The Perennial Care Manual

Nancy J. Ondra, author of Container Theme Gardens, is a garden writer and editor as well as the former owner and operator of a small rare-plant nursery. She is the author or co-author of a dozen gardening books, including Foliage (winner of the 2008 Book Award from the American Horticultural Society), The Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer (winner of a 2006 Silver Award from the Garden Writers Association), Five-Plant Gardens, The Perennial Care Manual, Fallscaping, and Grasses. She currently gardens in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and blogs at hayefield.com.

The Complete Primer on Caring for PerennialsYour yard is home to a gorgeous perennial garden, carefully designed and lovingly planted. Maintain its health and good looks all season long with Nancy Ondra's comprehensive guide to perennial care.General advice on planning, planting, watering, mulching, pruning, and propagating gives you all the hardworking information you need to become a knowledgeable and effective perennial gardener. For plant-specific questions, an alphabetical perennial reference puts every answer right at your fingertips. Need to know how to divide your sedum or when to cut back your lavender? It's all in the book's Plant-by-Plant Perennial Guide, drawn from Ondra's personal experience growing each perennial. Thorough instructions on how to care for 125 popular perennials include everything from light and soil requirements to how to prepare your plants for winter.

ForewordWelcome!Part One: Perennial Care BasicsCreating an Easy-Care Perennial GardenCaring for Your PerennialsKeeping Up AppearancesTroubleshooting Perennial Garden ProblemsPart Two: Plant-by-Plant Perennial GuideResources Index