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Yard Full of Sun
The Story of a Gardener's Obsession That Got a Little Out of Hand

by Scott Calhoun

Rio Nuevo Publishers
ISBN 1-887896-66-X
$22.95, 196 pages, 93 photos and illustrations

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Book Information

"The desert is a mindset. It is not bound by fences or roadways or canals; it is... re-created, often in glorious details, by people's love for it."

Passionate, gritty and wise, Scott Calhoun's remarkable guide to "extreme gardening" in the desert—Yard Full of Sun—brings to mind such widely read favorites as A Year in Provence and Under the Tuscan Sun. Calhoun writes of the American desert landscape with unabashed sensuality as he draws readers into a world of wildflowers, cactus, color and light.

The unparalleled beauty of native desert plantings comes alive in nearly 100 extraordinary photos that pay homage to every quirky corner and fragile flower. Calhoun's lively and literary chronicle of his struggles and triumphs in creating his own personal oasis is a must for anyone who has ever had a yearning for their own private paradise.

Inspired by landscapes from southern Sonora, Mexico, to Utah's Great Basin, and from Southern California to Texas, Yard Full of Sun celebrates our region's native plants, and includes:

• Extensive plant and resource lists
• Techniques for water conservation & rainwater harvesting
• Tips for creating landscape plans

And most importantly, it:

• Shows that there is no shame in scavenging along the side of the road for the perfect seeds!

"Devilishly entertaining. Calhoun's notion of the 'yard' as the true American garden is thoughtful and provocative. A true desert rat, he's following in the footsteps of famed naturalists Joseph Wood Krutch and Edward Abbey."
     — Steve Martino, landscape architect

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