For gardeners who live in sunbelt regions of America--whether southeastern, southcentral, or southwestern--this book describes the differences that set hot-weather garden performers apart from other garden varieties.

Community gardening is as much about community as it is gardening, and compared to growing plants, cultivating community is far more difficult. In Community Gardening in an Unlikely City: The Struggle to Grow Together in Las Vegas, Schafer documents his time as a member of a fledgling Las Vegas community garden and the process through which a rotating group of gardeners try to forge community. He demonstrates the ways in which choices gardeners make about what goals to pursue, or who belongs, or what story to tell about their collective efforts, influence how they and others experience and interpret the garden. The garden culture that emerges over time shapes how, or whether, community is practiced at the garden, and has important consequences for the gardeners’ abilities to connect with the low-income, Black and Latinx community in which it is located. Schafer’s analysis provides important insights about urban culture, the environment, and food justice in the American Southwest, and a sober look into the often messy process and practice of community.

Schoolyards have come a long way from the barren playgrounds that many people remember. Today's school campuses often feature gardens in which students can learn about native plants and wildlife, grow vegetables and fruit, explore cultural traditions, practice reading and math skills, and use their imaginations to create fun play spaces. And for a growing number of urban students, these schoolyard gardens offer the best, if not the only, opportunity to experience the natural world firsthand and enjoy its many benefits. This book is a practical, hands-on guide for creating a variety of learning environments in the arid Southwest. Filled with clear, easy-to-use information and illustrated with photographs, drawings, and plans, the book covers everything necessary to create schoolyard gardens: An introduction to schoolyards as outdoor classrooms and several types of habitats, including art gardens, cultural history gardens, ecological gardens, literacy gardens, and vegetable gardens Design theory, including a history of garden styles, and design principles and design elements Beginning the design process, including identifying participants and writing a design program that sets out goals and requirements Conducting site research and synthesizing design elements to arrive at a final design Design essentials, including project funding and design features, maintenance, accessibility, safety, and project evaluation and revision Wildlife ecology, including elements needed for survival such as food and shelter Creating gardens for pollinators and other wildlife, including hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, moths, bats, and flies, as well as pest control Lists of native plants for various kinds of habitats and nurseries that sell native plants, as well as books, web sites, and other resources for learning more about native plants and wildlife This guide will be essential for landscape architects, school personnel, parents, and students. Indeed, its principles can be used in designing schoolyard habitats across the country, while its information on gardening with native plants and wildlife will be useful to homeowners across the Southwest.

Gardening is one of America's most popular hobbies, and attendance at public gardens and arboreta continues to rise. Gardens Across America: Vol. II is a comprehensive guide to nearly 1,000 gardens west of the Mississippi. Each entry in this state-by-state guide contains such basic information as hours of operation and directions as well as a listing of activities, educational programs, and unique botanical features.

This book blends numerous areas of interest: First is the basic how-to of desert gardening: heat, soils, water and wind. Second is the exploration of Palm Springs architecture from Spanish to Mid-century modern and how outdoor gardens are made to work with these styles. Third is a detailed presentation of the plants that will thrive here under ordinary care, and are naturally adapted to the dry climates of Australia, Mexico, Africa and South America. Rather than group plants by trees, shrubs, and perennials as most books are laid out, Palm Springs Gardening organizes plants according to their botanical associations and their aesthetic ones¿so readers go straight to the kinds of plants they find most appealing. The author also considers the aesthetic vernacular of local architecture and the plants that are best used with each one. Beautiful locations throughout the region offer a great deal of diversity, so that the book covers the full range of interests. They include public places with garden interest, like Moorten Botanical Gardens and The Living Desert.

Presents traditional and time-honored methods for gardening, including holistic solutions to insects and weeds, building fertile soils, saving heirloom seeds, and using garden materials for trellises and sculptures.