A must-have for every gardener in California looking for a new way to garden in a changing climate In recent years California has been facing extreme drought, and in 2015 they passed state-wide water restrictions that affect home owners. Unfortunately the drought is only going to get worse, and gardeners who aren’t willing to abandon their beloved pastime entirely are going to have to learn how to garden with the absolute minimum of water. The Drought-Defying California Garden highlights the best 230 plants to grow, shares advice on how to get them established, and offers tips on how to maintain them with the minimum amount of water. All of the plants are native to California—making them uniquely adept at managing the harsh climate—and include perennials, annuals, shrubs, trees, and succulents.

California Friendly® is California's future. Water reliability is dependent on using water wisely. We need to create sustainable gardens that rely on less water. This maintenance guide will help you support California's future:*Uncover the secrets of efficient irrigation.*Explore the techniques for irrigating with recycled water.*Get the maintenance tips for hundreds of California Friendly® plants.*Discover the methods and means of managing weed and pest infestations.*Learn how to maintain rainwater capture opportunities.This book has been written for every landscaper, gardener and land manager in Southern California. It has been produced by the very first collaboration between three Southern California organizations, LADWP, MWD and SoCalGas. Grab a copy--they are free--use the information in your garden and help us create a beautiful, thriving and sustainable future.

“For anyone interested in gardening, this book is a delightful read. For anyone interested in gardening with California native plants, this book is a must-read. Helen Popper clearly lays out the tasks required to ensure maximum success with growing, propagating, and maintaining a garden in rhythm with the seasons. This book will definitely be included in my reference library." --Scott Soden, Artscapes Landscape Design “Helen Popper has created a lovely resource for both experienced and novice native plant gardeners. The gorgeous photographs will inspire readers to see the natural beauty of natives and challenge us to use them in many garden traditions, from a cottage garden to a Japanese garden.” --Leslie Gray, Executive Director, Environmental Studies Institute, Santa Clara University

Gardening. Environmental Studies. Photographs by Saxon Holt. Illustrations by Richard Pembroke. This lavishly illustrated book celebrates the challenges and opportunities of gardening in Mediterranean climates, with special reference to northern California's San Francisco Bay Region. The core of the book is a catalog of more than 650 plants suited to regions with mild, usually wet winters and dry, often hot summers. These plants thrive with moderate to no summer irrigation when established, require little or no maintenance, and are reasonably available from nurseries, botanic gardens, native plant sales, or specialty seed suppliers. Many of the 542 color photographs show plants in garden settings to suggest attractive and compatible plant combinations. Summary charts provide information on each plant, such as bloom time, needs for water and sun, and preferences for coastal or inland microclimates. Lists suggest plants for special situations, such as hot sites, dryish shade, small gardens, and clay soils. Chapters on landscape design and maintenance inspire readers to make gardens that use little water and no harmful chemicals, with a focus on building healthy soil. Practical steps to successful design are supplemented with ideas for designing with microclimate, attracting wildlife, and fire safety. Sidebars by local experts discuss weather, natural landscapes, design solutions, and gardening with recycled water. "A valuable resource for climate-compatible gardening in the San Franciso Bay Area that will also be of interest to gardeners in other parts of the world with a similar seasonal pattern of winter rain and dry summers. This book will occupy a prominent place in my library for many years to come." Katherine Greenberg, president Mediterranean Garden Society "This book is beautifully designed with abundant photographs of plants, many in garden settings, and it is packed with the kind of information gardeners need for their own special situations. Simply stunning Bravo " Phyllis M. Faber, editor University of California Press"

Design a succulent garden of your own, with inspiration, advice, and instructional step-by-step projects for container gardens, small-space gardens, mixed gardens, and more. You can't help but be mesmerized by the eye-catching geometric forms and jewel-toned colors of succulents. But how do you grow these beauties in your own garden? One of the only books dedicated to succulent garden design, Striking Succulent Gardens is a stylish, modern gardening book for beginners and enthusiasts alike. Known for his colorful approach and bold use of varied textures and shapes, garden designer Gabriel Frank offers practical ideas, simple concepts, stunning full-color photography, step-by-step instructions for a dozen different gardens, plant recommendations, basic succulent care, and an inspired approach to creating living art in your own garden. For those in colder climates, there is a list of cold-hardy succulents and advice for bringing container gardens indoors for the winter, making succulent gardens achievable no matter where you live. Tough, water-wise, wildly popular, and nearly indestructible, succulents will transform your outdoor space, providing gardens of every size with minimal maintenance and maximum impact.

Dry summer, wet winter climate? This is your must have plant guide. Selecting plants suited to your climate is the first step toward a thriving, largely self-sustaining garden that connects with and supports the natural world. With gentle and compelling text and stunning photographs of plants in garden settings, Gardening in Summer-Dry Climates by Nora Harlow and Saxon Holt is a guide to native and climate-adapted plants for summer-dry, winter-wet climates of North America's Pacific coast. Knowing what these climates share and how and why they differ, you can choose to make gardens that maintain and expand local and regional biodiversity, take little from the earth that is not returned, and welcome and accommodate the presence of wildlife. With global warming, it is now even more critical that we garden in tune with climate.

"California Native Plants for the Garden" is a comprehensive resource that features more than 500 of the best California native plants for gardening in the Mediterranean-climate areas of the world. Authored by three of the state's leading native-plant horticulturalists and illustrated with 450 color photos, this reference book also includes chapters on landscape design, installation, and maintenance. Detailed lists of recommended native plants for a variety of situations are also provided.

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.