Perennial Combinations: Stunning Combinations That Make Your Garden Look Fantastic Right from the Start (Rodale Garden Book)

Exactly what I was looking for! The book is so practical with clear ideas on combining and arranging the perfect flowers/ perennials in my own growing and ever evolving garden! I’m working on changing from a standard vegetable garden to one that includes perennials for both tea and cut flowers. This book was a huge help! If you’re not sure where to start, this book is the one to get!

Well organized and very useful.Although this version was updated back in 2008, it's full of great ideas. Many books will have pretty pictures but then not tell you what plants were used. The author presented pictures, id'd plants used, made sure to explain what & why they work together. Also showed alternatives and combos for special sites (clay, dry, wet soils, ponds). Lots of cottage style beds really packed w/plants (my style is more foliage) but provided great information on creating texture combos. Gorgeous pics of rolling landscapes obviously maintained by a hired team of gardeners -- while pretty -- isn't anything I can afford nor help me design a tiny 3' x 5' bed. This book does.This is not a comprehensive reference book - it's an idea book that also gives helpful antidotal info and garden plot plans w/detailed plant list. I have a ton of garden books I may never open again -- this one is full of tabbed pages of ideas I'll be reaching for. I plan to look for more garden books by C. Colston Burrell.

This book is exactly what I was looking for! As a new gardener, I needed prescriptive info on tried and true plant combinations that would make my garden beautiful. This book provided exactly this info, with an amazing trove of plant combinations, insight on how to care for plants, what types of environments they are suited for, why the combinations make sense from a design / color perspective, and even templates for sample designs with a prescriptive list of plants for each design. Sooo helpful!! I can’t wait to try a few of the recommendations in my own garden.

One of the drawbacks of buying gardening books online is that you can't see the photos. If I had thumbed through this book in a bookstore I don't know if I would have purchased it. Not that it doesn't have a lot of good information and ideas, but the photos could be better: the color is garish and over-saturated and the images actually look blurry. Also, many of the plant combo photos are very close up, which doesn't help when you are trying to figure out how to place your perennials when planting. For me, a good gardening book has to not only give useful information and how-tos (which this book does for the most part), but it has to inspire with lovely photos! And that is where this book disappoints. I do like the illustrations of various combinations.Addendum:Four years later, I find that I still look through this book every spring for inspiration and ideas. So overall I'd say a good addition to one's gardening library!

I reference this book constantly. The illustrated plans are so helpful. The more experience I get gardening the more I love it. Just buy the book.

I've loved perennials for years, and I am working on a new garden. The combinations shown and the instructions will be very helpful. There are several plants I have not considered in the past (globe thistles for example). There are some invasive species in the book, but there are notes regarding those.

I have this book already. I bought it as a gift for someone who aspires to be a landscaper. I am a horticulturalist and work in a high end garden retail and this is hands down the best book I own. It gives inspiration and easy to follow with great tips along the way. This book is so simplified that even a garden novice won't feel like they can't understand what's said and designs to easily replicate. If you're going to get one perennial book out there, this is the one! Even troubleshoots problematic situations like wet areas, dry, and heavy shade. This is a great gift also for anyone who likes to play in the dirt!

This compact book is packed with inspiration, colorful photos and examples of color combinations!! This is exactly what I was looking for because the photos give you a real feel for how the plants will look together. One of the gardens I am planning this year is a butterfly garden and I was pleased this has a great example of plants grown together to encourage butterflies and other pollinators. There are so many combinations of colors and styles as well as special gardens (shade, wet, dry, etc...), even as an experienced gardener I found some terrific new ideas in this book. Happy I made this purchase!