| Introduction | vii |
| Explanation of Data Charts | ix |
| What's in a Name | xi |
| Acknowledgments | xiii |
| USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map | xiv |
| I | Plants for the Environmentally Sensitive Landscape | |
| Groundcovers and Lawn Alternatives | |
| Arborvitae Fern (Selaginella spp.) | 5 |
| Asiatic Jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) | 7 |
| Border Grass (Liriope spp.) | 9 |
| Cast Iron Plant, Aspidistra (Aspidistra elatior) | 10 |
| Emerald Feather Calathea (Calathea louisae) | 12 |
| Holly Fern (Cyrtomium falcatum) | 14 |
| Japanese Sedge (Carex morrowii aurea 'Variegata') | 16 |
| Leatherleaf Fern (Rumohra adiantiformis) | 18 |
| Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus) | 20 |
| Muhly Grass (Mulenbergia capillaris) | 21 |
| Ornamental Grasses | 23 |
| Groundcovers for Hot, Sunny Places | 24 |
| Other Groundcovers to Try | 26 |
| Lawns and Their Care | 26 |
| Trees and Shrubs | |
| Benefits of Trees | 32 |
| Five Fabulous Trees | 35 |
| Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) | 35 |
| Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) | 36 |
| Red Maple (Acer rubrum) | 37 |
| Blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica) | 38 |
| Nuttall Oak (Quercus nuttallii) | 38 |
| Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) | 39 |
| American Holly (Ilex opaca) | 41 |
| Century Plant (Agave americana) | 43 |
| Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus) | 45 |
| Common Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) | 47 |
| Coral Bean (Erythrina herbacea) | 49 |
| Coral Tree (Erythrina crista-galli) | 51 |
| Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) | 52 |
| Japanese Aucuba (Aucuba japonica) | 54 |
| Japanese Fatsia (Fatsia japonica) | 55 |
| Leatherleaf Mahonia (Mahonia bealei) | 57 |
| Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) | 59 |
| Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) | 61 |
| Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) | 63 |
| Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) | 65 |
| Sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum) | 67 |
| A Story of Mighty and Minnie Pine | 69 |
| The Tale of Majestic Oak | 70 |
| Tree Diseases | 71 |
| Other Trees and Shrubs | 73 |
| Easy-Care Plants for Summer and Fall Color | |
| Stars of the Summer Garden | |
| Allamanda (Allamanda cathartica) | 74 |
| Begonia (Begonia spp.) | 76 |
| Blue Daze (Evolvulus nuttallianus syn. E. glomeratus) | 78 |
| Buttonflower (Centratherum intermedium) | 80 |
| Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) | 81 |
| Fanflower (Scaevola aemula) | 83 |
| Firespike (Odontonema strictum) | 85 |
| Forsythia Sage (Salvia madrensis) | 87 |
| Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa) | 89 |
| Melampodium (Melampodium paludosum) | 91 |
| Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha) | 93 |
| Ornamental Pepper (Capsicum annuum) | 95 |
| Ornamental Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) | 97 |
| Pentas (Pentas lanceolata) | 98 |
| Perilla (Perilla frutescens) | 100 |
| Stars of the Fall Garden | |
| Salvia (Salvia spp.) | 102 |
| Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus) | 103 |
| Ginger (Zingiberaceae) | 104 |
| Golden Dewdrop (Duranta repens) | 105 |
| Princess Flower (Tibouchina urvilleana) | 105 |
| Cuphea (Cuphea spp.) | 106 |
| Blue Butterfly Bush (Clerodendron ugandense) | 107 |
| Lion's Ear (Leonotis leonurus) | 107 |
| Stokes Aster (Stokesia laevis) | 108 |
| Zinnia (Zinnia spp.) | 110 |
| Container Gardens | 112 |
| List of Other Plants | 115 |
| Hardy Plants for Winter and Early Spring | |
| Bachelor's Button (Centaurea cyanus) | 118 |
| Candytuft (Iberis umbellata) | 119 |
| Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) | 121 |
| Nemesia (Nemesia fruticans)) | 123 |
| Diascia (Diascia barberae) | 124 |
| Ornamental Cabbage and Kale (Brassica oleracea) | 125 |
| Petunia (Petunia spp.) | 127 |
| Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) | 129 |
| Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) | 131 |
| Other Choices Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella damascena) | 133 |
| Larkspur (Consolida ambigua) | 134 |
| Stock (Matthiola incana) | 135 |
| Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis) | 136 |
| Herbs for the Winter Garden | 136 |
| II | The Environmentally Sensitive Landscape, Some Considerations | |
| The Evolution of Environmental Consciousness | 141 |
| Pollinators | 143 |
| Diminishing Wildlife | 144 |
| Making Wise Plant Choices | 145 |
| Room for All | 148 |
| Controlling Pests | |
| Cultural Practices | 149 |
| Physical Controls | 151 |
| Beneficial Insects | 153 |
| Biological Controls | 154 |
| Insecticides | 156 |
| Botanical Controls | 158 |
| Exotic Invasives | 160 |
| Some Widespread Exotic Invasives | |
| Air Potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) | 163 |
| Chinaberry Tree (Melia azedarach) | 165 |
| Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense) | 167 |
| Elephant Ears (Colocasia esculenta) | 168 |
| Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin) | 169 |
| Popcorn Tree (Sapium sebiferum) | 180 |
| The List Goes On | 172 |
| Control of Exotic Invasives | 174 |
| It's Time for Mistletoe and Holly | 175 |
| The Indoor Environment, Clean the Air with Houseplants | 177 |
| III | Ruminations on Southern Gardening | |
| A Few Lessons | 181 |
| Dealing with Drought in the Landscape | 182 |
| Adding Zing, Zap, and Zest to the Garden | 185 |
| Landscape Design Tricks | 188 |
| The Newly Sprung Spring | 190 |
| Gardening Mistakes | 191 |
| Propagating Plants | 195 |
| A Meal of Turnip Greens | 197 |
| The Garden as a Healing Place | 199 |
| IV | Environmentally Friendly Gardening Through the Year | |
| January | 207 |
| February | 209 |
| March | 210 |
| April | 211 |
| May | 212 |
| June | 213 |
| July | 214 |
| August | 216 |
| September | 217 |
| October | 218 |
| November | 220 |
| December | 224 |
