Describes over three hundred species and varieties of ground covers, vines, and grasses with tips on selecting the right plant for the right place and advice for both amateurs and professionals.

"To grow a successful garden in shade, you need to select the right plants and then grow them according to their special needs. In this book, experts give you all the information you need to turn a common problem into a gardening pleasure." --Cover.

This fact-filled reference to all aspects of growing classic garden plants includes a mini-encyclopedia listing the best varieties to buy, illustrated instructions on performing garden tasks, suggestions for using plants in the home landscape, and directions on propagating.

No category of plants works harder than ground covers to help a gardener create a beautiful yet low-maintenance landscape. In this book readers will discover the best plants * to stabilize banks and control erosion * to substitute for turf where grass won’t grow or is hard to mow * to line curbs and driveways, where salt will damage ordinary plants * to enhance a landscape with broad, dramatic sweeps.

Provides information on growing trees, perennials, annuals, grasses, herbs, and bulbs, features the basics of garden design, and talks about environmentally sound controls of pests and diseases.

The complete guide to the best grasses for every garden site. More than 165 full-color plant portraits and photos of landscape designs.

Stretch your imagination about the potential of ground covers. Includes hostas, stonecrops, smaller rhododendrons, prayer plants, pyracanthas, box huckleberry, hellebores, daylilies, grasses, alpine willows, and unsupported climbing vines, just to name a few.

Reveals the vital components of landscape design, offering advice on choosing a site, selecting plants, creating garden accessories, and maintaining a landscape.

Celebrate shade! That's author Larry Hodgson's call to gardeners everywhere, no matter if you have a small shady corner or an entire landscape overshadowed by trees. His hands-on "been there, done that" advice will help you tackle planning, planting, and problem-solving, as well as create color, texture, and light-filled areas in the shade. He also shares more than 200 outstanding plants - perennials, annuals, bulbs, ferns, ornamental grasses, and climbing plants - that you can use to create a beautiful garden that will flourish under shady conditions. In fact, after reading Making the Most of Shade, even the gardener with the sunniest yard will want to create a shady nook!--COVER.

Describes the types of turfgrasses, ornamental grasses, and ground covers available and how to select, plant, and maintain them.