Plant Partners

The book is organized by the goal you want to achieve. Sections cover suppressing weeds with cover crops and living mulches, improving soil, reducing pests with trap crops and repellent plants, attracting beneficial insects, preventing disease and improving pollination. For each strategy, Walliser explains the science, describes specific plant combinations and offers practical instructions for using them in a home garden.

Walliser writes clearly and enthusiastically, and she is honest about what research shows and what remains uncertain. The result is a book that respects both the gardener's experience and the scientist's evidence. Many readers will come away with a new understanding of how plants interact, and with plenty of ideas to try next season. The photographs and illustrations are attractive and helpful.

Some of the scientific detail may be more than casual gardeners want, and the recommendations are geared mainly toward temperate climates. For anyone curious about why certain plants grow better together, though, it is an excellent guide. It is the kind of book you return to every spring when planning the beds. About 224 pages in the Storey paperback.