Cutting to the chase, this splashy new book is an absolute joy.
Award-winning gardener Calhoun was born and raised in the arid climate of the Southwest. The fourth-generation Arizonan is the general manager of Civano Nursery and lives in Tucson with his wife and daughter.

He constructed an abobe home near the Rincon Mountains. After completing the dwelling, he looked at his beaten dirt in his backyard and was almost overwhelmed about how to proceed. After all, what do you do with a yard full of sun?

The 1990s, however, were an exciting time to be gardening in the West. Denver and Phoenix were experimenting with a new type of water-efficient landscaping called xeriscape, and native plants were being reintroduced into regional landscapes. Designing a desert garden was not going to be an easy task but Calhoun and his family were committed to the challenge and knew that with hard work and a little imagination, they could bring the magical world of the desert to the barren plot that surrounded their home.

Passionate, gritty and wise, “Yard Full of Sun” is a remarkable, highly readable guide to extreme gardening and is destined to become a classic in the field. The unparalleled beauty of native desert plantings comes alive through the nearly 100 extraordinary photos, all paying homage to every quirky corner and fragile flower.

Calhoun provides extensive plant and resource lists, techniques for water conservation and rainwater harvesting and tips for creating workable landscape plans. This wonderful book is nothing less than a celebration of our region’s native plants and should inspire even those of us cursed with brown thumbs to try our luck in creating a personal oasis to enrich and nourish our souls.

source : www.tucsoncitizen.com