Shrouded in Light: Naturalistic Planting Inspired by Wild Shrublands

For decades, perennial meadows and prairies have inspired naturalistic planting design and now it's the turn of shrublands to stimulate a new paradigm in garden design.

Shrubs have a raw beauty and wild 'otherness' that make them a striking presence in the landscape and a rich source of inspiration for gardeners. Shrubs are tough: they thrive in the hottest of deserts roadcuts, make homes in abandoned pasture, and march reliably northward as we warm the earth.

Shrubs excel at sharing communities with other living things and this book demonstrates how their adaptability and reciprocities are so valuable in a time of global climate change. Profiling 12 wild shrublands from the US and beyond, the authors identify the key shrubs and companion plants that define each plant community and the design take-aways including substitutions appropriate for a range of climates.

The final section showcases gardens that exemplify new ways of gardening with shrubs. This book is a call to incorporate the aesthetic lessons from shrubscapes into our planted spaces and also a deeper challenge to bring their collaborative way of being into practice.

Author: Kevin Philip Williams, Michael Guidi
Publisher: Filbert Press Us
Published: 05/28/2024
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781739903954

About the Author
Kevin Philip Williams is a naturalistic gardener who collaborates with plants to create dynamic and challenging worlds. His unique style combines bioregional plant palettes, a hardcore punk ethos, and post-human aesthetics to craft wild and captivating spaces. Kevin's extensive work with Denver Botanic Gardens has led to the creation of celebrated public gardens throughout the city. Kevin was a Gardener on The High Line in Manhattan and studied as a Horticulture Intern at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. He holds a MS degree in Public Horticulture from the Longwood Graduate Program at the University of Delaware and a BA degree in The History and Philosophy of Science from Bard College. Michael Guidi is an ecologist and horticulture researcher who is passionate about naturalistic plantings that embody the flexibility and resiliency of wild systems. His work draws inspiration from liminal urban spaces and wild areas alike. Preferring common and weedy plants to the rare and precious, Michael is a proponent of dynamic, self-sustaining gardens and green infrastructure as alternatives to static high-maintenance landscaping. His research links ecological theory with horticultural techniques and designs to broaden the definition of gardens and gardening. Michael worked as a field biologist before joining the Denver Botanic Gardens horticulture department. He holds a MS degree in Ecology from the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology at Colorado State University and a BS degree in Biology from Ithaca College.