Essential Perennials: The Complete Reference to 2700 Perennials for the Home Garden

by Ruth Rogers Clausen, Thomas Christopher, Alan L. Detrick (Photographs)

Essential Perennials  focuses on what every gardener needs to know to choose from the thousands of perennials available, and care for the ones you already have. This A-to-Z guide is packed with more than 2,700 plants, with each entry listing flower color, bloom time, foliage characteristics, size, and light and temperature requirements. Each profile is supported by stunning color photography that showcases the flower and foliage that make each plant unique. 

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Reference

428 pages, Hardcover

First published January 7, 2015

Reviews

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reference, though might be intimidating for those who don't deal well with using the latin (though there is a nice common name index in back). Something I'd love to own for myself!! (I read a library copy...)

[Julian Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personally found this book seemed spread too thin for my needs--though a broad range of plants were covered, few were adapted to my circumstances, and of the ones that were, many I was already familiar with or were so esoteric as to be basically unobtainable.

A book this ambitious in scope by necessity has to leave some things out. Each genus covered lists only a handful of species but with several cultivars. This amounts to enough to get started, but may not give you the full extent of the adaptability of a genus. Irises, for instance, have species with myriad combinations of height, bloom time and prefered conditions, including some that cope with conditions far different than the standard garden iris. Still, even given the omissions, there is a dizzying quantity of information, and only a crazy person (me) would ask for more.

The author lists several plants as being adaptable to part shade that many other sources say only tolerate full sun. These plants may be suited for shade in southern climates, but since I garden in Canada in dry shade, they may not cope with my conditions.

There are many good options for gardens in the Southern US in this book. For gardeners that struggle with hot and humid climates, this book could help extend your planting palette. For me this caused considerable plant envy.

The author does note that some of the species listed can be invasive in some areas, which I appreciated, yet some plants that have invasive tendencies were not listed as such. I also took issue with native species being termed invasive--they may be aggressive, but we are invading their turf, not the other way around.

[Sharon Lamberton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful resource!

I was looking for good information and found more than I expected in this book. Good balance of photos and text details, understandable for relative newbies but deep enough to be a good reference for experienced gardeners. I will use this book as a resource in years to come as I establish my perennial garden.

[Jeannie Whitesell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiration galore from a beloved gardening author.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for a serious gardener. It's incredibly extensive. I'm a novice and wanted something with less information, which would be less overwhelming for me right now. This is a book I may come back to in the future.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of different types of flowers in here.