Gardening with Perennials Month by Month [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Joseph Hudak (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0881922641 | ISBN-13: 978-0881922646 | Publication Date: July 1, 1993 | Edition: 2

When first published nearly 30 years ago, Gardening with Perennials Month by Month sparked a renaissance of perennial plants in American gardens, a trend that continues to this day. The revised and expanded second edition describes the monthly blooming schedules and growing requirements of virtually every type of garden perennial. Over 700 species are documented, with over 400 lavish color photos. Providing a wealth of practical information to both the amateur and the professional perennial gardener, this classic work continues to be one of our most popular books.

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of the best resources you can turn to for guidance in choosing perennials for sequential bloom is "Gardening with Perennials Month by Month," in a recently revised, updated, and expanded edition from Timber Press. -- Ethel Fried "Manchester (CT) Journal Inquirer" (06/19/2000)

Book Description

Completely revised, updated, & expanded, this is the most practical perennial guide for North America, giving the monthly blooming schedules & growing requirements of more than 700 species, plus hundreds of their cultivars. Brief essays on culture, propagation, hardiness, soil, spacing, & nomenclature open the book; then each chapter presents a month of blooming perennials, March through September, with an extensive list of plants arranged by blossom color.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 434 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press, Incorporated; 2 edition (July 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881922641
• ISBN-13: 978-0881922646
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,183,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reference, comprehensive, January 2, 2000

By 

Angel Lee "Liocorno Amethyst Moonstone" (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Gardening with Perennials Month by Month (Hardcover)

The instant I saw this book I knew I had to have it. It is an essential guide for any gardener growing perennials. With its index & extensive lists it allows anyone to easily find plants to suit their landscape.

Flowers are listed for each month from March through September. Conveniently, at the start of each chapter, there is a list of flowers by color. Plants are then listed alphabetically by scientific name.

For each plant there is information on its common name, flowering span, physical description, zone & culture. Other data may include native habitat, cultivation, bothersome diseases or pests & small color photos.

A great reference section in the back lists plants by characteristics, including those that bloom all season long, 6 weeks or more & in the winter. Fruit bearing, drought resistant, moisture loving & shade tolerant varieties are also listed.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful when used in conjunction with other gardening guides, May 29, 2001

By 

E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gardening with Perennials Month by Month (Hardcover)

This is a guide for the serious perennial gardener. It is useful as a reference for planning a perennial garden that will always have some feature of interest, no matter what the season. Many of us (myself included) tend to plant gardens that reach their peak in May and June, and after that, only the occasional aster or sedum lights up the landscape. "Gardening with Perennials Month by Month" allows you to plan out your garden from March through September, without any dead spots in the blooming season.

A calendar of blooming times and available colors begins each monthly chapter, and the author's suggestions are geared to Zone 6 American gardeners (he is a resident of Massachusetts). Gardeners in different zones will have to adjust accordingly.

There are over 400 color photographs, focused primarily on a particular species, rather than how that species appears in a landscape. In fact, if I were allowed to make a suggestion for the next edition of "Gardening with Perennials Month by Month" it would be to include information on which plants look and do well when grouped in close proximity.

Suggestion for other gardeners: use "The Well-Tended Perennial Garden" by Tracy Disabato-Aust in conjunction with "Gardening with Perennials Month by Month." Disabato-Aust is more informative about the impact of a particular perennial in the landscape as a whole. She also includes useful information on how to extend the blooming season (mainly by pruning).