Includes a selected plant catalogue of annual grasses; perennial grasses, rushes and sedges; and bamboos.

From spring green to winter gold, the drama of grasses is nonstop. One of the few books available that advises the gardener on how to uses grasses in the garden, "Grasses" features plans and practical advice for more than 24 unique gardens. The book includes an identification guide to the plants and features more than 150 color photos, illustrations, and landscape plans.

Grasses Offer so Much More than the flat, green lawns beneath our feet. In the garden, spikelets of Briza media flutter in the slightest breeze, tall-stemmed Stipa gigantea makes a beguiling divider, and pennisetums glow like fireworks with the sun at their backs. When chosen wisely and used with care, grasses can endow the garden with showstopping appeal---requiring remarkably little work in return. Neil Lucas explains how to bring the magic of grasses to even the smallest of gardens. Inspired by the great American prairies, African savannah and other wild spaces, he shows how to perfect the balance between grasses and other plants, choose sustainable lawn alternatives that virtually care for themselves, and showcase the elegant lines and intriguing textures of grasses to glorious effect. Planting grasses in the right place is critical, and Lucas lists top performers for drought, waterside, containers, shade and more. Along the way, he explains how grasses contribute to a greener world through their use in rain gardens, green roofs and for erosion control. With an extensive directory profiling more than 450 gardenworthy grasses, rushes and sedges, this lavishly illustrated volume offers gardeners a world of possibilities.

Gardening with Native Grasses in Cold Climates, is written for inexperienced as well as seasoned gardeners, landscape designers, garden center employees, and anyone interested in native grasses that grow well in cold climates. New information on the benefits of native grasses including their importance as host plants for native Lepidoptera is included. Combinations of specific grasses used by larvae and perennials that the adult butterflies feed on is new and timely information.

Describes more than four hundred perennials and grasses, providing information on each plant's origins, preferred conditions, and planting zones.

If there's one lesson every homeowner must learn, it's this: The traditional lawn is a huge, time consuming, synthetic-chemical sucking mistake. The time has come to look for new ways to create friendly, livable spaces around our homes. In The American Meadow Garden, ornamental grass expert John Greenlee creates a new model for homeowners and gardeners. For Greenlee, a meadow isn't a random assortment of messy, anonymous grasses. Rather, it is a shimmering mini-ecosystem, in which regionally appropriate grasses combine with colorful perennials to form a rich tapestry that is friendly to all life — with minimal input of water, time, and other scarce resources. Kids and pets can play in complete safety, and birds and butterflies flock there. A prairie style planting is a place you want to be. With decades of experience as a nurseryman and designer, John Greenlee is the perfect guide. He details all the practicalities of site preparation, plant selection, and maintenance; particularly valuable are his explanations of how ornamental grasses perform in different climates and areas. Gorgeous photography by Saxon Holt visually illustrates the message with stunning examples of meadow gardens from across the country. We've reached a stage where we can no longer follow past practices unthinkingly, particularly when those practices are wasteful and harmful to the environment. It's time to get rid of the old-fashioned lawn and embrace a sane and healthy future: the American meadow garden.

In Lawns Into Meadows, landscape designer Owen Wormser makes a case for the power and generosity of meadows. In a world where lawns have wreaked havoc on our natural ecosystems, meadows offer a compelling solution. They establish wildlife and pollinator habitats. They’re low-maintenance and low-cost. They have a built-in resilience that helps them weather climate extremes, and they can draw down and store far more carbon dioxide than any manicured lawn. They’re also beautiful, all year round. Owen describes how to plant an organic meadow that’s right for your site, whether it’s a yard, community garden, or tired city lot. He shares advice on preparing your plot, coming up with the right design, and planting—all without using synthetic chemicals. He passes along tips on building support in neighborhoods where a tidy lawn is the standard. Owen also profiles twenty-one starter grasses and flowers for beginning meadow-makers, and offers guidance on how to grow each one. To illuminate the many joys of meadow-building, Owen draws on his own stories, including how growing up off the grid in northern Maine, with no electricity or plumbing, prepared him for his work. The book, part how-to guide and part memoir, is for environmentalists and climate activists, gardeners and non-gardeners alike. Lawns Into Meadows is part of Stone Pier Press’s Citizen Gardening series, which teaches readers how to grow food and garden in ways that are good for the planet.