A guide to growing beautiful gardens in drought-prone areas utilizing minimal water for maximum results.
With climate change, water rationing, and drought on the rise, water conservation is more important than ever—but that doesn’t mean your gardening options are limited to cacti and rocks. The Water-Saving Garden provides gardeners and homeowners with a diverse array of techniques and plentiful inspiration for creating sustainable gardens that are so beautiful and inviting, it’s hard to believe they are water-thrifty. Including a directory of 100 plants appropriate for a variety of drought-prone regions of the country, this accessible and contemporary xeriscaping guide is full of must-know information on popular gardening topics like native and drought-tolerant plants (including succulents), rainwater harvesting, greywater systems, permeable paving, and more.
PAM PENICK is a garden designer, award-winning blogger, and the author of Lawn Gone! She is a contributor to such magazines as Fine Gardening, Organic Life, and Garden Design, and has received several writing awards from the Garden Writers Association. She lives and gardens in water-challenged Austin, Texas.
“Penick (Lawn Gone!) proves that conserving water does not mean giving up gardening with her engaging, instructing, and nudging treatise. She approaches the politics of water conservation firmly and frankly, especially in her powerful introduction, asserting that 'there’s no one "right way" to plant a garden that saves water.'...Penick is practical and reassuring throughout, convincing readers that vibrant water-saving gardens are viable."
– Publishers Weekly
“In an era of drought and unpredictable weather patterns, THE WATER-SAVING GARDEN could not come at a better time. With striking photographs and a designer's eye, Penick shows us just how gorgeous a water-wise garden can be. This is the must-have garden book of the year!”
– Amy Stewart, author of The Drunken Botanist and Wicked Plants
“For those interested in both beautiful gardens and being good stewards of our precious water resources, The Water-Saving Garden is a timely must-read.”
– Jim Peterson, Publisher, Garden Design Magazine
“Packed with design inspiration as well as practical advice, this timely book is a much-needed resource on creating and maintaining beautiful gardens with less water.”
– Susan Morrison, Landscape designer and co-author of Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small Spaces
“From eye-popping design—regardless of budget—to nitty-gritty DIY details, The Water-Saving Garden takes us down the creative path to gorgeous gardens that spare the water and pump up our style. Purpose, practicality, and passion: it’s all right here.”
– Linda Lehmusvirta, Producer of Central Texas Gardener on Austin PBS
“The Water-Saving Garden blends a passionate homage to water’s importance for all life with practical, detailed advice about using less of it in the garden. Illustrations show enticingly diverse gardens and water-wise alternatives to lawns.”
– Evelyn Hadden, author of Hellstrip Gardening and Beautiful No-Mow Yards
“In The Water-Saving Garden, Pam Penick repositions water-conscious gardens as a central concern for all gardeners. Rich with inspiring examples and sage advice, this book boldly declares that water-wise gardens no longer need to be about sacrifice or compromise, but pleasure and abundance. An excellent resource for gardens in any climate.”
– Thomas Rainer, landscape architect and co-author of Planting in a Post-Wild World
“We all need access to nature for our well-being. Pam Penick has written a useful guide for creating beautiful gardens where saving water naturally follows.”
– Steve Martino, landscape architect
“In an era of drought and unpredictable weather patterns, The Water-Saving Garden could not come at a better time. With striking photographs and a designer’s eye, Penick shows us just how gorgeous a water-wise garden can be. This is the must-have garden book of the year!”
—Amy Stewart, author of The Drunken Botanist and Wicked Plants
