how outdoor gardens are made to work with these styles. Third is a detailed presentation of the plants that will thrive here under ordinary care, and are naturally adapted to the dry climates of Australia, Mexico, Africa and South America. Rather than group plants by trees, shrubs, and perennials as most books are laid out, Palm Springs Gardening organizes plants according to their botanical associations and their aesthetic ones¿so readers go straight to the kinds of plants they find most appealing. The author also considers the aesthetic vernacular of local architecture and the plants that are best used with each one. Beautiful locations throughout the region offer a great deal of diversity, so that the book covers the full range of interests. They include public places with garden interest, like Moorten Botanical Gardens and The Living Desert.

Sheep and wheat are the staples of dryland farms in the Mediterranean zone of the Northern Hemisphere. The commonly used dryland farming system introduced in the 1950s, however, is proving unsustainable. What is needed is an alternative system that is both environmentally sustainable and within the means of most farmers in the region. This book analyzes the quagmire of development on dryland farms to try to find some answers to these issues for scientists in agriculture and economics.

Sara Jaffe's engrossing debut novel, Dryland, is a smart coming-of-age novel that charts the murky waters of adolescence. Anything can happen when Julie hits the water. It’s 1992, and the world is caught up in the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the Balkan Wars, but for Julie Winter, 15, the news is noise. In Portland, Oregon, Julie moves through her days in a series of negatives: the skaters she doesn’t think are cute, the Guatemalan backpack she doesn’t buy at the craft fair, the umbrella she refuses to carry despite the incessant rain. Her family life is routine and restrained, and no one talks about Julie’s older brother, a one-time Olympic hopeful swimmer who now lives in self-imposed exile in Berlin. Julie has never considered swimming herself, until Alexis, the swim team captain, tries to recruit her. It's a dare, and a flirtation—and a chance for Julie to find her brother, or to finally let him go.

Out of the Scientist's Garden is written for anyone who wants to understand food and water a little better - for those growing vegetables in a garden, food in a subsistence plot or crops on vast irrigated plains. It is also for anyone who has never grown anything before but has wondered how we will feed a growing population in a world of shrinking resources. Although a practicing scientist in the field of water and agriculture, the author has written, in story form accessible to a wide audience, about the drama of how the world feeds itself. The book starts in his own fruit and vegetable garden, exploring the 'how and why' questions about the way things grow, before moving on to stories about soil, rivers, aquifers and irrigation. The book closes with a brief history of agriculture, how the world feeds itself today and how to think through some of the big conundrums of modern food production.

« "Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1' is the first book in a three-volume guide that teaches you how to conceptualize, design, and implement sustainable water-harvesting systems for your home, landscape, and community. The lessons in this volume will enable you to assess your on-site resources, give you a diverse array of strategies to maximize their potential, and empower you with guiding principles to create an integrated, multi-functional water-harvesting plan specific to your site and needs. »--