Gardening with Perennials: Creating Beautiful Flower Gardens for Every Part of Your Yard (Hardcover)

~ Sally Jean Cunningham et al. (Author), (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Of particular interest to intermediate gardeners who have caught "perennial fever," as Bradley puts it, this well-organized manual outlines an abundance of strategies for beautifying a home landscape with the help of hardy plants. The contributors cover such basics as soil amendment and starting plants from seeds, but they move on to propose well-designed planting schemes for every conceivable corner of the garden, from shady spots and wetland nooks to slopes, hot spots and high-traffic areas. Such horticultural fantasies as creating an evening or fragrance garden are also indulged. The requirements among a generous range of hardiness zones are addressed (Far North, Desert Southwest, etc.), and an abbreviated but thoughtfully selected encyclopedia of 75 "classic" perennials is included. Written with more clarity than finesse, the book is a real boon to those ready to tackle design projects in the garden. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Four sections make up this lavish book, which has 225 color photographs, 125 black-and-white illustrations, and dozens of color illustrations. Part 1 is a collection of garden designs, photographs, tables, and tips about how to use perennials to create theme gardens, to landscape special sites, and to solve landscape problems. Part 2 is a list of seven easy-to-grow perennials, arranged alphabetically by their botanical names. Each plant's hardiness zones, height, shape, color, blooming time, and light and soil requirements are included. Part 3 tells how to create your own garden designs, and part 4 explains how to prepare garden sites and how to produce a stock of perennials by dividing, taking cuttings, and starting seeds. An illustrated care calendar guides gardeners from season to season. George Cohen

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Press; 1st edition (February 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875967035
• ISBN-13: 978-0875967035
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,276,431 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book useful for the do it yourself gardener., June 18, 1999

By A Customer

If you have a sunny, shady, wet, sloped or dry location this book has plans for them all. It is useful in designing your own garden or simply use one of the many plans provided. The color photographs are extensive and include complete gardens so you can see how different plants look together. This book takes the guess work out by providing the size, color(s), bloom time and growing zones for each plant reviewed. There is also some information on annuals, bulbs and shrubs that work well in a prennial garden. There are even tips on attracting butterflies to your garden. Overall, this book is full of great ideas for any type of garden you may be planning.