Synopses & Reviews
This encyclopedia by a distinguished American horticulturist is the most authoritative and best-illustrated reference ever published on ornamental grasses. Rick Darke has been studying and photographing grasses in gardens and native landscapes around the world for more than 20 years, and this book includes the best 500 photographs from his collection of nearly 15,000. At its heart is the illustrated alphabetical encyclopedia of important ornamental grasses, sedges, rushes, restios, cat-tails, and selected bamboos, with many plants illustrated in more than one season. Intended for gardeners in a wide range of situations and climates, this book is an invaluable tool for landscape architects, garden designers, nursery professionals, and home gardeners.
Review
"The best book on the subject. Fabulously illustrated, it takes the guesswork out of selecting and caring for these beautiful plants."—Maureen Gilmer, HGTV.com, April 21, 2006 Maureen Gilmer
Review
"As the photos on these pages show, Western designers have found beautiful new ways to integrate grasses into the garden."—Sharon Cohoon, Sunset, July 2000 HGTV.com
Review
"It is a marvelously inclusive and authoritative reference from start to finish."—Thomas Fischer, Horticulture, May 2000 Sharon Cohoon - Sunset
Synopsis
If you are a grass afficionado, your library is not complete without the most authoritative and best-illustrated reference ever published. Includes more than 500 photographs of grasses, sedges, rushes, restios, cat-tails, and selected bamboos--many taken in more than one season.
About the Author
Rick Darke is a landscape design consultant, author, lecturer, and photographer based in Pennsylvania who blends art, ecology, and cultural geography in the creation and conservation of livable landscapes. Darke served on the staff of Longwood Gardens for twenty years, and in 1998 he received the Scientific Award of the American Horticultural Society. His work has been featured in the New York Times and on National Public Radio. Darke has studied North American plants in their habitats for over three decades, and his research and lectures have taken him to Africa, Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, and northern Europe. His books include The Encyclopedia of Grasses for Livable Landscapes (2007), The American Woodland Garden (2002), and In Harmony with Nature (2000).