Got Shade?: A "take It Easy" Approach for Today's Gardener

By Carolyn Harstad

Book Overview

A masterpiece, full of charm and humor." --Dr. Rebecca W. Dolan, Director, Friesner Herbarium, Butler University Whether it's urban, suburban, or rural, nearly every property has some shade, if only on the north side of the house. Countless more are "blessed" with giant trees planted decades ago that screen out the sunlight. Under such conditions, you may think that it's impossible to have an interesting garden without a lot of work. Not so if you are willing to learn about the plethora of easygoing horticultural gems that don't require full sun. Most gardeners think only of impatiens and hostas for their shady areas, but shade gardening can be far more interesting, and even exciting--and you need not work too hard at it if you incorporate some lesser-known but easy-to-grow plants into your landscape. Judiciously mixing the common plants with the more unusual ones can help the busy, tired, or lazy gardener create a special and unique retreat. Carolyn Harstad, author of the best-selling Go Native , organizes this book around the principle that an interesting shade garden is well balanced and has a variety of plantings. Early chapters focus on designing the low-maintenance garden. Further chapters discuss small trees, shrubs, dwarf conifers, vines, ground covers, ferns, grasses, perennials, woodland wildflowers, spring bulbs, and annuals (yes, there are annuals that enjoy shade ). She discusses hundreds of shade-tolerant plants hardy in Zones 4-8, suggests how they may be used and combined, and recommends methods to reduce garden maintenance--a universal concern in this fast-paced world. With its informative text, accurate drawings, and colorful photographs, this book is a "must have" for gardeners across much of North America.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0253216257
• ISBN13: 9780253216250
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Got Shade? is a great gardening book

I checked out this book from the library and I liked it so much that I bought it!

ideal for gardeners in zones 5 to 8

I found this book at my local library and now plan to purchase it! I'm currently landscaping my second home that's 90% covered in shade, and need a reference that tells me which plants will work *for me*. Since her book covers shade and zones 5-8, this book is the "sweet spot" for my needs, and with hundreds of plants I'm able to choose those that best suit me without eliminating half the book off-hand because they won't grow in my zone (which happens with too many other books I've looked at). This book doesn't have many pictures--just line drawings and a small color section in the middle--so it's not a good inspiration book, but when you get down to the details of selecting individual plants for a landscape plan, it's a lifesend.