Armitage acknowledges that he and like-minded avid green thumbs are keen on planting a mix of exotics and natives, not simply one group or the other.
Horticulturist Armitage provides gardeners with a useful sourcebook listing hundreds of native plants available in the retail marketplace. Armitage acknowledges that he and like-minded avid green thumbs are keen on planting a mix of exotics and natives, not simply one group or the other. To that end, the book's informative plant entries reach beyond comprehensive descriptions of native species to recommended choice cultivars. Armitage's frankly opinionated, consistently lively writing is illuminating, from notes on etymology clarifying botanical and common names to guidance aimed at helping gardeners understand that while black snakeroot needs a colder climate to thrive, switchgrass and sneezeweed will grow in a wide range of USDA zones. The in-depth listings cover a plant's natural habitat and hardiness, advise on sitting and propagating, and point out required maintenance, while a sources section provides a valuable compilation of nurseries, plant societies, books, and Internet sites. Alice Joyce