In this companion volume to the bestselling The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Plants, Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz offer another indispensible guide to replacing nonnative plants with native alternatives. This time, their subject is the native woody species that are the backbone of our gardens and landscapes. Among other ecological benefits, native shrubs and trees provide birds and butterflies with vital food and reproductive sites that nonnative species cannot offer. And they tend to be hardier and easier to maintain.
The authors of Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees provide a comprehensive selection of native woody alternatives that, season by season, provide effects similar to those of nonnative shrubs and trees used for ornamental purposes and shade. These plants are suitable for all garden styles, provide blooms and fall color, and have the same cultivation requirements as their nonnative counterparts. Nature notes alert readers to the native species unique ecological roles. Unlike other gardening guides,
Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees goes beyond mere suggestion to provide gardeners with the tools they need to make informed, thoughtful choices. Knowing which native species to plant for desired effects empowers landscapers and gardeners to take on a greater role in protecting our midwestern environment.
Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz are the authors of Prairie Directory of North America - US and Canada, winner of the 2003 National Garden Club Illinois Tommy Donnan Certificates Publications award and the 2003 Garden Clubs of Illinois' Award, and The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants an Illustrated Guide, winner of the 2012 Helen Hull Award, presented by the National Garden Clubs.
"One of the most important recent reference books recently published is Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees: Gardening Alternatives to Nonnative Species [...] An extraordinary amount of information is found in this guide, including extensive descriptions of hundreds of non-native plants and their native alternatives to plant in your yard."
– The Plain Dealer
"A comprehensive and ambitious undertaking [...] Meticulously researched and annotated, this in-depth guide synthesizes a vast body of knowledge on subjects ranging from native and nonnative woody plants to biodiversity, lepidopterology (study of butterflies and moths), and ornithology (study of birds)."
– The Gardener's Path
"Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees [...] is packed with information and photos about native Midwestern plants and the species that benefit from them – primarily insects and birds [...] With this in mind, [Adelman and Schwartz] dive in, dividing the book into seasons of the year as a way to introduce the benefits of native trees and shrubs."
– The Mike Nowak Show
"For nature lovers, artists at heart or homeowners who simply want low-maintenance landscapes, the authors make a convincing case."
– Columbus Dispatch