Hartley Magazine

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New book gives tips on desert gardening

A new book from Dorrance Publishing promises to help gardeners working in harsh environments get the best from their land and greenhouse.

Tough Plants in a Fragile Land: Saving our Planet, One Garden at a Time, written by Danish national Fritzie von Jessen, is available for $35.

It highlights the beauty of holistic, chemical-free, desert gardening – explaining that cacti are not the only hardy varieties capable of survival in arid environments.

Ms von Jessen was inspired to write the book after climate change destroyed the non-native plants in her Colorado Desert garden.

It examines species from the fragrant desert lavender to the hearty creosote bush, with the author introducing readers to the idea of using native plants and holistic techniques to help gardens thrive, even in parched conditions.

Ms von Jessen is a certified master gardener and is currently a docent at the Living Desert in Palm Desert, California.

In other news, the Maryland Business Gazette recently reported garden retailers have been recording solid traffic, in spite of the recession.