Making the Most of Shade: How to Plan, Plant, and Grow a Fabulous Garden That Lightens Up the Shadows

This is the best book I ever bought. I'm a shade lover, due to easy care and most of all...hostas. Until I read Larrys comments on shade, I thought I was the only one who wished my entire yard was shade, and that I may be a lazy gardener. Not anymore! This book is packed full of great ideas for shade gardens, and lots of tips. Theres also plants biographies of those that do well in shade, and he continually reminds you that many "sun" plants do well in light shade. I enjoyed the section on starting a new garden from scratch. His sense of humor is great and its easy to read and well organized. This is a MUST HAVE for those that enjoy shade gardening, and for those who think shade is their enemy. You'll have a new respect for shade after reading this book.

Hodgson understands every beginner shade gardener or anyone whose property has the blessing of mature trees. He encourages a form of gardening that many consider a formidable challenge. I am not sure what I would have done without this book. The pictures, the text, and the information really makes this book a must-have for all.

Just fenced off an area of our yard (we have a real deer problem). Now I have a wonderful new, shady, garden space just waiting for plants. Book is great because it covers everything from soil issues, to shade perennials, mixing in annuals and basic design elements for shade gardens. And it's written in a way that makes it a fun read during the winter when all you can do is prepare for spring.

I borrowed this book from the library, and found myself quoting from it so often at work (at a perennial nursery), that I've decided to buy it. What's more, I'm getting it not only for myself, but also for a friend and for my boss, who's very interested as she sells a lot of shade plants and has also just created a new shade garden. I liked much about this book, especially the information on plant hardiness. Hodgson gardens in Canada in zone 3, but has much snow cover, and many plants thought not to be hardy that far north, are hardy for him. This matches my own experience. Also, the information on how to establish plants in the root zone of large trees is excellent! As is the information on which trees make "good" partners for a shade garden. Hodgson does not hesitate to recommend certain plants as "top performers". Altogether a first rate book, useful to the novice and experienced alike.

MAKING THE MOST OF SHADE, Larry Hodgson offers hundreds of ideas about working with the trees you now have or actually creating shade. My all-time favorite book on shade gardening has been George Shenk's classic as it was he who first pointed out the virtues and sins of various trees and bushes regarding their roots and foliage, but one of the criticisms I have of Shenk's book is the dearth of color illustrations. Hodgson's book more than makes up for this shortcoming, and he adds enough text about each possible entry to actually inform the user. I have been shade gardening for some years now, and am in the position to say...yes, that works for me, or no, that is not something I can do. For example, I tried Tiarella (Allegheny foamflower) a few years ago and failed probably owing to its sensitivity to the heat and light in my yard (as it's name implies this denizon of the forests prefers something other than the hot Virginia sun in July. Well, Hodgson says there are plenty of hybrid Tiarella plants "pushing" the original into the background". So even though I am careful about invasive vegetation and try to plant native or local fauna where possible, I will probably try the `Eco Running Tapestry' but only after I check with the local VA extension service. Those creeping stems in the new hybrids may not be the best thing in my garden, and Hodgson says the `Wherry' foamflower is a "natural that doesn't produce creeping stems" so I may try that again, now that I am a more experienced gardener and understand the value of mulching annually with leaf compost. I have Creeping Woodruff (Galium odoratum) coming out of my ears leaving few places to plant Tiarella. The Gallium is a wonderful carpet that dies back along August and smells like sweet bedstraw (its common name), so I am not likely to remove it. In the spring it mixes well with Solomon's Seal or "fairy bells" (Polygonatum), Astilbe, Hellebore, and bulbs. In early summer, the Hosta lillies look swell with the Galium. I like this book very much, and it just might replace Shenk's book in my affections, although it never pays to own only one book on shade gardening.