Overview

These exotic natives of the Americas are among the most striking of drought-tolerant plants, and they make wonderful accents in the landscape, providing excellent contrasts to flowering perennial plantings. They can also be massed effectively, and many of the species are small, ideal for use in containers. The authors point out that innovative nurseries and gardeners in cool, humid regions of North America and Europe have shown that many of these plants may be suitable for areas with climates very different from their native range. Full information on cultivation and propagation is provided.

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9780881924428

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Reviews

A wealth of information on the cultivation and gardening uses of Agave and Yucca. SciTech Book News 20000910 Nursery professionals, landscape contractors, designers and adventurous gardeners owe the Irishes a round of applause. Agaves, Yuccas, and Related Plants fills a much-needed niche in the western gardener's library. -- Elizabeth Davidson Arizona Nursery Association Newsletter 20000808 This encyclopedic book supplies all the information you need to succeed with these plants ... Both authors known their subjects extremely well. Sunset 20000708 Agaves, Yuccas, and Related Plants, by Mary and Gary Irish brilliantly covers a group of unusually handsome, drought-tolerant 'architectural' perennial plants that offer a great variety in sizes and forms and in many cases are remarkably cold-hardy and suited to moist as well as arid regions. Avant Gardener 20000710 This volume is packed with both information and inspiration. Amateurs' Digest 20000817 This book is an important and useful reference. -- A. M. Kapuler Peace Seeds Resource Journal 20010912 The authors have provided a thorough overview of these families. Garden Views 20000910 You're in for a treat ... Full of interesting tidbits and in-depth growing information. Phoenix Home and Garden 20001115 An admirable blend of general information with scientific and technical detail. Choice 20001121 This fine book fills a significant gap on the gardener's bookshelf ...The enthusiasm of the two authors shines through and should bring many converts to these formidable plants. -- Gordon Rowley Garden (Peterborough) 20010119 A useful and authoritative new reference. -- William May American Gardener 20010125 An excellent introduction to this delightful group ... Mary and Gary Irish have produced a book that will be an invaluable reference for the enthusiast and a source of inspiration for those not yet familiar with these useful and beautiful plants. -- Dean Kelch Pacific Horticulture 20010125 You'll find all the information here, from choosing the right one to siting to growing to propagation. -- Marty Figley Michigan Observer and Eccentric 20010125 I toast the Irish. This is a truly outstanding work. -- Rudolf Schmid Taxon 20000815 This is a well-written book providing a wealth of information. It should prove useful not only to gardeners and plant collectors but also to professional botanists and horticulturalists. It is long overdue and is the first book covering this entire group of plants ... Enjoy this one - it is worth the price. -- David Ferguson Cactus and Succulent Journal 20010510 Mary and Gary Irish have provided a meticulous and thorough guide to every species of Agavaceae native to the United States and Canada, and a good many more southerly sorts that can be found in commerce ... The plant descriptions are precise (both in feet and down to the centimeter) and consistent. -- Panayoti Kelaidis Rock Garden Quarterly 20010817 [The Authors] have provided a meticulous and thorough guide to every species of Agavaceae native to the United States and Canada... The drawings and pictures are useful, and much of the information contained in this book is otherwise only found in very bulky, expensive monographs, many of them now out of print. -- Panayoti Kelaidis Rock Garden Quarterly 20020213 This is a very useful account of a group of plants about which it is not easy to find good, concisely presented information. -- Brian Mathew Curtis's Botanical Magazine 20020225 Valuable information and advice on how to grow these striking exotic plants. Wisley Bookshop 20020528 A very useful account of a group of plant about which it is not easy to find good, concisely presented information. Curtis's Botanical Magazine 20021001 As a highly informative guide, it has a place in any Southwestern botanical library, public or private. Santa Fe New Mexican 20030424 Mary and Gary Irish provide detailed guidance on care, cultivation, and gardening uses. Desert Plants 20031229 For those who want to learn more about yuccas, agaves and related plants such as Beaucarnea, Beshorneria and Dasylirion, I recommend Timber Press's Agaves, Yuccas and Related Plants by Mary and Gary Irish. [It] is an excellent reference work. -- Jim Reynolds Hardy Plant International 20040614 This is a must-read for lovers of these spectacular plants...well-organized, friendly, inviting. -- Lauren Springer Ogden Horticulture 20041016 Another wonderful resource. -- Sarah Robertson Eugene Register-Guard 20050316 An important work written by a devoted expert, Begonias is a must read for gardeners and botanists. Begonian 20051001

Author Information

Mary Irish is a prominent voice in southwestern horticulture and has written extensively on dry-climate gardening. She received her master's degree in geography from Texas A&M University and is the former director of public horticulture at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. A Texas native, Mary grew up raising farm animals and tending a large vegetable garden. In 1985 Mary and her husband Gary moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and before long she began working as a volunteer at the Desert Botanical Garden, where she soon earned a full-time position. Mary once hosted a weekly Phoenix-based radio show called The Arizona Gardener, and has appeared on countless news and lifestyle television programs regarding desert gardening. She is a regular contributor to several magazines including Sunset, and teaches classes on the care and culture of agaves, cacti, and other desert shrubs. Gary Irish holds a master's degree in plant geography from Texas A&M University, and is the manager of the computer mapping section for the Arizona State Land Department. He uses a Geographic Information System (GIS) to keep up with mapping the Land Department's more than 9 million acres.

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