Where on Earth

Some years ago, I retired from my technical position with a software company and took up the study of plants and gardening matters full time. Ever curious, I looked for books and resources to learn more about this field. A used copy of an earlier edition of Where On Earth fell into my hands and I was hooked. Now I had the tool to locate and visit nurseries and gardens to learn. We planned weekend trips around the information in this earlier book. I explored websites and traveled to gardens to learn more. This volume is a real treasure house of gardening resources.

The three dedicated and thorough authors have done it again—bringing the information up to date and creating a roadmap to visit and learn about plants and gardens in California. Arranged geographically, the listings cover everything “plants” in the state. The book is dotted with essays about each region, special plants, growing techniques, and must see sites. A section entitled Other Sources lists mail order sites for seeds, bulbs, and plants. Especially useful for fanatical plant-aholics like myself, the Plant Index provides links to specialty nurseries for those hard-to-find specimens.

In addition to the primary information, the book’s listings contain charming stories about owners, children, and other characters that inhabit the world of California nurseries and gardens. These include sagas about a trip to Disneyland in exchange for watering 1,000 plants, a Loggins and Messina song, cousins and husbands who also own nurseries, and plant collecting trips to Asia among others.

Highly recommended!

Bracey Tiede, Master Gardener and former PHS board member
San Jose, California