2 comments about Your Florida Guide to Perennials: Selection, Establishment, and Maintenance.

1. Get source of information, clearly laid out with lots of photos.
   Well worth having as a reference source for Florida gardening.



2. Highly recommended book for Floridians, it's helpful and easy to understand even if you don't have a green thumb.

No comments about When Perennials Bloom: An Almanac for Planning and Planting.

2 comments about The Daylily: A Guide for Gardeners.

1. This book was a self-serving book for the hybridizers, Peat and Petit..Most of the images were THEIR daylilies...Their Color Encyclopedia of Daylilies was much better...



2. Another offering from Messrs Peat and Petit, authors of The Color Encyclopedia of Daylilies, published 2000, (and with The New The Color Encyclopedia of Daylilies due to be published 2008), if nothing else brings the story of daylilies on a few more years. The Daylily does cover much of the same ground as their Encyclopedia in that it discuses the original species and its development in the hand of hybridisers. However much more space is given to the growing of daylilies with chapters on Landscaping with daylilies, Cultivation, Pest and Diseases, Hybridising and Exhibiting Daylilies in Shows. There is also chapter a devoted to Award Winning Daylilies; a Chapter each for Daylilies in Australia, Canada and Europe; and a chapter devoted to Daylily Societies and Events. Also included is a list of Sources for Daylilies and a Bibliography. Many of the chapters are not the work of Peat and Petit but contributed by other writers, so even where there might be a duplication of topic at least in the hands of a different contributor we get a new slant.
   
   The biggest single section of the book, 50pp, is given over to A Selection of Daylilies for the Garden. Each cultivar is described in terms of size, colour, flowering season along with other facts, and many of them are pictured in colour; almost all of the cultivars included here are post 1990. A further selection is included, and pictured, in the chapter A Look to the Future.
   
   It all makes for a very useful contribution to the Daylily library. However it Peat and Petit's apparent preference for rounded and heavily ruffled flowers does mean sadly that there are very few Spiders and UFs included. With the authors extensive knowledge of their subject it would have been interesting to have included some personal comment or evaluation of the cultivars listed.
   
   The more than 200 colour illustrations might sound a lot, but as the authors point out each year over 1,600 new plants are registered, so in Daylily terms this merely scratches the surface; and for those of us outside the USA many of these never become realistically available. So perhaps the real value of this book is that it provides an insight into the direction Daylily hybridising is going, and what we can expect to see in the future.

4 comments about An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Clematis.

1. I own every book ever written about clematis. Unfortunately, this book was written by a Brit. That's the only negative for a North American grower. If you can own only one book on clematis this is the one. The author is very generous with her information. At least read this one cover to cover before buying anything else.



2. The word "encyclopedia" is sometimes overused, but not in the case of this book by Mary K. Toomey. The reader will enjoy learning about the huge number of clematis varieties with information on each one. The author even includes the different names that some varieties have in the market. This volume is a must for the serious gardener and especially for the clematis enthusiast. I highly recommend it.



3. and readable, and inspirational. i like that it not only gives the usual flower description, plant height, pruning group but also indicates whether a plant is vigorous, compact, proliferous (habit), flowers early spring, late summer, both (flowering period), can grow through shrubs, against a light background, or sprawling on the ground with creeping junipers (recommended use). and the chapter on pruning, and all illustrations within, is priceless esp since i've just started into group A and B plants (i have mostly group C viticellas that i cut to ground level). i think now that i'd like to start a clematis collection, and try out the other species like integrifolia, macropetala, alpina, texensis, and their wonderful varieties. virtually each page is a pleasant surprise of yet another clematis i've never heard of before, splashed with pictures that are just beautiful. this book is definitely drool material for the planthusiast, to be savoured gingerly on a cold and lazy winter day like today :-]



4. I am a gardening fanatic and have collected and enjoyed Clematis vines
   for years. I own over 55 different varieties and have come to enjoy
   reading about the various species. This book is the most comprehensive
   and enjoyable to date. There are many pictures and a lot of detailed
   information. Excellent Resource.

2 comments about Perennials: The Definitive Reference With Over 2,500 Photographs.

1. This book is an exhaustive encyclopedia of perennial plants grouped into three sections by their blooming time - spring, summer and autumn. It has beautiful pictures of each plant, with a number of varieties of each type included and pictured. I do not think, however, that it is a book for those who are new to gardening or who want to learn more about gardening with perennials. The plants are listed by their Latin names only, with no reference whatsoever to their common names. It therefore makes the book quite useless for someone who wants to look up or identify a plant and is not familiar with the Latin name. Basically, this lovely book is more of a dictionary or encyclopedia of plants, rather than a gardening guide or how-to. And although beautiful to look through, and a good and thorough reference for those well versed in perennials, it is not helpful as a gardening book for someone who is looking for more gardening and plant guidance.



2. This is my all time favorite garden book. It is a reference book for people interested in propagating plants from compatible climates, a photo reference to mature plants and, since there are many photos of gardens within, a visual inspiration. It is not a beginners how to, but contains an enormous amount of useful information if the reader is at all experienced. The writers don't discuss temperature hardiness based on the Zone system, but in minimum temps. centigrade, and since they are British they don't pretend much knowledge of cold climates; the reader needs to think about their own climate in relation to other world climates in order to get the most from this book. The book is packed with excellent photos, and the information on growing preferences, moisture, origins in the wild is invaluable. Based on this, I've tried successfully many plants not supposed to grow here. It is the first book I grab when thinking about a plant, and as I mention above, I've loved it to death. I highly recommend for plant collectors, and experienced or ambitious gardeners.

3 comments about The Explorer's Garden: Rare and Unusual Perennials.

1. A well researched, well thought out guide to some wonderful plants that, to quote the author's witty prose, should be on a good many gardener's 'lust list'. Good photography, HONEST descriptions of the plant (without 'catalog-ese') and cultural information all add to a fine addition to the hort books out there.



2. This is an excellent book. Dan Hinkley is a funny and engaging writer and speaker. I highly recommend this for the gardener who appreciates subtle yet beautiful flowers and foliage. Many of the plants that he discusses are from Asia where he has travelled extensively. The book is a great companion to the thick Heronswood Nursery catalog and web site since it has a number of photos. Dan discusses care and propagation of the plants as well.



3. This book does what it aims to very well: it describes (and includes photos of) some very unusual plants. However, please be aware that many of these plants do not have mass appeal; that is why, after all, they are still rare and unusual, rather than having been picked up by your local garden centers.

   I found myself using this book mostly as a specific adjunct to the Heronswood Nursery catalogue, looking up some photos and cultural information for a few of the plants listed in the catalogue. If this is YOUR intended use, please be aware that you may be able to get this information for a lot less money by just using Heronswood's website, now that it is expanded to include a good variety of plant photos.

No comments about The Gardener's Peony.

No comments about Pests & Diseases of Herbaceous Perennials: The Biological Approach.

5 comments about Heucheras and Heucherellas: Coral Bells and Foamy Bells.

1. Only downside to this book is that most do not specify location i.e. sun / shade. And their is no zone reference.



2. Dan Heims and Grahame Ware's Heucheras and Heucherellas is a superior gardening book for sophisticated and professional gardeners alike. Why? Because in this 208 page book everything you want to know about these two genera are described in great detail. The book grabs you right off by showing over 55 pages of superior colored photographs in alphabetical order. How clever. Usually colored photographs are in the middle of a book. But not here. With the result that you want to dash out to your nearest nursery and find all of the plants depicted. This is followed by a series of chapters on Heucheras in the wild and the citations found in old publications, a list of all the species and their descriptions, how to hybridize this intriguing genus and very practical advise on how to use the new cultivars in the landscape. What is not to like about this book. Try finding a comprehensive list of all species and cvs on the Web. Good luck. This book has it all. It appeals to the professional horticulturist and the avid amateur, who often is as informed as the professional. For those gardeners who are beginners, I say read this book and enrich yourself with horticultural knowlegde. Soon botanic names, mentionings of hybrids, tetraploids, and other botanical lingo will seem as familiar to you as how to make a bechamel sauce recipe in a cookbook. My one criticism would be the chapter on the discovery of the genera. The language seemed very stiff in contrast with the informal tone of the rest of the book. It was almost like foot notes of someone's thesis. So take the time to Google some of the plant hunters mentioned and you will be very much intrigued by the incredible hardships many of them endured. A small criticism as the book does not deal with that subject matter. Since the publication of this book new cvs have been introduced to the trade. But that should not stop you from treasuring this book. It has all the fundamentals in place and the name of another cv you can always add to the index in the back of the book. So 5 stars it is.



3. I was very pleased with this book as it arrived with a new book cover which made it look brand new. Very nice indeed.



4. Cool book has some color photos of types. some ways to propigate them and who cultivated certain ones. fun book to sit and read.



5. This is a good book, particularly because when it came out, it was the first, and these authors are committed to advancing heucheras in the garden. I am biased, as I crave anything on the subject. I would have given it a higher star, but will wait until I have read the other book on the subject. It has nice photos, and good descriptions of the varieties, and great tips on propigation--which I have used successfully! Buy the book and propigate your heuchs in the spring. I hope this is helpful, but if you like heucheras, you'll buy the book irrespective of what I'ved shared.

1 comments about Perennial Ground Covers.

1. Perennial Ground Covers is a great example of the high standards of Timber Press publishing of horticultural subjects. MacKenzie does an overall exceptional job at breaking down hundreds of species of both traditional and non-traditional groundcovers. Many of the plants included here are clever and reasonable additions to those that would normally be considered groundcovers, while some step over a few bounds, with no harm done nonetheless, to be included in this group. This reference book is best for those with just a little more than basic plant knowledge, but can be just as helpful for the beginner. It is refreshing in its approach that does not baby the reader as it does not assume they know nothing about plants at all. The breakdown of this book consists of an introduction, including an explanation on nomenclature, a section of plates of each groundcover included in the book, a non-picture section of species in alphabetical order, and an outstanding appendix of characteristics in table form for all of the plants included. One main drawback of the book is a lack of family names of species that have descriptions. This is where a grouping by relationship or by environmental conditions would be better than an alphabetical listing. I appreciate that the pictures were kept together in a separate section, rather than including them alongside each description. This makes for easier use for reference. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a reference for both groundcovers and perennials as two individual groups of plants.