A catalog. [The Southeast Native Plant Primer by Larry Mellichamp; Paula Gross]

Do you want a garden that makes a real difference? Choose plants native to our Southeast region. The rewards will benefit you, your yard, and the environment—from reducing maintenance tasks to attracting earth-friendly pollinators such as native birds, butterflies, and bees. Native plant experts Larry Mellichamp and Paula Gross make adding these superstar plants easier than ever before, with proven advice that every home gardener can follow. This incomparable sourcebook includes 225 recommended native ferns, grasses, wildflowers, perennials, vines, shrubs, and trees. It’s everything you need to know to create a beautiful and beneficial garden.

This must-have handbook is for gardeners in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

A lot of the gardening books I read are region specific, and for regions I've either never visited or don't live in. And I don't mind it, I'm learning about plants either way. Whether that's exposure to new species or learning about the growing challenges of a region, my plant knowledge base is expanding. In Larry Mellichamp and Paula Gross' The Southeast Native Plant Primer we're focusing on the Southeastern United States. I live in the Northeast. And so, with the Eastern Seaboard thing in common, I feel quite comfortable looking at these native plants lustfully, adding them to my list of wishlist garden imports. I know some of these plants can stretch their region, a good couple of them.

The bulk of the text are detailed fact sheets and tables of the 225 plants highlighted. Plants are grouped into logical categories (shrubs, trees, vines, et cetera) and each respective chapter flows in a cohesive narrative. Alternatively, short blurbs provided enough information along side bulletpoint information and fantastic photographs to convey a confidence in a newfound familiarity, respectively. All I know is that I enjoyed this book and I want to be ordering a couple of these plants for transplanting into the wildlife garden of my dreams. Not yet a reality, but I grow ever more confident as I read more on plants that when it is realized it will be wildly diverse, ever fragrant, and oh so lovely. 5 stars from me.

The Southeast Native Plant Primer is to be published July 21, 2020.