Weeds of the Pacific Northwest

Review to be posted to my Bookstagram (@booklovingcatmom) closer to release date.

Thank you so very much to Timber Press and NetGalley for granting my wish and allowing me an early peek at Weeds of the Pacific Northwest!
I can honestly say that this book is one I would very much like to have my own physical copy of to reference at my leisure. The information is relevant and concise and the photos are incredibly helpful. I appreciated how there were close up photos of the flowers and the foliage along with the main photo.
I would recommend this book to anyone living in the PNW as I think it is genuinely helpful.

The cover of this book shows some very attractive flowers! Who would have guessed they were weeds? The purpose of the book is as a guide to the gardener to identify weeds in their garden. Many of the weeds described within are official noxious weeds, while others are simply unwelcome.
Once the book has been introduced, the authors give a nice tutorial on how to go about identifying a plant. Another section discusses the various levels of edibility of plants, as well as medicinal uses. Noxious weeds are defined and their implications are discussed, along with methods for weed control. The vast majority of the book provides descriptions of weeds, grouped by categories (trees/shrubs, vines, herbs, grasses, aquatics, etc.) Each weed profile contains valuable information about how it became invasive, whether a noxious weed, methods of spreading, ways to control. Several photographs are also provided.
While one wouldn't think to purchase a book about weeds, this can be a valuable resource, particularly for beginning gardeners who aren't sure whether a plant that appears in their garden is desired or a weed. While I'm grateful to Timber Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to do an advance review of this book, I just may have to purchase a copy for my own library!

What a great gift book to anyone and everyone in the PNW. If you live in the PNW, buy it for yourself. SO much more than a picture guidebook. I especially like the sections on how to control plants and tools to use.

Weeds of the Pacific Northwest is an illustrated guide to invasive common "weeds" in the Pacific Northwest curated and written by Mark Turner (photos) and Sami Gray. Due out 13th Feb 2024 from Hachette on their Timber Press imprint, it's a comprehensive 456 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. .

Well written, information dense, and accessible, this is a very well curated guide to controlling and eradicating "weeds", mostly aimed at the home gardener. It's problematic that quite a significant portion of the plants in this volume are, in fact, native species which find inclusion in the volume because of their propensity to grow and flourish where they're not welcome. Nearly all of the native wild "weeds" are important food sources or shelter plants for native animals and wildlife, so rooting them out with relish seems a bit harsh.

-However- there are certainly times when non-native plants are invasive, noxious, unwanted, and unwelcome. This book expends a lot of effort on teaching readers how to eradicate most anything efficiently (and ruthlessly/successfully). Successful identification is key, and much of the book is taken up with an illustrated encyclopedia of plants/weeds.

The author spends a fair bit of time delineating the most common techniques for removing and eradicating pest plants including burning, physical removal, smothering, and herbicides. She discusses the relative merits of each and what they're best suited to.

Four stars. Beautifully photographed, weighty, and information dense. Some readers will be philosophically opposed to removing native species, and herbicide use, but the information included in the volume is sound, for what it is.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.