Month by Month Gardening in the Rocky Mountains

Great book for helping you keep your flowers and new plants healthy. Colorado's growing season isn't too long so it's nice to have a reference of what to do and when.

This a beautiful, thorough book of the plants that will grow in our harsh region. What was most helpful to me was the zone map. I live in an area where the line was fuzzy as to whether or not we were in zone 3 or 4. The map was small and detailed enough that I found my county line and was able to establish that we are in zone 4! Every plant is accompanied with a gorgeous picture, so there is no guesswork involved. I also love the fact that I can find all the native plants in one book! Each plant comes with a description and care tips as well as the author's personal recommendations and favorites.

We bought an old house with an old yard, which needs some work. I bought this book to try to get some ideas for new plants. This book is nothing short of beautiful. The book is sectioned into chapters according to type of plant, such as trees, ground covers, roses, shrubs. There are color headers for each section, such as purple for flowers, which helps to locate things in a hurry. Each tree or plant has a page with a color photo and details, such as size, planting and watering guides, tips and similar recommendations. It is very thorough. There are also chapters on butterfly gardening, deer problems, and pest remedies. This is a very good guide for anyone living in the Rocky Mountain region.

When I received this book, I read it cover to cover! The book highlights various perrenials, trees, shrubs, and even annuals with a color photo and complete description of the area of the garden in which the plant will perform best. The author details the problems with each plant, including pests, mold, deer resistance, etc. This book touches on xeriscaping (most of the plants that perform well in the Rocky Mountains are drought-friendly). The book also has a fair amount of detail on lawns, taking care of gardening problems, etc., but the reason to buy the book is for the wonderful explanations on plants to put in your Rocky Mountain garden.

The growing climate is harsh in the Rockies, so I appreciated the detailed advice for all kinds of plants and trees. Very practical and for year-round use.