The Shady Lady’s Guide to Northeast Shade Gardening

Description

Thanks to your support, this edition of The Shady Lady’s Guide to Northeast Shade Gardening has sold out! But mark your calendars: a new edition of this book (ISBN 978-1-5017-6003-7) will be published in Spring 2022 by Cornell University Press. The original material has been expanded with many additional photos and treatments of “Gardening 101” topics; new sections on the intersection of gardening with forest ecology, climate change, and the growing threat of imported, invasive plants and animals; thoughts on ways to maintain pollinator health and your garden at the same time; more real-world garden design tips and cautionary tales; “insider” observations to help gardeners procure plants, navigate the horticulture industry, and select and work with design professionals; and much more.

Finally, a guide to shade gardening that offers a simple and proven method for bringing those sunlight-deprived areas of your garden to life! Ziffer condenses her considerable experience and her expertise in shade gardening for New England and environs into a unique and easily digestible approach to creating an ornamental landscape in the shade. Tired of using only a few pages of your gardening books? The Shady Lady identifies best practices, best plants, and best information, specifically designed for the zones of the greater Northeast—and leaves out all the rest. Ziffer gives the reader a crash course in the essentials, demystifying shade gardening and providing a large yet highly selective illustrated plant gallery that includes all the indispensable perennials, ferns, and bulbs. Rather than merely listing and describing shade plants, she categorizes them according to the functional roles they can play in the landscape and explains to readers exactly how to cultivate them with a high likelihood of success and a minimum of failure and frustration. She introduces the concept of “backbone plants” and shows why these plants should make up 75 to 80 percent of a shade garden. She also discusses plants that are resistant to deer (and other interlopers). In clear and concise language she tells readers what they need to do; just as important, she shares with them what not to do. The emphasis at all times is on enjoying success by simplifying the approach and avoiding common mistakes. The Shady Lady's Guide to Northeast Shade Gardening will become the definitive guide for all sun-challenged regional gardeners.