Ms Ellis, who teaches horticulture at South West Institute of TAFE, has written the Australian and New Zealand version of Sustainable Gardening for Dummies which will have its national launch at the Warrnambool Library tomorrow night.

The first-time author said she hoped the book would show people that environmentally friendly gardening was easier than they thought.

"It's a hot topic," she said. "We need to be able to garden in a way that is environmentally sensible.

"People think sustainable gardening just means water-wise gardening but it's about gardening in a way that suits the climate you're in and choosing plants that suit the area you're in .

"Gardening is not about following fashion and fads, it's about learning what's suitable for your area."

During her career Ms Ellis has worked with Sustainable Gardening Australia and Greening Australia. She hoped the book would demystify some of the ideas about both gardening and sustainability.

"The 'Dummies' series is very accessible and a fabulously successful series," she said. ''I think the term (sustainable) sometimes puts people off.

"It's a term that's been overused and we're at risk of 'green fatigue'.

"This (book) will show people you can garden in a way that's not time consuming or difficult but still suits the environment."