Book Review: Caring for Perennials : What to do and when to do it.

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Book Review: Caring for Perennials : What to do and when to do it.
By Jo Anne DeKeles
Aug 16, 2006, 04:47

This book is written as if you are going to spend the year with a professional landscaper and horticulturist caring for a public perennial garden. The book chronicles author Janet Macunovich's year tending Bed Three of Michigan State University Judith DeLapa Perennial Garden.

The chapters in the book are organized chronologically by natural phases of the garden from "New Year's Calm: Planning the Season" through "Ushering in Summer: Controlling Pests, Watering, and More Planting" to "Winter Onset: Reducing Maintenance and Reflecting on the Season."

One section of the book features the author's husband, a horticultural photographer, who documented her work with 24 pages of full color photos. He records the ups and downs of this world-class garden over the course of a year. Throughout each phase, the author details each bit of care required for a 504-square-foot public garden which boasts 33 varieties of perennials. Dozens of drawings help to clarify the techniques the author recommends throughout the text.

The interesting thing about this book is that it is not just a book about the good times that happen in a garden. Macunovich discloses every mishap and unfortunate encounter with pests of the four-, six-, and no-legged variety. She shares the results of experiments that disappointed as well as those that worked. It is a great way to learn from someone else's mistakes.

Once of the best parts of the book is the simple plan for creating a maintenance schedule that works for you. There is a neat chart of "must do's", "should do's" and "might do's" that will help you prioritize your garden tasks and schedule maintenance with an eye toward getting things done when they should be done in order to avoid greater problems later on. Interesting fact from the author is that with her schedule you will need an average of one hour per month to maintain each 100 square feet of garden.