Book Review - Perennial Companions

Garden Sense photo

It's no mystery why garden blogs are full of photographs.  The next best thing to being in a garden is looking at pictures of them. 

If you're like me and love browsing photos for inspiration, you'll enjoy Perennial Companions: 100 Dazzling Plant Combinations for Every Season, by Tom Fischer.

For a small book, it packs a powerful punch.  A plethra of perennial combinations are pictured and identified.  The plants are shown at their peak display and organized by bloom season.  

Abbreviated cultural information is included, which will help steer you in the right direction, but you'll need to check other references for more detailed descriptions of plants that interest you.

Photographers tend to crop pictures tightly for clean composition, which can give deceiving impressions about plants.  Most of the photos in this book do a decent job of depicting the plants as they appear in the landscape, which is what I like to see. 

Perhaps vibrant blooms are a bit much for my mid-winter color starved eyes - two of my favorite featured combinations are all foliage.

A blue-green Hosta (Hosta 'Krossa Regal'), White-variegated Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra 'Alboaurea'), Feather-frond Soft Shield Fern (Polystichum setiferum Plumoso-divisilobum Group) and Black Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens') is an immediately appealing group.  This stunning color and textural combination would work well in my shady yard, so I'm hoping to give it a try. 

Mop-headed sedge (Carex flagellifera), 'Karley Rose' Oriental Fountain Grass (Pennisetum Orientale 'Karley Rose') and 'Cosmopolitan' Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Cosmopolitan'), is a wonderful composition of repetition in form with striking contrasts in color and texture.

Althouth I don't have photos of the exact varieties, this Fountain Grass and Red Sedge paired with variegated Yucca (which has similar coloring to 'Cosmopolitan' Maidenhair Grass) gives you an idea of the interplay of texture and color in the effective grass pairing described above. 

Several of the combinations were similar to ones I've been considering, which served to support my plans. 

If you're looking for photos to jump start your creative juices, Perennial Companions: 100 Dazzling Plant Combinations for Every Season offers a nice selection.

My Wish List is Growing

Recent blog posts highlighting overachieving plants have been motivating and my wish list of plants keeps growing. 

I've also been inspired by 

Tracy Disabato-Aust’s book,

50 High-Impact, Low-Care Garden Plants



Paperbark Maple



Tracy filters her plant picks through the following rigorous checklist:



·         Long-lived

·         Tolerates heat and humidity

·         Cold-hardy

·         Deer-resistant

·         Insect and disease resistant

·         Minimal or no deadheading

·         Minimal or no fertilizing

·         No staking

·         Minimal or no division

·         Minimal or no pruning

·         Non-invasive

·         Drought-tolerant

If you'd like your garden to be high on low maintenance plants, Tracy’s book offers some enticing options.



Hakone Grass
(Photo taken at Hershey Gardens)

Virginia Sweetspire

A number of her picks are plants that I’ve had my eye on for while:  Golden-variegated Hakone Grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’), Rozanne Hardy Geranium (Geranium Rozanne), Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis) and ‘Henry’s Garnet’ Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet’), to name a few.  This may just give me the push I need to get them into the ground.      
She includes plants recently featured in blogs I follow: Hellebore (Helleborus - see Carolyn’s Shadegardens for fall blooming Hellebores) and ’Blue Fortune’ Anise Hyssop (Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ - see Rhone Street Gardens for his favorite Agastache). 


Siberian Bugloss

There are new takes on old favorites from some of my past gardens, Purple Snakeroot (Actaea simplex Atropurpurea Group) and ‘Jack Frost’ Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’). 

Intriguing choices for foliage color include ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’ Ligularia (Ligularia dentata ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’), ‘Gold Heart’ Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’) and Dragon’s-eye Pine (Pinus densiflora’Oculus-draconis’).  Plants featuring unique foliage color and form are deservedly gaining attention for providing long lasting interest in the garden.



Paperbark Maple

 

Several high interest trees and shrubs, such as Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum) are also included. 

50 High-Impact, Low-Care Garden Plants

is sure to expand your palette of low maintenance plants without sacrificing the show. 

Book Review - Gardening for All Seasons

As the days get shorter and temperatures drop,

I'm apt to be curled up under an afghan
with a book in hand.
Gardening books are a
great way to "get outside" and
get inspired for spring planting
while staying toasty warm inside.

One book you may want to consider
for your winter reading list:

Gardening for All Seasons

The most unique aspect of the book is its focus on seasonal bloom times.  A "Palette" of plants is listed for each of the four seasons, with the lists organized by flower color.  These palette lists are a great help when planning a seasonal or year round show.  Just pick and choose from the lists to ensure that your garden has blooms going all season.

The Summer Palette includes specific instructions for cutting and conditioning a number of popular flowers as well as for drying flowers. 



What I like:
The organization of plants by bloom time makes easy work of planning a year round garden show - no need to painstakingly create your own lists.  I also like the information on cutting flowers.

Could be better:
The focus for seasonal interest is almost exclusively on flowers - don't forget foliage, form and bark.  Plant information is fairly general - you'll need to get detailed information from other sources. 

Gardening for All Seasons - A helpful resource 

for creating a garden with interest through the year.

Heat up the cocoa, shake out the afghan and

dust off the books....