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The Deep Middle


Gardening & writing in the prairie echo

Natural Garden Design Reading List

6/24/2017

8 Comments

 
If you're looking for the best books on sustainable, wildlife friendly, low management garden design, here's your list. I've broken it down into user-friendly categories.

Why
Bringing Nature Home -- Doug Tallamy -- The science of why native plants are critical for wildlife, especially insects.
The Living Landscape -- Doug Tallamy and Rick Darke -- Thoughts and examples of resilient landscapes for wildlife.

How
Planting in a Post-Wild World -- Thomas Rainer and Claudia West -- It starts with the why, that get more theoretical and practical. This is a more advanced book, so you might want to read the "why" first, and even the next book.
The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden -- Roy Diblik -- How to create sustainable, layered, lush, seasonal gardens that look good year round and require less inputs over time. Complete with plants lists and blueprints.

Deeper Why
Principles of Ecological Landscape Design -- Travis Beck -- Principles and strategies for creating resilient landscapes. The way we've been to taught to garden and landscape isn't working, not for us, wildlife, or our cities.

For Whom
Pollinators of Native Plants -- Heather Holm -- A list of common forbs east of the Rockies and the pollinators that both use and rely on them.

Even Deeper Why
A New Garden Ethic -- Benjamin Vogt (hey that's me!) -- Urban and suburban gardens need a radical change for wildlife, climate change, and our own physical / mental health. Nature is crying for us to come back home.

And because we need pictures, have recent shots of a truly radical backyard that's sequestering carbon, improving soil, cleaning water, and providing functional beauty for wildlife and two humans:
8 Comments
Diana Studer link
6/27/2017 09:12:01 am

Cleaning water? Will you do a post on that?

Reply
Benjamin Vogt
6/27/2017 12:35:31 pm

Hmm, maybe. Or a Houzz article. But really, the book Phyto is what I'd suggest.

Reply
Elmer
1/2/2018 11:26:59 am

Please send me your list of 50. Been leading this revolution in Bowie, MD. Gets lots of success and joiners through the Bowie-Crofton Garden Club and the City of Bowie Green Team.

Elmer M Dengler

Reply
Benjamin
1/2/2018 11:35:04 am

Elmer -- Do you have a copy of my book A New Garden Ethic? I have an extensive list of books on the back. If not let me know.

Reply
Rick Laughlin, FAPLD link
1/23/2019 01:12:06 am

Hey Benjamin...I have been a follower and a Professional Landscape Designer for many years currently designing a Piet meadow for a large client way above Park City, Utah...

Reply
Jan Barnett
7/12/2020 01:47:09 am

Hi! I’m just getting started. I’m in WA. You’re in NE. Will your book recommendations serve me in WA?

Reply
Benjamin Vogt
7/12/2020 06:21:27 am

Yup

Reply
landscaping Chch link
9/19/2020 12:16:10 am

Such a nice blog on natural garden design reading list and I hope you keep update us with such great tips and information in future too. This is a great post; I will share as much as I can.

Reply



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    Benjamin Vogt's thoughts on prairie gardening in Nebraska. With a healthy dose of landscape ethics, ecophilosophy, climate change,  and social justice.

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