Gardeners who suppose that planning a water-saving garden means giving up brilliant color and the lush beauty of Hawai‘i’s tropicals are in for a surprise. Now Hawai‘i’s gardeners can save water through applying xeriscape techniques and have gardens filled with exceptional plants that are not only “less thirsty” but provide the garden with shade, color, and fragrance, as well as exotic foliage and blooms. In Plants for the Tropical Xeriscape, two of Hawai‘i’s foremost plant experts, Rauch and Weissich, guide both novice and experienced gardeners in choosing the perfect drought-tolerant plants for Hawai‘i’s gardens.

In this extensive and lavishly illustrated guide to the selection of tropical landscape materials for xeriscape gardens, Rauch and Weissich provide landscape architects, garden designers, and home gardeners with the ultimate guide to the “less thirsty” landscape plant species which form the tropical xeriscape. Organized in accordance with their use in the landscape,each plant category, from ground covers to large trees, is then further listed alphabetically by genus and illustrated with beautiful photographs of a full range of moderate to strong drought-tolerant species. Logical and easy to use, this garden guide will be appreciated by all plant lovers from home gardeners to professional landscape designers. With over 1300 color illustrations, Plants for the Tropical Xeriscape is the go-to source for Hawai‘i’s gardeners as they design, plant, and maintain watersaving gardens.