Synopses & Reviews
A home garden is often seen as separate from the natural world surrounding it. In truth, it is actually just one part of a larger landscape that is made up of many living layers. And the replacement of the rich layers of native flora with turf grass greatly diminishes a garden’s biological diversity and ecological function. The Living Landscape seeks to reverse this trend by showing gardeners how to create a landscape that is full of life. Written by Rick Darke and Douglas W. Tallamy, two of the most important voices in sustainability and horticulture, it is the definitive guide to designing a beautiful, biodiverse home garden. The authors first explain the layers of the landscape and what role the plants within them plays in the larger environment, from providing berries for birds, food for bugs, or a place for bees to pollinate. The authors then put this information into context and offer design strategies to implement in a home garden. Helpful charts suggest plants, including natives and nonnatives, for each region. Douglas W. Tallamy’s award-winning Bringing Nature Home revealed the pressing need for a biodiverse home landscape. In a gorgeously illustrated, inspirational, and practical way, The Living Landscape supports the important message by showing gardeners how to make it happen.
Review
"Will give meaningful definition to the idea of biodiversity... the book offers guidance for creating beautiful landscapes that will be durable and ‘support life without sacrificing aesthetics.’” New York Times Book Review
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"This thoughtful, intelligent book is all about connectivity, addressing a natural world in which we are the primary influence." Booklist
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"A fascinating and beautiful book on creating gardens for wildlife." New York Times
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"Essential for gardeners and nature lovers interested in sustainability." Publishers Weekly
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"Will become the most popular book of the decade." Booklist
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"The authors walk us through and help us understand the layered landscape, something that so many gardeners don't address, consider, or even know to think about. It's a gem!" Ken Druse - Real Dirt
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"Shares insights on beauty and biodiversity, plants and pollinators, and new design strategies for personal gardens both large and small." Pat Sutton, Director of Wild Ones
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"Will become the most popular book of the decade."
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"Two giants of the natural gardening world, Rick Darke and Doug Tallamy, have collaborated on their best work yet." Anne Raver
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"A fascinating and beautiful book on creating gardens for wildlife." Library Journal
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“An inspirational book.” The Chicago Tribune
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“Presents, in clear words and beautiful images—an entire pragmatic philosophy for how to live our lives and build our living environments.” Book Page
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“A very important book and one that works very well for the nature lover turned gardener.” Gardens Illustrated
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“This is a book that every designer and homeowner has been waiting for.” Garden Design Online
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“Let me state, without hyperbole, this is the best gardening book I have ever read.” Cathie Draine
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“This collaboration is beautifully executed.” Rapid City Journal
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"This thoughtful, intelligent book is all about connectivity, addressing a natural world in which we are the primary influence." Ellen Honeycutt - Georgia Native Plants
Synopsis
"This thoughtful, intelligent book is all about connectivity, addressing a natural world in which we are the primary influence." --The New York Times Books Review
Many gardeners today want a home landscape that nourishes and fosters wildlife, but they also want beauty, a space for the kids to play, privacy, and maybe even a vegetable patch. Sure, it's a tall order, but The Living Landscape shows you how to do it. You'll learn the strategies for making and maintaining a diverse, layered landscape--one that offers beauty on many levels, provides outdoor rooms and turf areas for children and pets, incorporates fragrance and edible plants, and provides cover, shelter, and sustenance for wildlife. Richly illustrated and informed by both a keen eye for design and an understanding of how healthy ecologies work, The Living Landscape will enable you to create a garden that fulfills both human needs and the needs of wildlife communities.
Synopsis
Many gardeners today want a home landscape that nourishes and fosters wildlife. But they also want beauty, a space for the kids to play, privacy, and maybe even a vegetable patch. Sure, it’s a tall order, but The Living Landscape shows how to do it. By combining the insights of two outstanding authors, it offers a model that anyone can follow. Inspired by its examples, you’ll learn the strategies for making and maintaining a diverse, layered landscape—one that offers beauty on many levels, provides outdoor rooms and turf areas for children and pets, incorporates fragrance and edible plants, and provides cover, shelter, and sustenance for wildlife. Richly illustrated with superb photographs and informed by both a keen eye for design and an understanding of how healthy ecologies work, The Living Landscape will enable you to create a garden that is full of life and that fulfills both human needs and the needs of wildlife communities.
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).
Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware where he has authored 80 research articles and has taught Insect Taxonomy, Behavioral Ecology, Humans and Nature, Insect ecology and other courses for 32 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His first book Bringing Nature Home was awarded the 2008 silver medal by the Garden Writer’s Association. Doug was awarded the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd Jr. Award of Excellence in 2013.