The combination of this book plus Sunsets Western Garden Book will arm the southern California garden enthusiast with all the tools and experience necessary to give a green thumbs up. A true plant geek will find validation and a friend in Smaus and will read the book saying "been there, loved that". Activities like hoarding plants bought from the Huntington Gardens May plant sale struck a familiar chord. A transplant to Southern Cal. will quickly gain the inside track to where to go and what to plant to make the best of this unique climate.
Coming from New England I needed a lot of advice on what to do with the clay soil and arid climate in Southern California. The Sunset Western Garden Book along with this selection is a great combination for those new to gardening in Southern California. (Try the soil amendment recipe, it worked wonders form me!)
Thank You Mr. Smaus ! Finally a book that talks directly to the Southern California gardener. If you live and garden in the So. CA area this is the book you need. Maybe I wont have so many failures in the coming year. This book opened my eyes wide.
