The Perennial Care Manual: A Plant-by-Plant Guide: What to Do & When to Do It

by Ondra, Nancy J.

• ISBN13: 9781603421508
• ISBN10: 1603421505
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-07-15
• Publisher: Workman Pub Co

Summary

The best-laid perennial garden designs result in gorgeous beds that bring color and texture to home landscapes. But no matter how perfect the garden, how glorious the color, how eye-catching the combinations, no perennial garden stays beautiful by itself. The plants need tender care - watering, pruning,deadheading, and dividing.With Nancy Ondra's detailed plant-by-plantguide to tending perennials, maintenance is abreeze. Ondra has grown hundreds of today'smost popular perennials in her own gardens andhas kept detailed notes on how each plant looksthrough the seasons and what the plants' needs,quirks, and preferences are. All this valuableinformation is gathered in 125 plant profi les,arranged alphabetically by genus. Each entryfeatures gorgeous, instructive photography byaward-winning garden photographer Rob Cardillo,as well as advice on preferred light and soilconditions and complete care and maintenanceinstructions. What to do and when to do it areas simple as looking up the plant and followingan expert gardener's advice.Complementing the plant-by-plant section,Ondra offers in-depth coverage of basic techniquesfor the perennial gardener. From planning a stunningbut easy-to-care-for garden to fertilizing,mulching, propagating, and much more, the homegardener will fi nd every answer to that one big gardening question: How do I keep my perennial bedslooking their best - fresh, beautiful, and healthy -season after season?

Author Biography

Rob Cardillo has been photographing gardens, plants, and the people who tend them for more than 20 years. Formerly the director of photography at Organic Gardening, he now works for major publishers, horticultural suppliers, and landscape designers throughout the United States. Visit him at robcardillo.com.

Nancy J. Ondra, author of Container Theme Gardens, is a garden writer and editor as well as the former owner and operator of a small rare-plant nursery. She is the author or co-author of a dozen gardening books, including Foliage (winner of the 2008 Book Award from the American Horticultural Society), The Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer (winner of a 2006 Silver Award from the Garden Writers Association), Five-Plant Gardens, The Perennial Care Manual, Fallscaping, and Grasses. She currently gardens in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and blogs at www.hayefield.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Welcome!

Part One: Perennial Care Basics
Creating an Easy-Care Perennial Garden
Caring for Your Perennials
Keeping Up Appearances
Troubleshooting Perennial Garden Problems

Part Two: Plant-by-Plant Perennial Guide

Resources
Index