"Has a far more global perspective than his earlier books. This new book opens its boundaries to welcome plants from other parts of the world if they can thrive without water, fertilizer and pesticides; if they are not invasive; and if they can harmonize with the surrounding landscape." -- The New York Times "What a beauty. Rick is one of the best of all time; passionate about gardening and plants, so talented and a good guy. Really knows his grasses." -- NPR "Darke's accuracy in listing and describing ornamental grasses reflects his scholarship on the subject. The subject is overwhelming to cover in one reference, but Darke has done it with great clarity here." -- The Washington Post "A scholarly encyclopedia of ornamental grasses, the most comprehensive and well-researched book on the subject, and one that will remain the most important reference on ornamental grasses for decades.
" -- BBC Gardens "Just what the plant doctor ordered. It's a tonic for the eyes with more than 1,000 color photographs." -- Newsday "Darke's impressive achievement should stand as the definitive resource for grasses for some time to come." -- Booklist "A wealth of ideas and information. A plethora of design ideas." -- SciTech Book News "It is ever so much more than just big and beautiful. It is comprehensive, up-to-date, and mature. Darke shows us grasses.
as bonafide denizens of the modern garden and, further, places them in the forefront of the movement to develop ecologically functional, 'natural' landscapes." -- Pacific Horticulture "There's a new love song to grasses, and its notes range up and down the entire scale, from the highs of a grass's simple, natural beauty, to the lows of the cultural requirements to grow each one successfully. Darke completely supercedes his previous book." -- Garden Design Online "The detailed descriptions of ornamental grasses and evocative examples of their use in the landscape offer something for gardeners of all levels of expertise and experience." -- American Gardener "Opening chapters discuss the global significance, botany and beauty of grasses. Design, cultivation and maintenance are also detailed. The massive plant encyclopedia describes hundreds of different grasses. with specifics to help gardeners select the most appropriate grasses for their conditions and help nurseries decide which ones to stock.
" -- LA Times "What a beauty. Rick is one of the best of all time; passionate about gardening and plants." -- Homegrown.