Reviews for PALM SPRINGS-STYLE GARDENING

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Among the most prolific of garden writers, Maureen “Mo” Gilmer has published no less than fifteen books and lectures widely throughout the West. For health reasons, she and her husband moved to Palm Springs a few years ago, and , in typical Mo fashion, began to study the art and science of gardening in a desert-a different world for Northern California, which she had previously call home. The result is Palm Springs-Style Gardening, a glorious visual ramble through the plants and gardens that characterize the desert region of the Southwest. As the subtitle of the book suggests, Gilmer focuses on plants that succeed in desert gardens and the horticultural considerations that ensure their wise use. She begins by describing those characteristics of climate and land that define the desert and constrain the selection of garden plants: the intensity of the sun, the persistence of the wind, the inescapability of the heat, the challenges of the soil, and the scarcity of water. She then discusses the major plant groups available to the desert gardener, beginning with the iconic palms, cacti, and succulents, and continuing with native plants, tropicals, staples such as bougainvillea and lantana, trees for shade, and herbaceous plants for seasonal color. Gilmer ties all the information together in the final chapter, wherein she provides guidelines for selecting plants to pair with the various architectural styles found in the desert : Spanish, mid-century modern, desert natural, Mediterranean, and tropical. Along the way, the crisp text is embellished with capsules summaries of each chapter and a series of sidebars called “Mo’s Tips” where she shares her secrets to successful desert gardening. Palm Springs-Style Gardening is both a visual treat and a practical guide to gardening in the drier parts of the Southwest, be they desert or Mediterranean-type climates. The rationale for plant choices and design concepts will be of value to gardeners throughout the arid West. Richard G. Turner Jr. "Pacific Horticulture"

Foreword Magazine Review by Rhiannon Ross, December 2008 “The great illusion of the desert is that is appears barren, but there is life and beauty visible only to the keen eyed beholder.” Maureen “Mo”Gilmer is one of the keen eyed people–she has been gardening for the past thirty years and shares her expertise in “YardSmart,” a nationally syndicated column in Scripps Howard News Service newspapers across the country. She also appears on the DIY Network, hosting and designing for the show “Weekend Gardening.” She has authored 15 books on gardening and the environment, lectured on multiple gardening topics, and is a member of The Authors Guild and Garden Writers Association of America. All of this expertise is put to good use when teaching the southern gardener. Because of the hostile climate–heat, sun exposure, and wind–gardening in the Coachella Valley can be a tricky endeavor. Many plants even stop their photosynthesis due to the stressful high temperatures. Dryland gardening is based on years of trial and error and Gilmer has gathered the do’s and don’ts in an easy-to-follow book for people of all gardening levels. She begins the book with an overview of plants that do and do not grow in the desert. She discusses growing in the extreme heat, the light frosts, and the wind that sideline many beginning gardeners. She presents outlines of the two main Coachella Valley growing seasons: fall and winter. In these outlines she includes ideal planting times, watering schedules, and relocation plans for those frosty nights. Getting deeper into the book, she discusses growing instructions for specific plants such as palms, cacti, and grasses. Speckling her growing directions with “Mo Tips” is an incredibly helpful tool. The tips are located throughout the book as sidebars and offer informative tidbits that aid the novice gardener in their growing endeavors. At the end of each chapter, she has a wrap-up section called “This Chapter in a Nutshell.” It highlights the key elements she would like each gardener to take away from the chapter without coming across like a school textbook. This book is a great tool for gardeners of all levels. Gilmer maps out the downfalls and successes of harvesting a dryland garden, aiding in the reader’s visualization with beautiful photographs of different plant species. It is highly organized, informative, and once a person is done reading it, they feel they can begin their gardening efforts in the dry, Southern states.

PALM SPRINGS GARDENING could have been featured in our California section but is reviewed here for its wider-ranging applications to any collection catering to desert gardeners and homeowners. Dryland gardeners receive inspiration from Palm Springs, a tropical climate which also holds extremes of wind, heat, sand and more challenges. Outdoors gardens can be designed to benefit from these challenges and enhance a drylands setting, and discussions of choosing plants naturally adapted to the climate from options world-wide make for an excellent gardeners guide.

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