Natural Gardening in Small Spaces

A""balance between ornamental elements and a certain amount of 'letting go'"" is the key to the successful natural garden, writes Kingsbury (The New Perennial Garden), and such harmony between art and nature can be achieved even in modest yards. The fundamentals of natural gardening--biodiversity, site-appropriate plantings and wildlife-friendly design--acknowledge that a garden is an ecosystem, one able to simultaneously please humans and sustain flora and fauna. In chapters that nicely mix explanatory text with color photos, Kingsbury walks would-be greenthumbs through shady gardens, backyard grasslands and dryer habitats, suggesting plant species and design ideas and offering tips on how to care for different kinds of plants in different kinds of environments. He even briefly covers""gardening without a garden""--plants that easily grow in pots and flats on rooftops--which many city-dwellers will appreciate (this chapter also features a call for more bat roosting boxes). A plant directory rounds out this helpful and inspiring volume. 150 color photos.