Lois Hole's Perennial Favorites [Paperback]

Lois Hole (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lois Hole's Perennial Favorites | Publication Date: March 31, 1995

More than 250,000 copies sold! Tried and true advice on the best plants to choose for any garden type. Includes pointers for selecting flowers for color, height range, blooming periods and drying bouquets, as well as many other valuable gardening hints.

Editorial Reviews

Review

..".the most practical, readable and affordable books of their kinds, and one glimpse of my own, well-thumbed copy with the odd smear of mud, reminds me that it is true!" --Farmwoman Magazine

What makes the series so special is its down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach. --Vancouver Sun

… a must-have basic library for any gardener. --The Bloomsbury Review

About the Author

The late LOIS HOLE, who passed away in 2005, was internationally renown as a gardener, author and businesswoman. She also was devoted to community service, culminating in her appointment to the position of Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta in February 2000. A member of the Order of Canada, she also served as Chancellor of the University of Alberta. Lois' fame did little to change her down-to-earth, folksy manner- a quality that endeared her to people across the country. Lois and her husband built up a vegetable and market garden business in St. Albert, Alberta, through the 1950s and 1960s. In 1979, the operation was incorporated as Hole's Greenhouses and Gardens Ltd. The business went on to become one of the biggest retail greenhouse operations in western Canada. Despite the challenges of running a business, raising a family and serving on the boards of local school districts and a host of other community organizations, Lois found the time and energy to write more than a dozen gardening books. All went on to become Canadian best-sellers. She also was a regular contributor to the Globe and Mail, the Edmonton Journal and the Old Farmer's Almanac Gardening Companion.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Lone Pine Publishing; Revised edition (March 31, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551050765
• ISBN-13: 978-1551050768
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,485,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent intro guide for northern gardeners, March 29, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Thunder Bay, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lois Hole's Perennial Favorites (Paperback)

This is one of a series of Lois Hole books on gardening. Based in Alberta, Lois sifts through years of experience to provide a very concise guide to the most popular and easily grown plants for northern climates. Excellent photos, tips on planting,cultivating and arranging plants in the garden. This book would be useful to all Canadian gardeners as well as those who live in the northern states. Much easier to use than those encyclopedic volumes which include plants which only grow in southern zones.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Confidence-building perennial book! Absolutely!, January 4, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lois Hole's Perennial Favorites (Paperback)

Midwest perennial gardener here! This is the easiest, most helpful gardening book I own for choosing a new perennial or figuring out what's going wrong with an older one. All the pictures are in color and show the plants in clear close-up shots and as they look when planted. The Latin names are where they should be-off to the side, and Ms. Hole recommends the best variety and explains why it's the best. She also lists the other varieties available to clear up confusion, gives thorough planting steps, includes the length of time the plant will take to mature (read "look good in your garden"), and a host of other tips. These are all beautifully written on a two-three page spread for each plant! Add chapters on planning a garden, choosing the plants, preparing soils, trying different types of perennial gardens, throw in a host of well laid-out "quick" lists, and you have a very useful guide. Handy, easy, and confidence-building for the beginner or the intermediate gardener! Recommended absolutely!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference for the beginning Northern gardener, January 19, 2001

By 

Melissa (Hamilton, ON) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lois Hole's Perennial Favorites (Paperback)

I have most of Lois Hole's books being from Canada myself, and her perennial and tree and shrub books were the first "real" gardening books I bought. When I jumped headfirst into perennial gardening about 5 years ago, I bought this book because of its straightforward approach. It doesn't overburden the beginner with highly technical information, but presents useful facts about a great variety of perennials. Small columns about height, colour and varieties, when and how to divide, how to grow and how to propagate each perennial are accompanied by close-up colour photographs. The latin name and/or other common names appear in smaller text at the top of each entry. Although I have now graduated to the technical, encyclopaedia type of reference books, Lois Hole's book will remain a treasured (and still often used) member of my perennial gardening library.