Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials

Time to learn more about plants, gardens, and garden design from great resource books. This time I'm reading Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials, written and edited by Ellen Phillips and C. Colston Burrell (Rodale Books, 1993, and later editions). I'm always looking for inspiration for our landscaping project and this time I'm delving into the world of perennials (plants that live more than two years). This is another of my mom's books that I received from her downsizing project. Looking at her notes in the margins, this book may have inspired the perennial border, island bed, and rock wall plantings in their Alaskan garden!

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials is presented in three main sections. Part 1: Designing the Perennial Garden, starts out with the basics of garden design, specifically focusing on perennials as the backbone of the garden, and provides a gallery of designs for inspiration. Part 2: Growing Perennials, informs the reader on climate, basic gardening, managing pests and disease, routine care, propagation, and caring for perennials. Part 3:  Perennial Encyclopedia, provides a plant-by-plant guide of flowers. The back matter gives an overview on botany, plant names and key words, and provides resources, suggested reading, and an extensive index. The book is filled with beautiful photographs of gardens, plants, and plant combinations; as well as illustrations and reference tables. It is written in an approachable and easy-to-understand style that appeals to both beginner and advanced gardeners. 

I've read a number of Rodale's how-to books (see Practical Formulas and No Fail Flower Garden) and really like their practical and informative approach. In Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials, I especially liked their gallery of garden designs using bubble diagrams, complete with plant lists and a description of seasonal interest. The designs have themes, such as "Four-Season Perennial Garden", "Sunny Perennial Border", "Fragrant Cottage Garden", "Shady Wildflower Garden", and "Simple Rock Wall Garden".  The "Color Theme Garden" provides a basic bubble diagram and separate plant lists for blue or pink themed gardens. The Perennial Encyclopedia is filled with easy-to-grow perennials with  descriptions, photos, and information about their growth habits and landscape uses. I liked how the books calls out information for the Southern and Western regions of the United States, where climate has a bit impact on local gardens. I also like how the book emphasizes foliage and seasonal interest, as well as beautiful flowers. I highly recommend this book to use for reference and inspiration!

Alaskan perennial border of astilbe in late summer, against a spruce hedge
(possibly inspired by this book)