WellTended Perennial Garden Planting Pruning Techniques Author:Tracy DiSabato-Aust The difference between a garden that looks its best for a few brief days and one that delights the eye for weeks and months on end is frequently just a matter of good planning and judicious care. Tracy DiSabato-Aust has devoted years to studying how to plan and care for perennials so that a garden can be a real showplace with a minimum of mainte... more »nance. The first key to success lies in good site planning and plant selection that emphasizes each plants strengths. Following that in importance is learning how and when to prune and shape perennials to produce more flowers, encourage lush new growth, discourage pests, stagger bloom times, and maintain vigorous health. Amazingly, this is the first book that covers this essential topic in detail, although books on pruning woody plants abound. Deadheading, pinching, cutting back, thinning, disbudding, and deadleafing are among the techniques in the gardeners arsenal that are thoroughly explained and illustrated. An extensive encyclopedia of important perennial species and cultivars explains the pruning and maintenance needs of each plant. Wonderfully useful appendices offer a month-by-month planting and maintenance schedule for the typical perennial garden. Illustrated with 131 striking photographs by the author, this book will show both amateur and professional gardeners how to give their perennials the kind of care that will allow them to look their very best.« less