Perennials: For Todays Gardens (Better Homes & Gardens) [Hardcover]

C. Colston Burrell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Better Homes and Gardens has issued what may be the perfect book on perennials. Perennials for Today's Gardens contains all the details a gardener could need or want: gorgeous, full-page color photos of each of the 100 perennials covered; written descriptions of each plant; a history of the name and the plant's propagation; planting guidelines (including the correct soil conditions, drought tolerance, sun and shade requirements, spacing and placement tips, friendly companion plantings, and hardiness according to zones); and information on related species.

In addition, we get sections on design (focusing on color, form, texture, fragrance, luminescence, and seasonality), design partners (shrubs and trees, structure, water, ornaments), garden ecology (pattern, process, light, soil, and moisture), and "putting it all together" (creating space, combinations, layering). The perennials themselves are grouped into sections on shade, partial shade, and sun, so you immediately know where to look for the perfect plant for that shady backyard spot or the full sun of the front yard. Perennials will suit the gardener ready to create stunning, easy-care garden plots that will bring joy year after year. --Stefanie Durbin

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Better Homes and Gardens Books; 1st edition (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0696209527
• ISBN-13: 978-0696209529
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,120,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I wear many hats, all of which revolve around plants and gardens. I am a certified chlorophyll addict, an avid and lifelong plantsman, gardener and naturalist. I work as a lecturer and garden designer, and am an award winning author and photographer. I lecture internationally on topics of design , plants and ecology, and have shared my love of plants and my abiding respect for regional landscapes with professional and amateur audiences for 35 years.

In addition to my books, I am a contributing editor for Horticulture, and write regularly for Landscape Architecture, American Gardener and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. My writing reflects a love of plants, and he champions their use in artistically designed, environmentally friendly gardens.

I worked as curator at the U.S. National Arboretum and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and have devoted a lifetime to studying native plants in the wild and in gardens which lead to undergraduate degrees in Botany and Horticulture. I earned my M.S. in Horticulture and a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Minnesota. I am a lecturer in the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of Virginia, where he teaches about plants and their ecological connections to natural systems and cultural landscapes.

After tending a city lot alive with birds and butterflies in Minneapolis, MN, I now garden on 10 wild acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville, Virginia, where he grows natives and the best plants of the global garden. The garden at Bird Hill was featured in The New York Times and frequently appears in national and regional publications. The garden is a popular destination for national tours. Visitors discover a collector's paradise set among a pastiche of woodland, meadow, and gardens inspired by the beauty of the regional landscape.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Homes & Gardens Perennials for Today's Gardens, April 7, 2000

By 

Jacqueline Qualls (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perennials: For Todays Gardens (Better Homes & Gardens) (Hardcover)

I loved this book, the photographs were simply gorgeous (starting with the cover). There was excellent and practical advice on how to design a garden for the beginner as well as advanced gardener. The best part of the book was the author's plant suggestions and usage in the garden.I would highly recommend this awesome book and I can't wait to try his suggestions in my garden.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perennials for Today's Garadens, August 24, 2000

By 

Mary Jane P. Baker (Carrboro, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perennials: For Todays Gardens (Better Homes & Gardens) (Hardcover)

You're in for a surprise and a real treat when you get past the pretty but uninformative cover and title of this very exciting book. A more descriptive title would have been Uncommon Perennials for The Adventurous Gardener.

The book is filled with page after page of underused and brand new plants. This feast is served up with the extraordinary plant knowledge and innovative design ideas that we've come to expect from plantsman and designer C.Colston Burrell.

There is something here for every gardener but I think especially for those intrepid souls eager to expand their plant and design repertoire (and who isn't). Many of these plants will be new to the reader - thank goodness! The plant names alone - Anemonopsis, Tricyrtis 'Kohaku', Carex 'Island Brocade', Phygelius 'African Queen' -- are enough to drive the gardener straight to the appropriate mailorder catalogue, a list of which is thoughtfully provided in the index.

Don't be put off by the new and unusual in Perennials for Today's Gardens. Burrell thoroughly discusses the ferns, hellebores, epimediums, salvias, hibiscus, iris and geraniums that populate our gardens. His clear presentation on using new plants alongside our mainstays inspires us to actually try those trilliums, primulas and woodland peonies that have been so tempting but intimidating.

The book's sections on design and garden ecology are extremely well written and useful. In fact this is a great course on garden design. The plant sections of the book are divided into shade, part shade and sun gardens, and include underused native plants and some of the newest plants making their way into Western gardens from China and other less explored parts of the world. The photographs are excellent - obviously chosen to show how a plant will really work in the garden.

I can't praise this book enough. Enjoy!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great photos, good information, unusual plants, June 15, 2001

By 

John Boggan (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perennials: For Todays Gardens (Better Homes & Gardens) (Hardcover)

I have to confess, when I saw "Better Homes and Gardens" on the cover I wasn't expecting much--at most, a rehashing of all the typical, common garden perennials. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a book full of excellent photos and descriptions of many new, uncommon, and unusual garden plants. This book is a great complement to all the other gardening books already out there, and I highly recommend it. Let's hope BH&G continues to put out such high-quality gardening books.