The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting & Pruning Techniques

Love this book & have used it for many years!! Great to identify flowers, good info on Where to grow-sun,water,size,etc. Beautiful , good sized photos. Live in Maine & this is a great NE book.

I love this book! I have both editions. What I like most about it is that new gardeners can learn some crutial skills right out the chute and experienced gardeners will learn new ways to care for their perennials.That is whay I recomend it to everyone when I give gardening lectures. Tracy has truly improved on this title with the release of the expanded version. I love the lists in the back of the book and the alphabetical encyclopedia. The fact that a lot of the info in her book is based on her experience in her own gardens and clients' gardens is important to me. Truly a book to add to your gardening library.

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.

We have used the orginal printing of this book for several years....it has THE MOST practical, straightforward, no-holes-barred advice of any of the 100s of garden books I have read...we use it as a bible of perrenial care. I have given this as a gift to many a gardener, this new updated version has many more pictures and additions that really spruce it up.

The book is composed of three main sections. The first section has 104 pages of garden advice and technique: 26 pages are on soil discussions, bed preparations, and maintenance factors. 12 pages on planting techniques, mulching, and fertilizing. 10 pages on pests and disease. 56 pages on pruning, deadheading, thinning, staking, division and seeding.The second section is an encyclopedia of 179 perennials (about 100 pages). Each perennial is described by growing zone, common name, scientific name, size, and flowering season. Each plant contains a paragraph or two about pruning, maintenance, and related plants. The majority of the plants listed grow in zones 4-8.The third section of 50 pages contains the appendix, glossary, and index. Information covers 4 pages on ornamental grasses, 8 pages on monthly maintenance planning (broken down by what to do each month), 36 lists of recommended perennials for specific growing conditions, USDA zone map, 5 page glossary, 2 page bibliography, and a 13 page index by plant name.The book also includes informative photographs. 64 full color pages of garden designs, techniques, and planting ideas. Each picture is captioned by a descriptive comment identifying what technique or characteristic is being shown in the photograph.This is a great book for the beginning gardener, and even the garden expert might learn a thing or two. It contains clearly described gardening techniques, maintenance advice, planting recommendations, an encyclopedia of common perennials, photographs and a glossary. The book is filled with solid information and comments gained from garden experience. No fluff here.An excellent garden technique book. Especially useful for the beginning perennial gardener. A great buy!

As an avid reader and passionate gardener, I have to tell you this is a great book....simply a must for your bookshelf. The book begins with a thorough explanation of soil preparation and some basic ideas on designing with perennials and then gets right to the the heart of it's real message...teaching innovative perennial pruning and maintenance techniques...not only the hows but the whys as well. If that isn't enough there is a very good perennial plant encyclopedia with each plant's maintenance regimen described fully according to the procedures we have just learned. This is cutting edge (please excuse the pun) gardening, but is based on common sense and patient observation. We are encouraged to get out in our gardens and watch how our own plants grow and then how they respond to our care... or lack of it. New gardeners will learn their skills the right way and us old dogs will just have to learn a few new tricks!