An updated and expanded modern classic with practical advice on cultivating and maintaining herbaceous perennials.
Reviewer John Hoyland is a writer and plantsman. When The Well-Tended Perennial Garden appeared in 1998 its popularity took both Tracy DiSabato-Aust and her publisher by surprise. In retrospect, we can see that the book chimed with the gardening zeitgeist, when herbaceous perennials had become, as they remain, the major plant group used by garden designers. Volumes had previously been written about the maintenance and pruning of woody plants, but there were few books dealing with cultivating perennials.
DiSabato-Aust’s book, combined with her lively lectures, filled the gap with authority and panache, quickly becoming the go-to reference. This new edition has been extensively revised and expanded to include new plants, updated pruning techniques and lots of new photographs.
Techniques for maintaining perennials are thoroughly described at a level of detail that is hard to find elsewhere. Basic methods of deadheading, for example, are shown and the reasons for doing it explained, followed by a demonstration of the effect. This comprehensive level of instruction of a task, explaining why it should be done and demonstrating its results, runs through the entire book. Cutting back, staking, pinching, disbudding and deadheading are all covered.
Half of the book consists of an encyclopaedia of perennials, with detailed descriptions and cultivation needs, together with how to prune and how to maintain each plant. It is clear that DiSabato-Aust’s hands-on experience strongly informs this section.
Although beautifully illustrated and designed this is not a book that will end up sitting on the coffee table. It is one that professional and amateur gardeners will be constantly reaching for.