[.ca] The Natural Shade Garden (ISBN 0517580179)

From Amazon.com:
Shade can be a gardener's curse or delight, depending on how it's managed. Even a heavy grove of mature trees needn't have bare ground beneath; they can be surrounded with any number of shade-loving foliage, grasses, or grasslike ground covers, including galax, dichondra, ivy, vinca, wintergreen, maidenhair fern... the list of possibilities is a long one. Druse himself gardens in the shadow of a Brooklyn brownstone, so his advice is by no means limited to gardeners with woodland acreage. This book also successfully punctures the myth that a shady flower garden must be colored in greens and subtle pastels: a parade of brilliant camellias, columbines, clematis, and primula proves that a shade gardener's crayon box is as varied as any, and the well-organized Druse sorts the herbaceous perennials by color in an addendum at the back of the book.

inspiring and practical:
If you have a shady garden space, this book will make you feel like the luckiest gardener in the world. Ken Druse structured the book around the organization of natural woodland plants: understory, middle layer, and overstory. (Note that this is not the right book for you if you are looking to create a formal shady garden.) The beautiful photographs, both closeup and scenic, and the detailed yet readable text make this book a success on two fronts. There is enough practical advice to take you from designing your shade garden to keeping it healthy and beautiful through the seasons and years. There is even a resource list to help with ordering your plants. Did I mention how amazing the photographs are? This is my favorite garden book so far, and I am accumulating quite a little collection. Partial shade, dappled shade, and deep shade are all addressed with beautiful pictures of plants and gardens and with descriptive, practical text.

Not for the beginner....:
THE NATURAL SHADE GARDENER by Ken Druse is a beautiful book even if the photos are slightly "touched up." I have to laugh at the oxymoronic title, however. There is nothing natural about shade gardening, and this is not the WILD GARDEN William Robinson wrote about where drifts of plants are allowed to form naturally. I can tell from Druse's photos someone has been working very hard. Nature's version of vegetation in shade is quite different. Plants in nature tend to run to riot. If you don't think so, take a walk in the "real" woods. In nature, the toughest plant wins. For example, Druse says English Ivy is a good ground cover in shade. Well, it is. English Ivy will grow in shade---and grow and grow and grow. Recently, a group of local volunteers in our area pulled English Ivy from the trees in a local nature preserve. The stuff kills. Another vine Druse recommends without a warning is Porcelain-berry which is becoming a major problem in along the east coast. Are you old enough to remember the introduction of the new wonder vine Kudzu?? On the other hand, Druse says Tradescantia, a native of Virginia brought to England where it was hybridized at Kew Gardens is a pest. Well, it is a prolific plant if you reintroduce it in a Zone 7 garden, but it can be controlled without a great deal of effort, unlike Lysimachia clethroides (White Gooseneck Loosestrife) which Druse recommends without warning that it will take over if you invite it into your garden. Allen Lacey and other garden writers have ID'd Gooseneck Loosestrife as a "thug in the garden" and I can tell you from personal experience they are absolutely correct (of course I had to find out for myself!!). I tend to agree with the reviewer from Maplewood NJ below who says THE NATURAL SHADE GARDEN by Ken Druse is not for the beginner. This book is for advanced gardeners who can "take what they need and leave the rest." Shade gardening is something you take up after you've mastered other less complicated types of gardening. Of course, if you're stuck with shade you'll have to start somewhere. I have been using George Shenk's book THE COMPLETE SHADE GARDENER for years. It's not as colorful, and contains those annotated lists of plants which some do not like, however, Shenk's plant classifications are not exhaustive so you won't be overwhelmed, and the trees, shrubs, etc. are classified by their behavior--i.e. what will work in which circumstances. Like many gardeners I once planted a Maple tree in my yard. Shenk's book contains a listing of shade trees and from it I discovered Maple trees are shallow rooted and not at all friendly toward other plants. I also discovered the Black Walnut can be a killer. In the nick of time had the Maple tree removed and planted a Persian Walnut instead. I've been able to grow Crepe Myrtles, Viburnums, Nandina, and a host of other plants under the Walnut, though I sometimes have to water in August. Some of us don't want to end our gardening experience in order to have a shady patio in July.

It's okay, but not for beginners:
I got this book based on the very high ratings posted here. I think the book is OK, but very difficult to read (lots of boring lists of plant variants, for example), and targeted to a much more sophisticated gardener than I am. I like Druse's philosophy tremendously, but need a few more years of gardening under my belt before I can really make use of much of what he says. The photography is beautiful.

It's OK:
I'm not as big on this book as the other reviewers. The photography is beautiful, and I certainly appreciate Druse's gardening philosophy. However I found the text tedious to read (lots of long lists of plant latin names, for example). I found myself skipping huge chunks of the text. And the attitude is a bit "snobby." It's also not for beginners (which I am).

Inspirations and Answers:
I bought this book 1.because everything Ken Druse writes is top-notch, and 2. because my yard is -and is becoming more- shady. What a cornucopia of ideas, wisdom, helpful hints and fabulously beautiful and inspiring photos. It has become a much used reference in my library, as well as just being so delightful to look through. As a Master Gardener and garden writer in a metropolitan area I get lots of questions about what can be grown in shade and half-shade areas; this book never lets me down for ideas, and I feel comfortable recommending it to both beginner and long time gardeners. The only thing I wish it was heavier on is native plants.