This list of lists provides a methodology for finding the best plant for the place. This is the concept of "right plant, right place." The most successful garden or landscape is based on the process of defining the environment (the "place") first and then finding the "plant" or "plants" which fit that defined environment. It also points out the great wealth of plant material which we PNW'ers can use in our gardens and landscapes. The book organizes thousands of plants into general categories such as Native Plants for garden use, Basic Types (tree, shrub, perennial, etc.), Environmental Needs (sun/shade, soil type), Bloom Time, Resistances to Pests and other Problems, Ornamental Features, Design Style, and many other decision-influencing categories. It finishes with more than one hundred mail-order sources of plants, bulbs, and seeds. A small sampling of the more than 125 lists within these broader categories: Choice Native PerennialsPNW Natives for a Rock GardenSmall to Medium Flowering TreesTrees for Screening/BackgroundDisease-Resistant RosesFall-Planted, Spring-Blooming BulbsHardy Succulent Plants (Including Cacti)Seeds to Scatter Sow in FallPlants for Clay/Heavy SoilBetween Pavers, Flagstone, Stepping StonesLate Summer into Fall BloomersSlopes & Erosion ManagementHell StripSlug & Snail Resistant PlantsPet-Toxic PlantsAttracting Birds, Bees, Butterflies, and HummingbirdsContainer PlantsCutflowersThe Small GardenA Children's GardenThe Flower Border - By ColorColorful FoliageWeeping TreesFragrant FlowersAn English Cottage-Style Garden"Ornamedibles"Mail-Order Plant Companies
Altogether, these lists comprise several thousand different kinds of plants, emphasizing the great wealth of plant material which PNWers can use in gardens and landscapes. This breadth of selection has run to nearly 500 pages. Neither photos nor descriptive details about each plant could be included; that's a different kind of book, and a much larger one.
"Selecting Plants for Pacific Northwest Gardens" is the ultimate guide to making appropriate plant choices and will prove to be an indispensable reference for every amateur gardener, landscape designer, and horticultural professional.