many garden-worthy natives. The main emphasis
is on woody plants. Almost all Pacific Northwest
native trees are reviewed in some depth, includ-
ing those not recommended for a garden setting.
In the chapter on deciduous shrubs, 10 “choice”
species are first considered as the best options.
Much of the writing in the plant descriptions is
the voice of Kruckeberg, although I noticed that
favored plants are now “our” favorites—the two
authors agreeing on most of the selections.
Chalker-Scott has added a new chapter
that brings her signature work on horticultural
science to the establishment and maintenance
of a garden rich in native plants. She alleviates
concerns about using “nativars”—propagated
selections chosen for an unusual and desirable
trait, such as double flowers or variegation. She
also assures the new gardener that it is okay to
mix well-behaved exotics into your garden of
mostly natives.
One major difference between the second
and third editions is the removal of any instruc-
tions on how to collect native plants from the
wild. Chalker-Scott cautions, “This practice
must stop if we are to retain many of our rare,
threatened, and endangered species. It’s a
better ethical and ecological choice to purchase
native plants from reputable nurseries that have
propagated and cultivated their plants without
endangering native populations.”
Enhance Your Native Plant Gardening Library
Since the publication of the first edition of
“Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific
Northwest,” other authors have addressed the
same topic. If you are considering using natives
or establishing a native plant community, I
recommended you buy (or check out from the
Miller Library) a couple of other titles.
“Native Plants in the Coastal Garden”
(1996, revised 2002), by April Pettinger and
Brenda Costanzo, brings a British Columbia
focus to native plant gardening. Essays describe
the rise of a late 20th century naturalistic
aesthetic in European and American garden
design and the supreme suitability of native
plants for this look. Many different design
aspects are considered, such as container
gardening with native plants, and the large role
that grasses play in any landscape.
Only in the latter half of the book are species
described in depth, presented in groupings by
appropriate habitats. Trees, shrubs and herba-
ceous plants get equal attention, and each plant
type is given its own section on propagation and
cultivation. A couple of downsides: Photos are
limited, and most of the information on nurser-
ies and public gardens is out of date.
I reviewed “Encyclopedia of Northwest
Native Plants for Gardens and Landscapes” in
the Fall 2008 issue of “The Bulletin.” The three
authors are from southwestern Washington and
take an encyclopedic approach to their topic:
The introduction and appendices are brief,
but the core is very substan-
tial. Propagation, cultivation and
ethnobotany are included in the
species descriptions, and both
color photographs and line
drawings make this book good for
identification, too.
At the time, I wrote, “This
book is a must-have!” Now, I
think the serious native plant
gardener should have all three of
these books in the home library.
Both of the older books proclaim
the same admonishment as
Chalker-Scott against collecting in the wild, but
offer propagation help if you wish to increase
plants already in your garden or in that of a friend.
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