Natural, Native Landscaping

With spring right around the corner, many people are planning their seasonal landscaping projects. Landscaping with natural and native species can be a great way to make your outdoor spaces more resilient, sustainable, and welcoming. The Wisconsin Water Library has some great resources on landscaping with native species in natural ways!

Landscaping with Native Plants of Wisconsin
By Lynn M. Steiner. St. Paul, Min.: MBI Publishing Company, 2007.

Great for both beginners and experts, this book contains planting, maintenance, and landscape suggestions for over 600 native Wisconsin species.

The Landscaping Revolution: Garden with Mother Nature, Not Against Her
By Andy Wasowski. Lincolnwood, Ill.: Contemporary Books, 2000.

Offering gradual landscaping changes, this book explains how to build an outdoor area that reduces the need for fertilizer and insecticides while still providing a gorgeous, usable space. It also includes an extensive list of native plant societies in each state.

The Natural Habitat Garden
By Kenneth Druse. Portland, Or.: Timber Press, 2004.

500 color photographs demonstrate the beauty of natural habitat gardens in each of the four main botanical habitats. Druse explains how to create an aesthetically pleasing natural, native garden that will become a haven for birds and butterflies.

Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children
By Sharon Lovejoy. New York: Workman Publishing, 1999.

While this book isn’t exactly about landscaping, it’s a great introduction to sustainable planting for kids! Great illustrations and creative ideas will inspire children to protect and nurture plants.

Please visit the Wisconsin Water Library online at waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu for more information about the Great Lakes and their legends.

Anyone in Wisconsin can borrow these books. Just email askwater@wisc.edu.