Arboretum Library: My Favorite Things:
A Bibliography of Library Materials.

The late Chumash healer and spiritual leader, Cecilia Garcia, teamed up with a USC professor of Pharmacology to work through the medicinal uses of southern California plants. It is very well done with much advice about the plants and their identification, their uses, cautions through a lens of modern medicine, and how to cherish the plants' populations in the wild and in your garden.

"Flora of Pasadena and vicinity. By Alfred James McClatchie": p. 605-649. This is a very early flora of the area near the Arboretum. If you are thinking about a native garden nearby this is a great book to peruse.

Dot and Jabber are mouse detectives with a mission: They're determined to find out how a little oak tree grew in their field when there are no other oak trees around. They know it grew from an acorn, but how did the acorn get there? Dot and Jabber have a case to crack--if Jabber doesn't eat the clues first! Ellen Stoll Walsh, creator of the popular Mouse Paint mice, introduces two new mice who love mysteries. Full of curiosity and humor, Dot and Jabber track clues to solve science mysteries for young readers. An afterword presents easy-to-understand facts about acorns and oak trees.

Little does the child know they are learning a about seeds from this adorable crew made from paper cutouts.

A 2017 Caldecott Honor Book The creator of Home turns a droll eye to the natural world, with gorgeous art and a playful invented language. Du iz tak? What is that? As a tiny shoot unfurls, two damselflies peer at it in wonder. When the plant grows taller and sprouts leaves, some young beetles arrive to gander, and soon--with the help of a pill bug named Icky--they wrangle a ladder and build a tree fort. But this is the wild world, after all, and something horrible is waiting to swoop down--booby voobeck!--only to be carried off in turn. Su! With exquisitely detailed illustrations and tragicomic flair, Carson Ellis invites readers to imagine the dramatic possibilities to be found in even the humblest backyard. Su!

Even if the words aren't English or any other language, the story is one of the best kids books about germination, growth, and senescence.

The magnificent Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of a stranger in his native land "Both a masterpiece about the universal human condition and a masterpiece of Native American literature. . . . A book everyone should read for the joy and emotion of the language it contains." - The Paris Review
A young Native American, Abel has come home from war to find himself caught between two worlds. The first is the world of his father's, wedding him to the rhythm of the seasons, the harsh beauty of the land, and the ancient rites and traditions of his people. But the other world--modern, industrial America--pulls at Abel, demanding his loyalty, trying to claim his soul, and goading him into a destructive, compulsive cycle of depravity and disgust.

This book is one of my favorites from the Reading the Western Landscape Community Book Discussion. There are about 120 book suggestions that the group has read through the years. We are exploring all genres old and new; fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, letters, and graphic works by women, men, LBGTQ+, and POC who write about the west whether it is urban or rural.

"Put on your hiking shoes, pack your binoculars, and rediscover the City of Angels." --Westways Magazine Los Angeles may have a reputation as a concrete jungle, but in reality, it's full of amazing wildlife. You just need to know where to find it!  Equal parts natural history, field guide, and trip planner, Wild LA has something for everyone. It looks at the factors that shape local nature--including fire, floods, and climate--and profiles over 100 local species, from easy-to-spot squirrels and praying mantids to more elusive green sea turtles, bighorn sheep, and mountain lions. Also included are descriptions of day trips that help you explore natural wonders on hiking trails, in public parks, and in your own backyard. 

This book makes it fun to explore nature in L.A. I'm just a teeny, tiny bit miffed that no arboreta or botanical gardens were included as places to see nature, but I do also wish this book had existed when I was taking my child around L.A. It must have been extremely tough to narrow down the plants to those chosen.

This is a mighty tome which has not be surpassed about the Indo-European exploration of the West. The author came to it after studying and writing about Yucca of the Southwest and realized this is the book she should have attempted much earlier given her love of the west and southwest.

When you live in a national park from the age of 3-5 your view of plants and landscape is permanenly skewed. This book has the best cover ever and explains the reason for the beauty in the park. Well, the plants anyway. My national park service friend, however, explained it is the geology that creates the plants. To bring future generations along these books about the plants of national parks that were done in the 1960s need to be moved into a modern book, not the very poor substitute on the park website.

A book at this level of specificity is a miracle! It integrates the relationship between plants and a bird and much of it is applicable to southern California.

This highly regarded reference work, a botanical classic, has been fully revised and updated. A fresh new design and beautiful full-color images aid identification. First published in 1981, Succulent Flora has long served as an authoritative guide for academics and lay enthusiasts alike. This third edition takes into account intervening taxonomic advances and the discovery and naming of ever more species. Information has been supplemented in line with the latest thinking and the book has been newly designed for clarity and ease of reference. Given the phenomenal extent of our succulent flora, this fully updated edition is a timely addition to the botanical literature of southern Africa.

Southern African succulents are very popular plants in Southern California. Learn about them in their native habitat and enjoy all their wonders. Great photographs for identification too.

Dr. John S. Beard came to Western Australia in 1961 as Foundation Director of the Botanic Garden being established in Perth's King's Park. The garden, which officially opened in 1965, has become one of Perth's major attractions for visitors and the local population. It has a scientific as well as a popular function, being principally devoted to study of native plants. First published in 1990, Plant Life of Western Australia grew out of a project that was developed with the assistance of Dr. Beard. The project became known as the Vegetation Survey of Western Australia, with the aim of mapping the plant life of the entire state. Any ecologist travelling through this stretch of country is not only aware of the plant species that are present and their arrangement into communities, but of the whole structure of the landscape, its geology, its forms in mountains, hills, and plains, and the climate, both past and present. Dr. Beard acquired an unrivalled knowledge of the landscapes and their plant cover over the immense area of Western Australia. Through the project, a series of vegetation maps were produced and the project was finally completed in 1981. About 200,000 km of land were covered by vehicle over the course of 17 years. This was more than an ordinary degree of awareness, therefore the first edition of the book was published with the desire of sharing the remarkable plant life of Western Australia with others. Following the death of Dr. John S. Beard in 2011, this new edition has been revised by Alex George and Neil Gibson. Dr. Beard originally took about 2,000 color slides over the course of his extensive botanical field work, and a selection of the best color illustrations are featured prominently in the book.

Western Australia is a Mediterranean climate region, so learning about these plants in their native habitat can help with growing them as well as learning about other possible garden beauties.

New in paperback Spring 2004, this is an indispensable guide to agaves.The uses of agaves are as many as the arts of man have found it convenient to devise. At least two races of man have invaded Agaveland during the last ten to fifteen thousand years, where, with the help of agaves, they contrived several successive civilizations. The region of greatest use development is Mesoamerica. Here the great genetic diversity in a genus rich in use potential came into the hands of several peoples who developed the main agricultural center of the Americas. Perhaps, as the Aztec legends suggest, it was the animals that first showed man the edibility of agave. Evolution in use ranges all the way from the coincidental and spurious, through tool and food-drink subsistence with mystical overlay, to the practical specialties of modem industry and art. The historic period of agave will be outlined here as briefly as that complicated development will allow.

My favorite book about my favorite plant. Even though this book was published almost 40 years ago, the comprehensive information is still astonishing. If you love a plant, find the monograph on it (That is what these kinds of books are called.) and spend your time learning about your love. If you know how it grows in its native habitat you will know how to grow it and propagate it in your garden. And if it is a book as good as this, you will know why the plant is beloved by many cultures.

This mishmash of materials of and about Luther Burbank contains the first color photography in a book. In 1914! Amazing! They aren't art photography, but many of the images explore gardening, agriculture and nature in California because that's where Burbank worked. Very fun to peruse.

Norman Deno was a chemistry professor who applied that knowledge and research techniques to germinating seed. This book is the result of those investigations. It will change your ideas about seed germination practices and raise your level of success.

Here is a book instigated by a water utility in the Coachella Valley. It's well done, basic, and the harbinger of the future with global warming in Los Angeles.

Retired UC Extension Environmental Horticulture Advisor published this book when I had just been indoctrinated as a botanic garden librarian. Imagine the concept of wandering around a city looking for the best trees; not the best kind of tree, but the best individual specimen in the 469 square miles that is the city or the 4753 square miles that is the county. This book may be the reason I eventually came back to L.A.

"Designing with Succulents is inspiring, practical, and complete--a treasure for any gardener who loves these otherworldly beauties." --Kathleen N. Brenzel, Sunset Succulents offer dazzling possibilities and require very little maintenance to remain lush and alluring year-round. No one knows them better than the Queen of Succulents, Debra Lee Baldwin. This new, completely revised edition of her bestselling classic is a design compendium that is as practical as it is inspirational. Designing with Succulents shares design and cultivation basics, hundreds of succulent plant recommendations, and 50 companion plant profiles. Lavishly illustrated with 400 photographs, you'll find everything you need to visualize, create, and nurture a thriving, water-smart succulent garden.

Debra Lee Baldwin is a pioneer in southern California with advocating for and writing popular gardening literature about succulents in the garden. This is the new and improved edition bringing the original 2007 one up-to-date.. She is an obsessed gardener who loves her plants that are well adapted our climate. We can take advantage of that learning and love in our own gardens.

There is a small, finite number of species and cultivars of the genus aeonium and this author takes them all on with great photographs too. The general publishing world doesn't think this kind of book will make any kind of money. We know better and enjoy the comprehensive treatment of these special plants that grace many a southern California garden.

"Eye-popping proof that water-wise gardens are bold, beautiful and brilliantly hued." --San Diego Home and Garden -- Dry weather defines the southwest, and it's getting dryer. As water becomes more precious, our gardens suffer. If we want to keep gardening, we must revolutionize our plant choices and garden practices. Hot Color, Dry Garden provides a joyful, color-filled way to exuberantly garden in low-water conditions. Garden expert Nan Sterman highlights inspiring examples of brilliant gardens filled with water-smart plants. You'll find information about designing for color using plants, architecture, and accessories, along with a plant directory that features drought-tolerant plants that dazzle.

The southern part of southern California is now a hotbed of garden publishing and Nan Sterman shows us the exuberance and beauty with which we can garden and still pay attention to conserving water and adapting to warmer temperatures.

Green lawns are restful to the eye, provide an excellent backdrop to plants and trees and keep the weeds down, but in low-rainfall regions they often end up looking scrappy and brown. In this book, pioneering nurseryman Olivier Filippi offers low-level planting designs that are eco-friendly and so beautiful they redefine the conventional distinction between lawn and plant borders. Inspired by the wild plant communities of Europe, the Middle East, and the USA, these rigorously trialled plant combinations can be used on terraces, paths, gravel beds and flower borders, as well as areas that are traditionally laid to lawn. Plant choices include the tough new macrothermal grasses, carpeting groundcovers and stunning wild flower mixes that thrive among gravel and stone. With a plant directory that lists over 200 tough but beautiful dry garden plants and Filippi's innovative maintenance techniques, this is the perfect companion to his first book The Dry Gardening Handbook and will delight all dry garden owners.

Olivier Filippi runs a nursery in Meze, France. His firm designs drought-tolerant spaces using an ecosystems approach. The latitude of Meze is equivalent to southern Oregon, so, perhaps, the plants are not entirely exchangeable to our gardens here. His approach seems like an updated and more detaliled one than the old Sunset zoning system with more determination to use natives. I'd love to see a book like this for SoCal. His more recent book has tried to cover a larger territory, so it not quite as detailed about ecosystems. All three are worth perusing.

This is the first version of a Sunset book the put "West" and "garden" in the title. The Arboretum Library is trying to have a copy of all the versionn of the Sunset Western Garden Book. Imagine looking at them all. Joy!

This lavishly illustrated book celebrates the challenges and opportunities of gardening in Mediterranean climates, with special reference to northern California's San Francisco Bay Region. The core of the book is a catalog of more than 650 plants suited to regions with mild, usually wet winters and dry, often hot summers. These plants thrive with moderate to no summer irrigation when established, require little or no maintenance, and are reasonably available from nurseries, botanic gardens, native plant sales, or specialty seed suppliers. Many of the 542 color photographs show plants in garden settings to suggest attractive and compatible plant combinations. Summary charts provide information on each plant, such as bloom time, needs for water and sun, and preferences for coastal or inland microclimates. Lists suggest plants for special situations, such as hot sites, dryish shade, small gardens, and clay soils. Chapters on landscape design and maintenance inspire readers to make gardens that use little water and no harmful chemicals, with a focus on building healthy soil. Practical steps to successful design are supplemented with ideas for designing with microclimate, attracting wildlife, and fire safety. Sidebars by local experts discuss weather, natural landscapes, design solutions, and gardening with recycled water. "A valuable resource for climate-compatible gardening in the San Franciso Bay Area that will also be of interest to gardeners in other parts of the world with a similar seasonal pattern of winter rain and dry summers. This book will occupy a prominent place in my library for many years to come."--Katherine Greenberg, president Mediterranean Garden Society "This book is beautifully designed with abundant photographs of plants, many in garden settings, and it is packed with the kind of information gardeners need for their own special situations. Simply stunning! Bravo!"--Phyllis M. Faber, editor University of California Press

Well, I should probably be touting the new version of this book that came out in January of this year, published by Timber Press, but the Arboretum Library hasn't acquired it yet. (Covid). I use this book all the time to show customers how beautiful a drought-tolerant /climate-appropriate garden can be. Imagine it coming from a water utility; Oakland's. If you are planning a garden this is a good place to start.

These six volumes (and seventh volume index) are another historical photography standout. The authors/photographers took gorgeous photogravures of trees growing in Great Britain early in the 20th century. About 1/3 of the photographs are of the trees in habitat around the world. Don't break your hear by looking at the picture of the "Hinoki Cypress in Japan." Many are poignant such as the "Aleppo Pine in Syria." And several are historical pictures of California trees. An amazing book!

Colorful floral shapes inspired by endangered plant species will attract countless new fans to quilling, the decorative art also known as paper filigree. This collection of unique projects includes endangered flowers such as the mountain-dwelling Peach Myrtle, the graceful Slipper Orchid, and the shy Snowdrop, as well as some beloved plants that are not endangered, including the Common Poppy, Queen Anne's Lace, and Sunflower. The author, whose books have spread the joy of quilling to crafters around the world, presents 42 charming projects with full-color illustrations and step-by-step instructions.  

Here's an unusual sample of the Library's plant-related craft books. Knitting, canning, gourd art, etc., etc. Become a maker with plants as the image and/or the ingredient of the craft..

Portobello mushrooms are the most flavorful--and popular--of the cultivated "exotic" mushrooms that are now found in supermarkets and specialty shops throughout the United States and Canada. From the simple grilled portobello--many diners' first experience with this mushroom--to portobello lasagna and portobello potpie, these aromatic mushrooms are deliciously satisfying and are low in fat and calories. The portobello's popularity is increasing steadily; according to the U.S. Mushroom Council, portobello sales in the United States have doubled in the last three years, up to 30 million pounds. Jack Czarnecki, America's foremost authority on cooking mushrooms, has written the first book focusing exclusively on the versatile portobello. The Portobello Cookbook provides some forty recipes for basic preparations, main courses, side dishes, and snacks, and it will help cooks explore new culinary ideas. Using flavors and cooking methods from around the world, Czarnecki presents recipes for such treats as Portobello Tempura with Beer Batter, Portobello and Lemongrass Soup, Portobello-Vegetable Stir Fry, Provence-style Portobello Ragout, Shaved Portobello Salad with Balsamic Vinegar, and many more. Most of the recipes are simple and quick to make--using a minimal number of ingredients--and they deliver great flavor. This volume is beautifully designed and illustrated by Alexandra Maldonado.

This book is a sample of our extensive plant-related cookbook collection which contains a large donation from the wonderful southern California food writer, cooking school founder, and beloved Arboretum cooking class coordinator, Peg Rahn.