Analysis is the strong point of this book. Categories of environment are specific enough to make you realize that you really can do this, to turn that perenially muddy area into a beauty spot.

However, one will also need to use the internet or other books to see what most of these unfamiliar plants look like, and whether they are winter hardy for your zone.

This book goes beyond the typical water garden book. It not only tells how to create a water garden, but tells how to deal with damp gardens that occur naturally. Many other garden books suggest to drain the garden if it's waterlogged, but this book helps evaluate the site and suggests native plants to enhance the area. If I had to choose only 1 book to own for garden ideas in my damp garden area, this would be the one. This is a must-have if you are blessed with a damp garden!

It is comprehensive in it's text but there were not enough pictures to suit my taste. The text was not arranged in a fashion that makes it an easier reference. It would be helpful if there where cross references on subjects such as soil. It is a pretty book and I'll keep it but I'll keep looking for a book with photos of all the plants discussed and stat tables on each plant for easy reference on zones, soil,etc..

If you are looking for a practical book on shade gardening, especially if you have deer, I highly recommend Made for the Shade, by Judy Glattstein.

Frequently gardens with deer are, at least in part, shady. Yet, most shade gardening books conspicuously overlook the topic of deer browsing, almost as if it was an embarrassing social disease. Judy Glattstein's straightforward discussion of deer in her book Made for the Shade should be commended.

Indeed, Made for the Shade is a very practical book. Not only does it describe many types of plants that are suitable for shade, but it also addresses common gardening questions about mulch, compost, fertilizers and attracting birds.

However, perhaps the thing I like best about this book is it doesn't emphasize the use of azalea and rhododendron in the shade garden. Not only can azalea and rhododendron be rather fussy plants, they are a favorite food of deer. Yet, so many gardening books promote these finicky deer treats as shade gardening essentials, leaving the neophyte gardener feeling like a hopeless failure with no alternatives when the deer devour his or her azaleas. Rather, Judy Glattstein introduces the gardener to the attributes of such wonderful plants as holly grape (Mahonia species), spicebush (Lindera benzoin) and, Viburnum.

Whether you are a beginning gardener, or more experienced, Made for the Shade has something to offer.

If you are one of the millions of people who live in the leafy older suburbs of the Northeast, this is the book for you. It's a really practical guide to gardening in the shade, with serious advice on the problems we face here. Need advice on what shade plants are unappealing to deer? Judy Glattstein has great suggestions. How about plants that will survive in the dry shade under maples? She knows that too. She recommends lots of plants that will thrive here and will look beautiful too. I've been following her advice for a couple of years now with great results.
But this book is not a primer for beginners. Nor is it one of those big Martha-style coffee table books with lots of large, inspirational pictures of gardens it would take an army of slaves to produce. And like every garden book, it has a unacknowledged regional bias (probably Boston to Washington), so if you live in California or Britain, don't bother. (Just as I have stopped reading British gardening books--they are lovely, but none of those plants will be happy here.)
So read and get ready to plant!