This book explores the theme that the plants themselves can do much of the hard work gardeners believe is an essential part of gardening. The Self-Sustaining Garden advocates using plants as partners in self-sustaining communities to create low maintenance gardens rather than being a slave to spades and hoes. In a series of compelling case studies, Peter Thompson shows how to transform a conventional garden into a self-sustaining garden. Updated from the original edition (published in 1997), The Self-Sustaining Garden brings together an explanation of the universal principles of matrix planting with specific applications and informative chapters on soil health and biological controls, and shows how to pull all the ingredients together into a strong, self-sustaining design.