Climate change, the need to conserve water, the desire for more exotic and dramatic plants - all of these are prompting gardeners to seek out interesting new plants that thrive in subtropical or dry climates and microclimates. This book offers expert guidance and sensible advice on a wide range of plants - native to California, Florida, Australasia, South America, South Africa, Turkey, and the Mediterranean region - that can be successfully cultivated in many regions of North America and Europe. A general introduction offers advice on choosing and designing with these plants, with particular emphasis on hardiness and overwintering in cooler climates. An A-Z plant directory profiles over 1000 plants, and there are useful lists of plants for different situations.