Spring at Hiddenhaven means
fresh new growth on conifers
and perennials. Colorful glass
bobbles draw the eye, repeat
the form of the ornamental
onions (Allium aflatunese
‘Purple Sensation’), and look
great all season. Art in the
garden requires minimal to no
maintenance.Preface
We are thrilled to offer this information-packed, beautiful, and inspiring third
edition of The Well-Tended Perennial Garden! In an effort to stay topical in the
rapidly changing world of perennial gardening, we felt an update to the original
edition from 1998 (that’s right—can you believe it?) and the expanded edition
from 2006 was in order.
Exciting changes to this edition include more than 50 new plant encyclopedia
entries, dozens of new cultivars, scores of new photographs and illustrations,
updates to some of my original garden design projects, and visual stories of new
design projects. If you have the previous two editions of Well-Tended Perennial
Garden you will also appreciate the updated Perennials by Maintenance Needs,
which has been expanded in this third edition.
New perennials are being introduced daily and it’s hard to keep up! Our goal
isn’t to provide every new perennial or cultivar (these are well covered in other
publications), but to address these new plants from a maintenance perspective,
which is a viewpoint unique to this book. What are the care, and more specifi-
cally, pruning, needs of these plants? Which cultivars are more reliable, hardier,
or long-lived performers? Which ones have I used for years that still pass the test
of a great plant?
Working in the horticulture industry for 4 decades now, I’ve seen many
changes. I have always used native plants in my designs, but the emphasis on their
use is even greater today. Perennials are being incorporated into rain gardens,
rooftop gardens, container gardens, and mixed gardens. They are joining trees,
shrubs, bulbs, annuals, and vegetables in the garden, rather than being strictly
relegated to traditional perennial beds. There is the desire to grow dynamic yet
low-maintenance plants that are deer resistant and drought tolerant, that don’t
require frequent pruning or care to look their best. Many new, safe organic
fertilizers and pest controls are readily available. We address these issues here.
Thankfully, many of the sound horticultural practices that were discussed in
the book’s first edition still hold true today; you will find they remain in these
pages, both in recommendations and in the examples of featured gardens.
Thank you for supporting this book and its mission all these years. Besides
being one of the all-time bestselling and most-sustaining gardening publications
available since it was first released, The Well-Tended Perennial Garden has been
one of the most rewarding and cherished aspects of my career.
Today’s world is hectic and filled with technology. People rarely look up from
their cell phones or digital devices. We desperately need to fuel our souls, and an
excellent way to do so is by connecting with plants and the earth through
gardening. May this refreshed, more-relevant-than-ever guide help you navigate
a joyful perennial gardening journey.