"Gardening in the Desert: A Guide To Plant Selection & Care" by Mary F. Irish (The University of Arizona Press, $17.95) is a practical compendium of information for gardeners who would like to adapt themselves to the unique requirements of desert plants.
Her advice: stop struggling against the heat, aridity and poor soils and learn to use plants that are well-adapted to the desert. She explains how to select what will work well in an arid climate.
In addition to writing about specific plants, from spring annuals to summer annuals to vines and cacti, she offers tips on planting, watering, pruning and propagation.
The book has chapters on trees, shrubs and perennials, as well, with special attention to grouping plants in chapters according to their color.
She makes no bones about her favorites. Canyon penstemon, for example, is one. Mexican hat (Ratibida columnaris) is another.
Although her written descriptions are vivid, they don't make up for the lack of photographs in this book. Even in the gardening world, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Irish is a garden writer, speaker and consultant in desert horticulture in Scottsdale, Ariz. She was the directory of public horticulture for the Desert Botanical Garden for 11 years and co-authored "Agaves, Yuccas and Related Plants" with her husband, Gary.