When Perennials Bloom: An Almanac for Planning and Planting

Large plantings of perennial flowers can cost tens of thousands of dollars in large gardens or public parks. Even smaller-scale designers and landscapers can't afford to guess wrong when setting up flower beds that have to look their best on cue. This is the only book available to provide an authoritative, deeply researched guide to flowering time for more than 450 perennial flowers. No designer, landscaper, or public garden can afford to be without it. When Perennials Bloom is based on groundbreaking research on the exact bloom time of particular flowers from around the world—from Moscow to Missouri. Organized alphabetically by flower and including detailed charts and graphs, this book presents a system to predict the groupings of flowers that will reliably bloom at the same time. Introductory chapters explain the seasonal development of various perennial plants, the response of plants to weather conditions, and basic concepts of phenology—the timing of natural phenomena. Detailed descriptions illustrated with stunning photographs, recommendations for garden use, analysis of bloom times, and graphs showing month-by-month bloom time round out this comprehensive title. Whether you're a home gardener who wants to plan an effective perennial border or a nursery, design, or landscape professional whose career survival depends on a plant's peak display, you will find this carefully compiled book to be an indispensable tool.

Tomasz Anisko, curator of plants at Longwood Gardens, participated in seven of the expeditions described in Plant Exploration for Longwood Gardens. He received his master's degree in horticulture from the August Cieszkowski Agricultural University in Poznan, Poland, and his doctorate in horticulture from the University of Georgia in Athens.