The goal of Landscape Plants for California Gardens is twofold. One goal is to provide a comprehensive illustrated reference of plants that are commonly grown in public landscapes and personal gardens throughout California. The second goal is to encourage and provide information that helps to conserve water usage in landscapes and gardens.
Bob's second professional publication was released in 1992 and was the most comprehensive color illustrated reference on native and adapted plants for landscape use in the Western United States with over 1,100 color photographs. This book addressed sustainability in urban landscapes through conserving water and energy resources in landscapes throughout California and the Southwest. Guidelines for successful plant groupings are described along with increasing the estimated water use and descriptions of more than 600 plant species.
Written in 1980, this was the first publication of its kind to focus on water conserving plants for California landscapes. Color photographs and More than 360 California native and adapted plants are that could successfully grow throughout Mediterranean climate areas with reduce amounts of supplemental water are described and illustrated with color photographs. This first publication established the beginning of Bob's efforts to write about plants from a California perspective and to be an advocate of appropriate landscape design. His use of photography to illustrate plants are a hallmark of all of his books.