Designing the Lush Dry Garden

“Drawing on the wisdom of the late Ruth Bancroft, this book shows how to adapt her renowned dry garden principles to modern landscapes. It demonstrates how these ideas can transform real-life spaces into thriving, beautiful sanctuaries.” ―The American Garden

The Ruth Bancroft Garden, known as one of the finest dry gardens in the world, is a pioneering example of resilient design with a focus on water conservation. Ruth Bancroft (1908-2017) was a self-taught gardener and designer whose eclectic methods encourage richly textured, bold, and colorful layers of regionally climate-appropriate flowers, shrubs, trees, and succulents. These include her favorite aloes, agaves, yuccas, and echeverias that she collected and experimented with for over 60 years, and which the garden has continued to steward. 

Designing the Lush Dry Garden is the first guide to lay out Ruth Bancroft’s methods for the home gardener and designer. With gorgeous photographs by Caitlin Atkinson, and detailed portraits of 20 gardens inspired by the Garden, discover how to create a design that suits your vision, including:

• How to choose the right plants for your site, including Ruth’s favorites
• The appropriate methods for adapting your garden to climate change
• Advice on integrating paths and structures in a waterwise design
• Tips for low-water container gardens and designs