I just adore the concept of skipping grass as a groundcover and going for something more interesting, sustainable, and suitable for the local environment. Great ideas!

I learned new information and was reminded of things I knew as I read this light book on groundcovers. It only took about an hour to make my way through the author's delightful narrative and peruse the forty plants she selected to spotlight. Because she focused on a smaller number I was able to get a good feel for the plants and which would work in my landscape. Because I live in a climate that often has drought conditions, not many of the specimens featured would be ideal, but I enjoyed learning about the variety she presented and the lovely photographs.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

This book is packed FULL of ideas for the most beautiful, purposeful and low-maintenance landscaping, with photographs on every page that had me dreaming of the day that I can implement some of these ideas in my own garden, once I obtain some land.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for lending me a free digital ARC of this book to read and review!

A beautifully illustrated and well-organized book but I'm not sure it offers anything different or new for an approach to gardening. Other than the beginner, most gardeners won't find much useful new information or perspective. The first half is tips on the benefits of eliminating turfgrass and using groundcovers and guidance on selecting, installing and maintaining groundcovers. Most of this is fairly standard gardening advice, other than the pitch for reducing manicured lawns. The second half the book consists of profiles of 40+ common gardening plants that are featured in many gardening books, websites, and garden centers. Overall, I'm not sure there's enough new substance here to distinguish this from any other gardening book, except for the more inexperienced gardener.

While the book purports to be focused on groundcovers, that term is applied by the author broadly enough to be essentially meaningless. For example, most gardeners wouldn't characterize hostas or rudbeckia as "groundcover" plants. The term here seems to be used to mean any plant that covers an area such that weeds are suppressed, rather than the traditional definition of groundcover as low-growing plants that grow or spread to cover the ground. On the one hand, the broader definition could arguably include many garden plants, which is why I didn't really see this book as anything different than a typical garden manual. On the other hand, I know from experience that many of the plants suggested in this book will not necessarily keep weeds out.

I also take issue with the book using the term "sustainable" as a tagline for the approach espoused in the book, when the book suggests plants such as pachysandra that are the bane of ecologically minded gardeners trying to eliminate invasive, nonnative plants. In my opinion, replacing your lawn with pachysandra is not necessarily a gain from an ecological perspective. Same goes for Lily of the Valley, which is nonnative and spreads pretty aggressively. The book has a few paragraphs on natives vs nonnative plants but otherwise seems to leave this issue to the side. I think the author should not suggest this is a book focused on sustainability unless she was willing to commit to that goal. Eliminating your lawn in favor of garden beds is probably a good thing overall , but this is still in essence a traditional gardening guide, not one focused on ecological benefits. That's fine to write a traditional gardening manual, and even one that is focused on more efficient, less resource-intensive gardening (less water, pesticides, fertilizer), but I bristle at this being marketed as a book about gardening for pollinators and ecological/environmental considerations, given the heavy focus on nonnative plants.

Overall, I would give this a lukewarm recommendation. Even for beginning gardeners, there are better resources available. As an experienced gardener myself, this is not a book I'd seek out to add to my shelf.

When you’re ready to go beyond manicured lawns and pristine flowerbeds, or have your eye on some tricky little parcels of ground that grass and conventional gardening beds don’t answer, you’re ready for GroundCover Revolution. I spotted this one and had a moment to know before I even cracked the cover that I was going to find the answers to my gardening and greenscaping questions.

GroundCover Revolution first challenges readers to consider going woodsy and non-traditional with their yards and the benefits of doing so, the author’s personal journey to the answers found in this book, and then a general overview with considerations before diving into the ground cover plant profiles of a select popular 40. In other words, this isn’t an exhaustive bio of all ground cover that exists, but the best representatives for the target audience reading the book.

There are plants that thrive in full sun to full shade, low moisture to very moist, different soil types and even those that do well in the cracks of the sidewalk or spilling over a wall if needed. Some are flowering and others are evergreen. Most attract pollinators, butterflies and feed the birds, do well against deer and others critters that wander in, and survive colder winters. All seasons of growth were represented as were various heights, density, and textures and colors. Most are good weed blockers and if they multiply a lot, there is indication of that, too. There are good hints about how and when to plant as well as what pair well and look good together. I loved knowing that most are easy to take clippings for plant starters. Some take a few years to grow and be full, but there are an equal number that settle into their new soil quickly.

This was easy to understand and very practical. It left me excited for what I could do with little strips of lawn that are a pain to mow, areas that get too much moisture or shade for lawn or traditional flowers to thrive, rocky areas, and other problem spots. I loved all the mentions of low-maintenance and weed blocking. I do not live in an area where people would freak out if I got rid of all our lawn and went totally woodland wild, but I thought her section on how to transition neighbors and homeowner associations to ‘going wild’ was a nice piece.

All in all this is a great resource for the hobby gardener or landscaper’s bookshelf and I know I’ll consult it quite often.

Very thorough and useful information on how (and why) to replace turf/lawn with more sustainable ground covers. I will reference this book a lot as I embark on that exact project in my front yard!

**Thank you to Kathy Jentz, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!!**
This book is so helpful! There are so many different types of groundcover and the explanations of their uses are so well written. There is a very useful guide to selecting the proper groundcover for your environment and it lists a lot of the reasoning behind their selections. This book was a great read and the pictures were stunning. It really helped me narrow down better ideas for my landscaping and I'm so glad that I read this book.

Thank you to the author, Cool Springs Press and NetGally, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantastic resource for beginning gardeners and those looking for an alternative to turf grass lawns. As we will eventually be moving into a house with a garden (and neglected - and for me unwanted - turf grass lawn), I am desperately in need of help and advice for groundcover questions. The book was a godsend for this enthusiastic but novice gardener. The photos were beautifully done, and very helpful in giving ideas for how things could be done. My only quibble is that the plants mentioned are very USA-centric - I am in Europe, and not sure how feasible some of what was mentioned is for my situation.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A well-written easy to understand book. Ideal for me as I have a large garden-so now it's time to put it all into practice.

I am a huge fan of groundcover, so had to request to review this book! The initial portion of the book provides sound rationale for replacing lawns (turfgrass) with groundcovers. Advice is provided for selecting the right groundcover for various situations. There is a nice section on installation and maintenance of groundcovers. The last half of the book contains profiles of common groundcovers. Each profile is accompanied by photos, contains a chart summarizing its features, a description of the plant, recommended cultivars and other interesting features.

Overall, this is a basic beginner's reference to groundcover, but frankly it seems lacking in variety. There are lots of groundcovers that aren't even mentioned here (e,g., sea thrift, Japanese forest grass, kinnikinnick, low growing Oregon grape....) The book was not much help to me in finding new ideas for groundcover. Given the focus on basic species (and thus more appropriate for beginners), every single photo should have the names of the plants shown. This often was not the case in introductory sections of the book (and in overlays) and would make it hard for a beginner to identify something they like. But, the book does do a good job of introducing a gardener to the groundcover alternative to turfgrass and gives them some basic information to get started.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing/Cool Springs Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A fabulous dive into the world of groundcover. Jentz priorities personal needs and the needs of the plant. Fab soil chart included and pictures for inspiration. Appreciate the conversational tone.

Lots of photos, which is the first thing I want. I need to see it to know if I may want to try to create it. There is good, practical suggestions such as whether I can walk on the groundcover.

Ultimately, though, it is not a DIY book. I would call this more of an “idea” book to help a person think about the possibilities, to dream a little and weed out what may not work (forgive the gardening pun). For that purpose, I think the book is stellar. The author seems to know her stuff.

One thing I wish was more prevalent- discussion about zones. As I read, I kept thinking that much of it looked like it would burn up in the area where I live, but maybe not. If it would work, would it take so much water that it would be environmentally wasteful to try to grow it? Just questions I had that I didn’t see much in the way of answers. Still- a good book.

This a beautiful book with a treasure trove of information and images that showcase the Jentz's knowledge about Groundcover. Who knew there were so many options?! I enjoyed learning about various groundcover plants, where they thrive, how to integrate various plants in a design meant to delight the eyes and be functional. I'm a firm believer that less grass is better for the earth, and especially our urban environments. Ground cover Revolution is a wonderful book, filled with everything one would need information ally to make the transition from grass wasteland to beautiful, abundant, and functional ground cover that attracts pollinators, makes your outdoor space lush and lovely, and prevents you from using fossil fuels to maintain a purpose less lawn.

Groundcover Revolution by Kathy Jentz

This was a quick, interesting read and it included many beautiful photos.
I am not sure what it is about turf grass lawns, but it seems as if many homeowners think grass, is the only option.

The author does an excellent job explaining the benefits of low maintenance groundcover as an alternative to grass. I liked many of her suggestions for low growing plants being used in a variety of spots in the garden. I jotted down notes and I plan to start adding groundcover to small sections of our yard this coming Spring

If you are in need of a spruced-up lawn or garden at your home, this book is for you.

I absolutely loved this book. It's brimming with gorgeous color photos for inspiration and then details all kinds of wonderful plants to use for groundcovers. Jentz goes into the many reasons groundcovers are wonderful and then has suggestions for all different needs. In this case, groundcovers aren't just very low plants but anything that will spread and fill in an area so things like ferns, hostas and even some bushes are included.

I have been trying to replace our large lawns with as many gardens, groundcovers, fruit trees and bushes, etc. as I can over the years. I love the results and our ever-shrinking lawn. Even though I've tried to ban myself from buying any more books, this may be one I'll invest in for myself. It's one of my favorite recently published garden books.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via Net Galley.

Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group- Cool Springs Press, for the advance reading copy.

I feel this guidebook would be more helpful for the ones who wants to ditch the lawn and replace them with low maintenance ground cover with the help of nature’s own processes with a little help here and there from our side.

I appreciate the real pictures. The steps are given on how we can proceed about it. However, it would be more helpful if the baby first steps have been included (as in most Quarto Publication guidebooks).