Gardening in the severe climates of the Rocky Mountains is a notoriously difficult and frustrating proposition. This "survival guide" proposes to make such extreme gardening less dangerous by explaining how to work with the mountainous environments rather than struggling against nature.

The Rocky Mountains stretch from Canada to Mexico and include a range of elevations from 3,000 to more than 14,000 feet, Plant Hardiness Zones from 3 to 6, and thousands of individual microclimates and frost pockets and steep, barren slopes. For all its diversity, the region is almost uniformly arid or semi-arid, with thin soils, high winds, considerable sunshine and huge temperature changes.

"Gardening in this scenic but difficult region is all about weather," Susan Tweit explains. "Like a good cutting horse or a high-tech mountain bike, Rocky Mountain weather can turn on a dime, from drought to deluge, seering heat to subfreezing cold, dead calm to roaring Chinooks.

"The region's arid climate means that watered and fertilized gardens are a magnet for pests of every size from microbes to moose. Add an increasing number of invasive weeks, the reality of water shortages, and the threat of global climate change, and painting the yard green begins to seem very attractive."

For those determined souls aware of the region's limitations but still determined to cultivate, this is a useful reference. Compiled as a series of one-page tips on everything from rocks and ants to noxious weeds, fungi and pesticides. Interspersed with these are brief essays on garden design, plant selection, and xeriscaping.

Resource lists of Rocky Mountain plants, pests, nurseries, gardens, Internet sites, books and newsletters are includes as sidebars and supplements.