This comprehensive reference describes plants native to the Pacific Northwest - the ferns and conifers; annuals, perennials, and grasses; and flowering trees and shrubs that populate and define our region, from sagebrush steppes to alpine heights to fog-shrouded coastal cliffs. Featured are some 530 subject species that occur naturally from southwestern Alaska to Oregon's border with California, and from the coast east to Idaho, tough plants that are not only beautiful ornamentals but important components of habitat diversity.<BR>Illustrated throughout with nearly 600 color photographs and original pen-and-ink drawings, the book is smartly separated by plant type into five encyclopedic sections. Detailed descriptions include temperature hardiness zones, flowering and fruit-ripening times, and recommendations for cultivation (light, soil, moisture, drainage) and siting, from streambanks to parking strips. Propagation methods and the native habitat and range are provided for each species; discursive notes on subspecies and related plants round out each entry. A series of lists suggesting natives for particular garden situations or themes - arid or sodden; hedgerows and meadows; hummingbird and rock gardens concludes the book.