Showcases one hundred fifty perennials of proven performance sure to live up to their catalog descriptions and offers advice on selection and cultivation

Offers planting plans and plant descriptions to maximize the effects of color in a perennial garden

From the "Galloping Gourmet" of the garden world comes a guide to perennials to fit every gardener's needs. 300 color photos. 7 color garden layouts.

The third edition of the comprehensive—and entertaining—gardening reference by the master horticulturalist. This is the long-awaited third edition of Allan Armitage’s masterpiece on garden perennials. Armitage’s extensive traveling, teaching, and trialing experiences provide a depth of understanding of the best ornamental perennials for North American gardens unparalleled by any other garden writer. One of the most definitive and conclusive books written about perennials, the first edition was designated as one of the best seventy-five books written in the last seventy-five years by the American Horticulture Society. Now the third edition of “The Big Perennial Book” (as it is fondly referred to by many practitioners) describes 3,600 species in 1224 pages. More than three hundred color photos complement detailed text filled with the author’s pointed observations of plant performance, cultivar selection, and current taxonomy. In addition, his trademark wit and passion are both in abundance, making reading as pleasurable as it is informative.

There is an abundance of inspiration in the 100 combinations featured in this book. Each grouping is an actual garden scene that combines two, three, or more perennials in colorful tableaux that span the gardening year, from earliest spring to the onset of winter. All 100 entries identify each of the main plants by both common and botanical names, specify the care and conditions they require, and indicate when the combination reaches its peak of beauty.

One of today's best gardening writers presents a visually beautiful guide to working with perennials and helping them flourish.