The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden aims to foster gardens hospitable to wildlife and human inhabitants. Rick Darke (plant ecologist, horticulturist, photographer and landscape designer) and Doug Tallamy (professor, entomologist, behavioral ecologist and ornithologist) unite over their shared interest in nurturing biological diversity to create "a book about how native plants can play essential roles in gardens designed for multiple purposes, with a focus on proven functionality," including durability, cooling, groundwater recharge and food and shelter.
Darke uses his own 20-year-old garden as a "living laboratory," and his aesthetic sense is demonstrated through the luminous photography. Tallamy's passion for ecosystems ensures the beautiful landscapes host an array of wildlife as he teaches gardeners how to bring lessons learned from the "structure, composition, and processes of functional ecosystems" into their own backyards. The examples are from eastern North America, but apply to many areas; a chart lists plants and their function by region to inspire gardens that embrace human desires to play, dine and entertain while respecting natural habitats. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics