The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Saturday, 17 March 2012

Product Details

Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Timber Press; Expanded Edition edition (July 24, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0881928038
ISBN-13: 978-0881928037
Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.7 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

By : Tracy DiSabato-Aust
List Price : ~~$34.95~~
Price : $23.07
You Save : $11.88 (34%)

The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Customer Reviews

I am exceptionally pleased that 'The Well-Tended Perennial Garden' has gotten as many favorable reviews as it has, since I suspect it's charms and offerings are just a bit more subtle than your average glossy oversized gardening book. It is essential that you pay attention to the subtitle, as this is a book specializing in teaching us about setting up and planting perennials, and less about choosing or matching or even weeding perennials (the author does not like to weed!). If you flip through the book, you may be put off by the lack of illustrations accompanying the text. While I'm not a big fan of pictures in cookbooks, unless it's discussing a specific technique, I sort of miss them in gardening books. This volume is economically done, with all the glossies in a central rotogravure section. This is ok, because the real meat is in the lessons on planting and pruning. The only place I really miss them is in the encyclopedia of perennials, which is less a true comprehensive encyclopedia than a dictionary of pruning techniques by species. The final two appendices on plant maintanence schedules and lists of plants by care technique may be worth the price of the book for serious gardiners. This is easily the most useful book I've read on perennials.

This book came highly recommended to me by garden friends. I've been gardening for some time but have just really gotten into perennial gardening. The answers to my questions are right here. What, when and how to 'deadhead', plant, move and prune. Plus some excellent techniques that I have yet to try, but I know work well for other experienced gardeners.