Customer Reviews

Ortho All About Perennials (Ortho's All about)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have found all of the Ortho series of gardening books to be very useful. In a relatively condensed fashion, the book on perennials communicates a wealth of information. I own several longer, hardbound books about perennial gardening, but find myself consistently consulting my Ortho guide when I need a quick answer to a question.

The catalog of plants included in the book is very comprehensive, and unlike some other books I've used, includes information about ornamental grasses.

I aggree with the other reader when he says that this is indeed a very useful book and one that I consult regularly when looking for quick answers to some of my questions. I personally like the color-matching guide, which helps you select what to plant based on the color of the flowers and on the plant's height. However, I think this book lacks some information on which annuals to plant close to your perennials (very few gardens that I know of contain only perennials). I also dislike the fact that the section on different species is organized by their scientific names rather than list them by their common names, which makes me constantly have to go to the index to find where the entry for a specific plant is. How many people know the Latin name for common species such as Shasta Daisies, Black-eyed Susans and Day Lillies???

This is a good introductory, all-around book about perennials for beginning gardeners and gardeners who do not expect to get deeply involved and technical in their gardening. It gives a good overview of what's available, where it will grow, and concentrates on "proven winners". Lots of pictures, too, always helpful when deciding what you want to plant.

The previous customer review stated this was a comprehensive book on perennials. I just bought this book and tried to find out more information about perennials offered on catalogs without success. This book is good but not an all inclusive reference book on perennials.

Love that this book gives the perennials technical names, followed by a pronunciation guide, followed by the common name for each plant. I also like that each plant is pictured nicely, that a little diagram of the plants dimentions are shown, the characteristics of its foliage and bloom are described, its zone given, its bloom time and off season characteristics stated, and the type of soil, water and light preference given. It is a nice, simple reference book. Purchased used, it is a great value. I love it.