Planting the Dry Shade Garden

A really good book giving practical ideas for what is probably the most difficult combination of site conditions that a gardener has to contend with. The book offers the reader all the necessary information to cope with this common horticultural dilemma. The book will help the reader to understand dry shade, manipulate dry shade and most importantly it offers a comprehensive list of plants that will cope admirably with dry shade.

This excellent book comes up with 130 plants and also suggests ways of improving the soil and lightening the gloom.

A book to gladden the heart of anyone who struggles with this dual horticultural conundrum of knowing what to do with a plot that not only lacks light but is also naturally on the dry side.

Behold, Graham Rice's, Planting the Dry Shade Garden. Rice, a known plantsman and award winning writer, adorned with a multitude of horticultural degrees certainly has all the credentials to provide the much sought after solutions to our dry shade planting problems. His book is clearly laid out, starting with detailed guidance on coping with the problem, which subsequently leads into a meticulous list of plants suited to dry shade.

Featured as a top Christmas book:

Rice gives simple answers through a simple palette of stalwart plants. Handy indeed.

If you want to discover the best plants for one of the garden's most challenging problems - dry shade - Planting the Dry Shade Garden by Graham Rice, will fit the bill nicely. [...] You will be challenged to find another book about plants for dry shade, which makes Graham's book a must for the garden bookshelf. Planting the Dry Shade Garden would make an ideal present for a gardening friend, as there are very few gardens which do not suffer from the challenges of some aspects of shade. Written in an authoritative and easy manner with plenty of solutions for tricky shade problems. [...] I like gardening books to earn their keep on my bookshelf and I know that Planting the Dry Shade Garden will be one I will be consulting regularly.

If you have a dry shade garden and are at a loss, buy [the book] and find some solutions.

[Graham Rice is] A respected garden writer who divides his time between the US and Britain, he has published more than 20 books (the Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Perennials, which he edited, is never far from my desk). He is also a judge at Chelsea Flower Show and a judge for various flower trials carried out by the RHS. In other words, he knows his plants.

His book, in common with almost all of Timber's publications, is practical rather than showy. After discussing how to understand and cope with dry shade, he suggests over 130 species (most of which have several varieties) that will enliven the dismal and arid corners of the garden. 

Dry shade strikes fears into gardeners. Plantsman Graham Rice explains how to prune selectively to let in more light, and how to improve soil to increase water retention. Graham champions 130 plants that tolerate low light and moisture, including woodland gems like epimediums and hellebores.

Graham is editor-in-chief of the Royal Horticultural Society's Encyclopedia of Perennials, and an RHS judge, so he knows his stuff. But the book is written in a very easy and relaxed style - much like Graham himself, in fact! The result is a how-to manual, that fills you with have-a-go inspiration. Graham offers various solutions for dealing with drought and lack of light and of course offers planting suggestions. too. This isn't just a list - there is a page for each plant, each lavishly illustrated with photographs by Graham and his wife, Judy White.

Learn how to prune selectively to admit more light and how to amend soil to increase its moisture retention. [...] An entire palette to help you transform challenging spaces into rich, rewarding gardens.

A very helpful, accessible and easy read for those with difficult - there, I've said it - dry shade to contend with.