June 2017 - Between The Pages: Best Plants of New Mexico Gardens & Landscapes

Did you spend the weekend out in the garden because spring is here and visions of vegetables and flowers are motivating you? I did! You can always use help about what works in New Mexico and what is a waste of time and money. When you go to the nursery, you’ll want to buy anything and everything, but you need some knowledge, first.

Best Plants for New Mexico Gardens and Landscapes was first published in 1995 but has since been revised and expanded. It is conveniently organized by major cities, because we all know that Raton and Las Cruces do not have the same weather and plants as, for example, Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The book has all kinds of subjects, like recycling, topography, pruning, shade-loving flowers, watering, evergreens, native plants, grasses, and much more.

The many pictures are enticing, and Best Plants will appeal to beginners and advanced gardeners, as well as everyone in-between. What I liked about this book is that it is for New Mexicans and does not send you out looking for a rain forest plant that will just die a horrible death. The tips alone are worth the price of this book and will save you money and time in the long run. The author, Baker H. Morrow, knows his stuff and has been a practicing landscape architect in Albuquerque for more than forty years. He is also a professor at the UNM School of Architecture and Planning.

Best Plants contains new plants and new information that beginners need to know in the hunt for plants to put in their own gardens. As desert-dwellers, we should all be aware of low-water and low-maintenance plants and need to know what to look for at the nursery. This is the kind of book that will live on your shelf and that you will consistently reach for. It is also the kind of book that every New Mexico library should have for gardeners. Since spring is here, this book should be displayed with a trowel and packs of seeds. Enough said—spring has sprung so get out and plant, smartly.

Best Plants for New Mexico Gardens and Landscapes

Baker H. Morrow

UNM Press 2016

Paperback $34.95

304 pages & color

These book reviews are written by members of the New Mexico Book Co-op. New Mexico books are worth taking a look at in stores, libraries, or online.