Shrubs have a raw beauty and wild ‘otherness’ that make them a striking presence in the landscape and a rich source of inspiration for gardeners. Shrubs are tough: they thrive in the hottest of deserts roadcuts, make homes in abandoned pasture, and march reliably northward as we warm the earth.
Shrubs excel at sharing communities with other living things and this book demonstrates how their adaptability and reciprocities are so valuable in a time of global climate change. Profiling 12 wild shrublands from the US and beyond, the authors identify the key shrubs and companion plants that define each plant community and the design take-aways including substitutions appropriate for a range of climates.
Shrouded in Light takes us on a journey through a glorious underworld of wild shrublands including blasted heathland, rolling sagebrush and bone-dry steppe. The authors capture the spirit of each place, consider the key protagonists in each plant community, and propose multiple garden design applications.
This book is a thrilling call to create gardens and landscapes that emulate wild shrublands and celebrate their ability to surprise, disturb and exhilarate.
Shrouded in Light: Naturalistic Planting Inspired by Wild Shrublands (Filbert Press) will be released on the 28th of March, 2024.