Staff Pick
There is never a dull moment in a well-stocked perennial garden, but with so many varieties to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. In Perennial Companions, Timber Press editor-in-chief Tom Fischer takes the guesswork (but not the fun) out of perennial gardening, offering up 100 different perennial combinations that span the gardening year. Ranging from classic to unexpected, the pairings in this book are sure to attract both compliments and bees. If I had enough space, I would plant them all. Recommended By Tove H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Every gardener wants to create breathtaking designs with color, form, and texture. But perennial combinations present challenges: How do I know all plants will bloom at the same time? How do I pick plants that have interest in each season? Most perplexing -- which plants look good together in the first place?
Perennial Companions takes away the guesswork by providing Tom Fischer's 100 proven picks. New gardeners will learn how to create simple pairings with two plants and gardeners with a bit more experience -- or beginners looking for a challenge -- will find complex arrangements with four or more plants. Arranged chronologically by season, spanning the earliest spring to the onset of winter, each entry identifies all the main plants by both common and botanical names, specifies the care and conditions each requires, and indicates when the combination reaches its peak of beauty.
Love flowers? You'll find both quiet compositions and bold blends. Prefer the texture of leaves? You'll find ferns and soft sweeping grasses. Better yet? Combine both for sophisticated tapestries that beguile and dazzle the eye.Whether you want to create a small-scale sanctuary, a welcoming path, or a bewitching border, you'll find an abundance of inspiration in this perfect package.
Review
"This little gem...takes a new approach to guiding gardeners toward success." Valerie Easton
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"Other books have presented companion-plant suggestions, but Fischer's seasonal approach is particularly handy--added insurance that a carefully composed arrangement of plants will actually bloom at the same time." Muskogee Phoenix Daily Online
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"This book simplifies garden design by suggesting plants that not only complement one another in color, form and texture, but also bloom at the same time and have like requirements for sun and moisture." Hartford Courant
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"Fischer gives as much attention to texture as he does to color, and the results look doable as well as desirable." Akron Beacon Journal
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"100 recipes for perennial plant combinations with succinct descriptions."
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"Provides readers with a multitude of plant combination suggestions."
Seattle Times
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"Combining plants ... is not easy. [This book] can help." Salem News
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"Filled with helpful photographs of plant combinations." Cleveland Plain Dealer
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"A great little book for helping a gardener to create or enhance borders and beds." Chronicle Herald
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"Takes away the guesswork of gardening." Chronicle Herald
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"Whether you want to create a small-scale sanctuary, a welcoming path, or a pretty border, you can find ideas in this handy guide." Michigan Gardener
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"This book is much more than eye candy ... [It] is compelling--one beautiful combination after another."
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"Combining plants ... is not easy. [This book] can help." Cleveland Plain Dealer
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"Filled with helpful photographs of plant combinations." Garden Gate
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"Takes away the guesswork of gardening." Houston Lifestyles and Homes
About the Author
Tom Fischer is editor-in-chief of Timber Press. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, in 2004, he was the editor of
Horticulture magazine in Boston, Massachusetts. His experiences as a bi-coastal gardener and his inexhaustible curiosity about plants have both shaped his new garden, which in 2008 was profiled in the
Oregonian. A prolific writer as well as an editor, his articles have been featured in magazines such as
Garden Design, Gardens Illustrated, and
Martha Stewart Living.