Yard Full of Sun: The Story of a Gardener's Obsession That Got a Little Out of Hand

I have lived in Phoenix for 25 years. I have a large lot and little success in landscaping. If it looked good it took too much time to maintain and my water bills were sky high. What to do? After 6 weeks in a wheelchair and an irrigation failure I happened on Scott Calhoun's book. He has so many new and practical ideas that will produce a good looking landscape and not be a slave to it. Living in Tucson, he is very savvy about conserving water more than we are in Phoenix. He talks about harvesting water and grading a property to better direct rainfall to planting beds. New ideas for me. I am really quite excited about the opportunities that I recognize now from reading this book. Oh and if that isn't enough, the book is quite beautiful. Lots of color photography. Many plant varieties are pictured. The writer generously shares his experience of learning about building a "green" home and surrounding it with a true Sonoran desert landscape. I have lots of books on desert gardening and they all have merit.This is the first one that has given me a new insight into where I live and my responsibility to the ecology of my spot in the desert. A true inspiration to me.

Scott takes us on a very personal journey from the building of his home through the design and planting of his garden in the Sonoran desert of Tucson, Arizona. The book is packed with marvelous photos of the house and garden plants, flowers and trees that comprise his little domestic world. The photo quality and color rendition are quite excellent and provide ample evidence of the remarkable variety of plant hues that are made possible by the magical combination of water and brilliant southern Arizona sunshine. Those unfamiliar with this kind of environment will be surprised by the extraordinary palette of color that Scott has lovingly created. He also takes great pride in showing that his award-winning garden, featured in SUNSET and HORTICULTURE magazines,is not an east-coast transplant, but an authentic representation of his region. The beginning gardener as well as the experienced landscape designer will find an abundance of information and creative inspiration from the first to the last page. The appendices in the back for example, are a real gold mine of useful material. Even if you don't live in the Sonoran desert, you will enjoy Scott's journey and his warm, relaxed narrative style of writing. However, make no mistake. Behind this easy-going approach dwells the strong will of a young man with the knowledge, experience and determination to infuse regional landscape authenticity with beauty and power. Readers everywhere will find this an invigorating combination. Greg Budapest, Hungary

I thoroughly enjoyed Yard Full of Sun, renegade horticulturist Scott Calhoun's humorous and detailed account of the creation of his family's Arizona home and garden. Mr. Calhoun's funny anecdotes about the challenges of adobe home construction and his startlingly honest observations of married life enhance, but do not obscure the wealth of fascinating information he has compiled about drought-resistant plants, garden design, and water conservation. The author's authentic voice and the rich details he includes make me want to drink Tecate under the Mesquite tree in the Calhouns' backyard and eat tacos at their favorite tire repair shop. The glorious photographs provide endless ideas for the design and decoration of outdoor living spaces, and the useful appendices should prove invaluable to novice and experienced desert gardeners alike. Perhaps what I enjoyed the most, however, was the candid and sincere manner in which Scott Calhoun shares the excitement and beauty, as well as the disagreements and discoouragement one encounters when a dream is pursued with passion.