The Looking-Glass Garden
Subtitle: Plants and Gardens of the Southern Hemisphere
Publisher: Timber Press, Incorporated
Published: March 15, 2001
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 428
ISBN-13: 9780881924992
Subjects: Gardening: plants; Specialized gardening methods; Plants, Ornamental; Gardening/Plants; Gardening; Gardening / Horticulture; Southern Hemisphere; Garden Design; Ornamental Plants; Gardening / General; Techniques; Gardens
First sentence: AS CORNWALLIS'S army marched out of Yorktown to surrender to George Washington's Continental Army, the band played "The World Turned Upside Down."
Description: "Part travelogue, part inspiration, and part practical gardening guide, this innovative book is certain to turn orthodox views of the garden upside down. Few who seek excitement and drama in their gardening will regret accompanying Peter Thompson into the looking-glass garden."

"A thorough review of this vast array of Southern Hemisphere plants would take many volumes, and the author quite sensibly focuses on the role these dramatic plants can play in gardens. Touching on nearly 1500 plants in all, he emphasizes garden situations and garden categories, and seeks to dispel the notion that these "foreign" plants are unreasonably difficult to grow. Indeed, he explains that gardeners in difficult situations may benefit from the ability of many plants to thrive despite drought, low soil fertility, and high temperatures. Case studies and comprehensive lists of hardiness zones provide further guidance for using Southern Hemisphere plants in cooler, more frost-prone areas.

Above all, Thompson seeks to extend every gardener's range of garden plants and to make us all think differently about how to use them in our gardens."--Jacket.