Taylor's Guide to Perennials

The inside pages were fine, cover may have been bent a bit in shipping. Overall, it's fine.

Book was shipped when promised and was exactly as described, so no surprises. I would buy from this source again.

This book was exactly what I needed. Never seem to know the name of the
flower, and the beautiful photos are invaluable. Very helpful to know what plants work in this time zone, and there are many helpful tips for planting and feeding. A permanent reference in my home.

George Shenk's book on growing gardens in shade is still one of the best books out there for shade gardening, as far as I am concerned, but TAYLOR'S 50 BEST PERENNIALS FOR SHADE is also very useful. Besides, the Taylor book includes plenty of colorful photographs.
If you're like me and you plant hundreds of tulips every year, in areas that will be plunged into shade when your neighbor's trees leaf out, you probably have discovered the value of "over-planting" perennial flowers (annuals generally require lot's of sun). Taylor's book explains how you go about planting covers for your bulbs, as they go dormant, by adding shade loving plants that will naturalize and hide the dying bulb foliage and thus hide the bulbs neatly until the following spring. (You should be amending the area with bulb food to ensure next year's bloom).
I have a particularly troublesome side yard, under a neighbor's Persian Walnut tree, where I have over-planted Solomon's Seal, Astilbe, and Creeping Woodruff (each one is pictured and described in this book) along with various bulbs and shade loving bushes such as Nandina and Skimmia, and I can testify that over-planting works well. Next year, I am going to try Tiarella Cordifolia (Foamflower) under the Foster Holly at the back of my yard. Taylor's book suggests about a dozen companion plants that will grow with the foam-flower including Bleeding Hearts which I love, and which are beautiful with white tulips.

This is an excellent, encyclopedic reference guide, whether you are trying to identify existing plantings or add perennials to your garden. There is a section with lots of backround gardening information; soil preparation, feeding, watering and etc. The really useful part is the plant guide.

There is a long section with color photographs of hundreds of flowering perennials. This is followed by a comprehensive descriptive guide to the plants, arranged alphabetically by Latin family name. A general description is followed by specific growing tips and varietal descriptions. All the photographs and descriptions are cross-referenced by page number so it is easy to go from a picture to a description or vice-versa. A comprehensive index further adds to the book's ease of use.

If you are dreaming of, or caring for, a perennial garden, this book is indispensable. As it points out, there are tens of thousands of perennials, most of which are not specifically addressed, but basic traits and cultivation methods are shared by thousands of varieties within each genus. This book will guide you to a successful planting plan for your climate.