I’m looking for a good publication on plant communities for my
area, Whatcom County in northwest Washington. We want to encourage plant communities that will do well here, and have about 5 acres to work with. Can you make a suggestion, please?
If you are interested in
plants native to Washington, I recommend these two books:
Kruckeberg, Arthur R., Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific
Northwest, University of Washington Press, Seattle, 2nd edition, 1996.
Pettinger, April, and Brenda Costano, Native Plants in the Coastal Garden – A
Guide for Gardeners in the Pacific Northwest , Timber Press, Portland, OR,
revised edition, 2002.
The Washington Native Plant Society is also a good resource.
If you are interested in plants that will grow well in your area, but are
not necessarily native to Washington State, please check out the Miller Library’s
booklist about gardening in the Pacific Northwest.