What Perennial Where

Rating:
Summary: Very mixed feelings on this one.
Review: Lancaster has put together a lovely book on garden trouble-spot solutions, divided into easily referenced segments on each particular problem addressed. The symbols for dimensions and requirements are easy to read, the descriptions richly appealing, and each description is accompanied by an attractive color plate. Insofar as that goes, I found this to be a very enjoyable book for browsing.

Possibly I have gotten a bit overly picky by looking at too many garden books, but there were several areas that could be improved. First, the text and pictures tend to neglect the overall plant in favor of flowers. He does treat with texture extensively elsewhere, but it is not the most user-friendly arrangement, and the plant selection does not overlap at all points. Plants will not be flowering all year, so as a gardener I will generally want some sense of what the plant looks like overall. Any lapses in that area tend to irk me. Second, although he covers a large number of plants, that figure is greatly inflated by the fact that he is reviewing _varieties_ of the same plant as distinct solutions. There are definitely sections where variety _does_ matter, but surely not all! By not specifying, he forces us to guess. If any variety of a species will do, I want to know this. Finding, for instance, the "rosa" variety of lily-of-the-valley is a much more difficult proposition than going out and buying a lily-of-the-valley, any kind. He's also very patchy about mentioning important attributes of plants, like 'poisonous' and 'invasive.' Because he specifies it in some cases, there is a tendency to assume that he'll treat with it in every important instance. There are quite a few truly egregious omissions, however.

There are compensations in other areas, though. Many of the perennials lovingly described by Lancaster are less well known. He shines light into those dubious corners of the perennial world where suspiciously unfamiliar perennials languish, forgotten and underutilized despite having wonderful attributes and beautiful flowers. Many of them are more 'natural' types than the overbred beauties we love to stick in our pedigree beds, but not so uncommon that they're impossible to find. Many of these are plants that I've seen here and there, but haven't known enough about in the past to want to try. I also very much liked the section on flowers which die back attractively for dried winter interest. And, for those people living in very cold and very warm climates, he does a respectable job of suggesting plants for a range of zones. (Zones 3 three through 11 showed up in most sections.)

Probably the most positive thing I have to say about this book, however, is that it got me thinking about my garden in a new light. His descriptions excited me. They gave me new ideas for old problems. It made me think about areas that I have neglected out of frustration & a longstanding sense of defeat. In total, I would have to recommend this book. It's attractive enough to make a good coffee-table or gift book, but also good for inspiration. It's not as thorough as I would like about the overall plant, & it doesn't touch on care & maintenance at all, but I would recommend it as a user-friendly starting point for people who want to investigate natural solutions for problematic garden conditions. A second, more generalized perennial book would be handy as a cross reference to this one.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: This book is wonderful for finding the perfect plants for the exact environmental conditions for your garden. I needed perennials for a shady and dry garden. You can go right to a chapter on the perfect perennials for these conditions. Great reference book!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: This book is wonderful for finding the perfect plants for the exact environmental conditions for your garden. I needed perennials for a shady and dry garden. You can go right to a chapter on the perfect perennials for these conditions. Great reference book!