The Water-Saving Garden: How to Grow a Gorgeous Garden with a Lot Less Water

Penick (Lawn Gone!) proves that conserving water does not mean giving up gardening with her engaging, instructing, and nudging treatise. She approaches the politics of water conservation firmly and frankly, especially in her powerful introduction, asserting that “there’s no one ‘right way’ to plant a garden that saves water.” Before the how-to, Penick wisely offers a rotogravure of seven gardens that manifest the gorgeous of her subtitle. Next, she turns practical with water-holding techniques, such as grading soil, barreling rain, shaping rain gardens, and installing water-permeable paving. Part three introduces plant alternatives to thirsty thugs left by developers; she includes ideas for containers and patios. Part four, the most imaginative, explores the symbolic display of water in garden design, suggesting illusions of liquid via colored-glass “waterways,” or cascading plants, borrowing traditions from the Moors and Japanese. The last part lists drought-tolerant plants, from ground covers up to trees. Penick is practical and reassuring throughout, convincing readers that vibrant water-saving gardens are viable. (Feb.)