The Perennial Care Manual: Book Review

– Posted in: Book reviews, Plant info
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The Perennial Care Manual: A Plant-by-Plant Guide: What to Do and When to Do It by Nancy Ondra is the book I wish I’d had in my hands when I first started growing ornamental perennials over twenty years ago. Wait, make that over thirty years ago, when I was in high school and didn’t even know perennials existed until my girlfriend’s mother showed me the Wayside Garden catalog. Back then, there was no Amazon to search for books on a particular topic, and the gardening books at my library were written in a dry, third person tone–an attempt to be objective and scientific I’m sure, but it left me wondering if the author really liked gardening, or just thought it was good for you.

You will have no doubt of Nancy Ondra’s enthusiasm after reading the first page of her book: “True gardeners know that the real fun of gardening is in the process–the planning, the planting, the nurturing, and the learning.” I could tell as I read through the book that Nancy carefully observes her plants throughout the year, taking notes on what she’s learned. That’s the kind of gardener I want to learn from!

Nancy Ondra is Honest

Even more important, she’s honest. She addresses such topics as perennials that self-sow too freely, ground covers that cover more ground than you expected, and invasive plants. She offers general suggestions for dealing with these problems, and also highlights them when profiling specific plants. For example, she tells you that Tradescantia (spiderwort) had pretty flowers, but they only last a day. Furthermore, the plant tends to sprawl and can self-sow prolifically. I have one spiderwort myself, ‘Concord Grape,’ and while I agree the flowers are short-lived, I haven’t had the flopping or self-sowing problems. But I know to look for the seedlings now. More importantly, a novice gardener trying to decide between two plants can make a more informed decision.

Throughout this book, both in the first section of general principles and the second section on specific plants, Ondra guides you to best practices and common sense solutions, saving you time, money, and aggravation. If you don’t have a gardening neighbor or relative who will share their favorite plants, encourage you as you split your first daylily, and in general show you how to do things, this book will be the next best thing.

Review copy supplied by Storey Publishing. Link to Amazon is an affiliate link.

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.

In the end, this may be the most important thing about frost: Frost slows us down. In spring, it tempers our eagerness. In fall, it brings closure and rest. In our gotta-go world–where every nanosecond seems to count–slowness can be a great gift. So rather than see Jack Frost as an adversary, you could choose to greet him as a friend.

~Philip Harnden in A Gardener’s Guide to Frost: Outwit the Weather and Extend the Spring and Fall Seasons

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Cindy, MCOK April 30, 2010, 4:05 pm

Kathy, I was pleasantly surprised by how much of the information in the book was applicable to my growing conditions down here in south central Texas. It’s rare that authors from other parts of the country even acknowledge our existence, so Nan has my respect!

Kathy Purdy April 30, 2010, 4:09 pm

There really can’t be a single gardening book to adequately cover all of North America. The climate is way too varied. I meant to mention that the further west you lived, the less plants would be appropriate to your climate. I’m glad it’s still helpful for you Texans!

Pam/Digging April 27, 2010, 10:19 am

I enjoyed Nan’s book too, Kathy. Her photos are also wonderfully illustrative.
.-= Pam/Digging´s last blog ..Focal points & a fabulous garden visit…coming soon! =-.