Want to have a garden that is both beautiful and biodiverse, satisfying and sustainable? In this book, long-time landscape designer Judy Nauseef shows gardeners in the upper Midwest how to restore habitat and diversity to their piece of the planet by making native plants part of well-designed, thoughtfully planned gardens. In contrast to most books about gardening with native plants, Nauseef provides specific regional information. Working against the backdrop of habitat and species losses in the tallgrass prairie states, she brings years of experience to creating landscapes that recall the now-vanished grasslands of the Midwest.
Nauseef emphasizes the need for careful planning and design to create comfortable, low-maintenance spaces that bring homeowners outside. Her designs solve problems such as a lack of privacy, shade, or sun; plan for water use; replace troublesome nonnative plants with native plants that attract pollinators; and enable homeowners to enjoy living sustainably on their land. Colorful photographs of projects around the Midwest show the wide range of possibilities, from newly created gardens using only native plants to traditional gardens that mix nonnative with native species. Whether you have a city yard, a suburban lot, or a rural acreage, there are ideas here for you, along with examples of well-designed landscapes in which native plants enhance paths, patios, pergolas, and steps.
Providing information on planting and maintaining native plants and prairies as well as seed and plant sources, organizations, and public arboretum and prairie sites, this book enables every gardener to master a new palette of plants and landforms. However small our personal landscapes, together they can slow the loss of many species of plants and wildlife and bring native flowers and grasses back where they belong. Ecologists, landscape architects and designers, master gardeners, landscape contractors, teachers, and home gardeners—everyone dedicated to conserving and improving our environment—will benefit from Nauseef’s approach.
“Gardening with Native Plants in the Upper Midwest is a superlative book addressing one of the most important garden design trends of this century. Judy Nauseef demonstrates a great depth of knowledge about sustainability, landscape design, deer resistant plants, wildflower meadows, and irrigation and plant management techniques. The book is clear, easy to follow and understand. Readers will reap a great deal of information about plants, drainage, midwestern prairie gardens, and biodiversity. Her guidelines are easy to follow for homeowners and landscape professionals.”—Joel M. Lerner, FAPLD, president, Environmental Design
“Garden designer Judy Nauseef narrates a personal story of her awakening to the beauty and diversity of Iowa’s flora. Through examples of her own work and of midwestern native plant experts, she paints a vivid picture of the aesthetic and ecological roles that native plants play in our gardens.”—C. Colston Burrell, author, Perennial Combinations and Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants
