Pulling Weeds From A Cactus Garden

Nature's strangest plants. Herb-harvesting trespassers. Rattlesnakes curled in planter beds. Stoners fumbling with hydroponic systems. Semi-tame backyard buzzards. And the fire of the century. This is not a typical garden book. Plantsman: Notes from a California Garden Designer follows avid plant collector and landscaper Steve Harbour through a year of gardening exploits, beginning in early January when he gardens in shorts and a tee-shirt and ending in December as he empties his torched greenhouse after a tragic wildfire. In between, Harbour: Designs entire gardens without a preconceived plan. Discovers metal bands cutting into one of California's rarest plants. Frightens mountain lions. Discovers an endangered plant species sprouting in his garden. Tours a hippie garden. Deliberates the fate of a beautiful garden after its creator dies. Digs moats to drown gophers. Creates an eclectic landscape bordering a wilderness area. Advises a lost family in the mountains. They don't follow his advice. Ruminates on the Secret Life of Plants. Avoids police barricades to learn the fate of his fire-ravaged home. Struggles to outwit homeowners' associations. Watches a hawk swoop out of the sky to devour a favorite blue jay. And basks in the perfect days of each season. Through it all, Harbour discusses Mediterranean gardens, desert landscape design, native plants, garden exhibits, good plants, problem plants, roses, shopping nurseries for bargains, gaining inspiration from nature, gardening in each season, creating wildlife habitats, choosing landscape professionals, and landscaping in fire country. Plantsman reads like a good travel narrative while offering pages of expert gardening advice. The adventure begins just outside the back door.

There are many reasons to grow cacti and other succulents—they're drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, and they look great. But what about hardiness? For those who thought that these spectacular plants were only for gardens in California and the Southwest, guess again—hundreds are fully cold-hardy and can be grown outdoors from New England to British Columbia, Wisconsin to Texas. Cacti and Succulents for Cold Climates is filled with inspirational portraits of 274 plants that can be used to create drought-tolerant gardens, as well as tips from regional experts who have mastered the art of growing cacti in parts of the country not usually associated with high temperatures or a scarcity of water. Expert Leo Chance describes how to prepare planting beds, how to get plants well established, how to handle cacti during planting, how to protect plants from cold winters, and when and how much to water.

Sarah's Quilt, the long-awaited sequel to These Is My Words, continues the dramatic story of Sarah Agnes Prine. Beloved by readers and book clubs from coast to coast, These Is My Words told the spellbinding story of an extraordinary pioneer woman and her struggle to make a home in the Arizona Territories. Now Sarah returns. In 1906, the badlands of Southern Arizona Territory is a desolate place where a three-year drought has changed the landscape for all time. When Sarah's well goes dry and months pass with barely a trace of rain, Sarah feels herself losing her hold upon the land. Desperate, Sarah's mother hires a water witch, a peculiar desert wanderer named Lazrus who claims to know where to find water. As he schemes and stalls, he develops an attraction to Sarah that turns into a frightening infatuation. And just when it seems that life couldn't get worse, Sarah learns that her brother and his family have been trapped in the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. She and her father-in-law cannot even imagine the devastation that awaits them as they embark on a rescue mission to the stricken city. Sarah is a pioneer of the truest spirit, courageous but gentle as she fights to save her family's home. But she never stops longing for the passion she once knew. Though her wealthy neighbor has asked her to wed, Sarah doesn't entirely trust him. And then Udell Hanna and his son come riding down the dusty road. . . .