High and Dry: Gardening with Cold-Hardy Dryland Plants

Since moving from the maritime Northwest USA eight years ago, I've pored over dozens of articles and quite a few books about gardening in the high plains, the semi-arid environment where we now make our home. I came here understanding that I would have to learn to garden differently; I didn't understand that for many gardeners here, including some writers, a garden is something to turn on and off, according to the water sprinkler's season. What I've been looking for is a book whose author sympathizes with and even shares my yearning for a year-round garden. This is the book. Robert Nold understands that a passion for outdoor plants is a year-round affair. Nold seems to have converted from whiner to enthusiast about gardening in these conditions. That's exactly the transformation I would like to undergo. This book has specific suggestions along with honest, informed assessments of how plants really behave in this lovely climate. Nold writes out loud what others politely imply or ask readers to infer: that the vast majority of gardening experts have almost nothing useful to contribute to what we need to know here. At the same time, he utterly eschews trendy categories and their names, such as the venerated "X" word made up and then trademarked by some bureaucrats. You know: the the first syllable rhymes with "zeer" -- or, golly! Maybe that's the way you say it. And the last syllable, "scape", suggests exactly what we're expected to do with our gardens. "Scape" by. Well, good on Nold for pulling back the curtain on this local fetish. He warns about the generic recommendations that send us scurrying for nurseries in the springtime and have us staring, sad-eyed, at patches of disappointment in high summer. Practicality is the byword. If you're looking for a narrative about the high plains gardening experience, look up Marilyn Raff's "Intuitive Gardener". It's a lovely book by an experienced Colorado plantswoman, but it is directed more toward the process of gardening. For a comprehensive survey of what works here, why it works and, maybe most importantly, how to work it, Nold's is the book to get. It's a very lucky thing, in my opinion, that Timber Press published this book. They are experienced publishers of books about plants and gardening, which shows in the layout and in the quality of the binding and paper. The photographs were chosen to show individual plants, for the most part, but there are a few examples of plantings. Overall, I think it's just a lovely book. It would be a beautiful gift, all the more because of its tremendous utility. I'm a hobbyist gardener and, so far, a very poor one in this climate. So the best endorsement to take on board is that of the legendary Panayoti Kelaidis, who in the foreward commends both the wisdom and the artistry of Robert Nold's book. Kelaidis concludes that "...this book is nothing less than an act of grace. Amen." And Amen.

Robert Nold's "High and Dry" has become my favorite gardening book. It's worth the price just to experience the author's wry sense of humor and his wife's illustrations. What I really loved is how he skewers some of horticulture's most sacred commandments, especially the need for "well-drained soil," which is so meaningless out here. The author freely admits to being design-challenged, so the majority of the book describes his experience growing hundreds of native western plants. Probably at least half of these can only be purchased as seed from on-line sources, but, for those insane gardeners like me who are patient enough to raise perennials and shrubs from seed, this book will provide the inspiration for years of enjoyment.

The harsh region of the Rocky Mountains - a place where gardening seems like an impossibility -- can nonetheless be successfully gardened by anyone who knows what the demands of the climate are upon the vegetation. "High and Dry: Gardening with Cold-Hardy Dryland" is a guide for gardeners in this region who want to start or keep up their hobby in spite of mother nature's harshness. With tips on breeds of plants that can thrive in the climate and survive both extremes of temperature, "High and Dry" is a scholarly and well researched book on gardening in inhospitable climates. Highly recommended for any dedicated gardener in the Rockies.

Lot's of information especially for rock gardens which are perfect for our area. Would have liked more drawings - they are beautiful. Robert also makes you laugh and not take your garden so seriously.