By Anne Rowlands
Like many of you, I’m a garden book collector, but with limited space in our little house there’s a constant churn – books come in, are read and evaluated, and either make the cut or get passed on.
My very first serious gardening book was a thick encyclopedia of perennials that I studied for hours at a time. (I’m hopelessly addicted to field guides and the like.)
That first book was eventually passed along, and though we have other books on perennials (why just one?), it seemed high time we get our own copy of Dr. Allan Armitage’s perennial bible. After all, Armitage first published this in 1989, and a fourth edition in 2020 speaks to the book’s enduring usefulness. Like his colleague Dr. Michael Dirr, Armitage’s writing style adds seasoning to what could be rather dry descriptions.
“Some Thoughts of the Author” in the introduction includes his perspective on the new edition, the internet vs. books, the purported decline of gardening, reasons for gardening and the act of gardening itself, heat, cold, hardiness zones, North vs. South, climate change, plant nomenclature, common names and pronunciation, and invasive plants.
Also included are a comprehensive breakdown of the many recent taxonomic changes, an invasive plants table, and list of web resources about invasives. Each plant description includes any cultivars, related species, series or hybrids. Frequent reference is made to trials, reviews and studies that can help the reader choose from a dizzying array of possibilities.
As far as photographs and illustrations, the book contains a number of line drawings and five sections of color photos, but they appear to break up the text more than make for quick and easy visual reference. It’s understandable, since the sheer number of plants Armitage mentions makes illustration impossible. A nearby computer, tablet or smart phone, however, is all you need to check out the plants.
Herbaceous Perennial Plants – A Treatise on their Identification, Culture, and Garden Attributes, 4th Edition
1100 pages, 7″ x 10″
Hardback $89.80, Paperback $79.80
ISBN 978-1-64617-012-8
Stipes Publishing LLC – stipes.com
