From Publishers Weekly
To pinch or not to pinch is not the only question addressed here. Horticulturist DiSabato-Aust affirms that pinching is essential for plant robustness and an extended blooming season. In addition to explaining how and where to pinch a plant, she details correct techniques for deadheading, effectively removing the mystery from perennial pruning by referring to it "as grooming, shaping, shearing or snipping." Recognizing the diverse styles of gardens and gardeners, she demonstrates how different approaches to pruning can produce varied growth and blooming patterns. Also offered is information on site selection, soil preparation, planting and disease and pest control. Most impressive is the extensive encyclopedia of perennials which, drawing principally on her own field experience, focuses on pruning and maintenance practices. Practical appendices include a month-by-month calendar of pruning and maintenance tasks and a list of perennials arranged in 35 categories related to their specific pruning and maintenance requirements. Beth Ann Daye's line drawings and the author's color photos enhance the clarity of the text and make this book invaluable for both home gardeners and professionals. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Get two copies, one for reference and one for circulation. The last two-thirds is an A-Z Encyclopedia of Perennials with exceptional details on the pruning and maintenance of perennials. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Boston Globe, Years Best Garden Books, December 3, 1998
This is the book of the year for anyone who gardens with perennials.


Organic Gardening, January/February 1999
Hands-on advice that gardeners of all experience levels will find valuable.


John Van de Water, The Star-Ledger, April 5, 1998
...this is the best book ever on the maintenance of perennials, with detailed discussions of deadheading, pinching, disbudding and pruning.


(Jean S. Wexler, Vineyard Gazette)
It is the most comprehensive coverage of plants needs I have ever found. I cant find anything to fault in this splendid book.(Jean S. Wexler, Vineyard Gazette (Marthas Vineyard, MA), May 22, 1998)


Judith Dadswell, Hardy Plant Society UK, Autumn 1998
"Not only are the instructions easy to follow, ... reasoning behind them is clearly explained with ... colour plates and simple diagrams."


Natalie Walsh, Daily Gazette , July 22, 1999
"A book destined to become as indispensable in the garden as the trowel..."


Grow Line
"The guesswork is gone! DiSabato-Aust gives us a guide to the picture perfect garden like those featured in magazines..."


Bill Funkhouser, Perennial Notes, XV, No. 2 2000
"The Well-Tended Perennial Garden should be part of every perennial library. "


Book Description
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 maintenance. The first key to success lies in good site planning and plant selection that emphasizes each plant’s 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 gardener’s 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.


From the Publisher
Tracy DiSabato-Aust has devoted years of study to creating showplace gardens with minimal maintenance. Her methods of pruning and shaping perennials, thoroughly explained and illustrated here, produce more flowers, encourage lush new growth, discourage pests, stagger bloom times, and maintain vigorous health. In just over two years, this has become Timber Press's all-time bestselling hardcover, with more than 60,000 copies in print.


About the Author
Tracy DiSabato-Aust received B.S. and M.S. degrees in horticulture from The Ohio State University. She has worked for more than twenty years as a landscape designer, horticultural consultant, writer, and lecturer, receiving numerous horticultural awards. Tracy's feature articles have appeared in Fine Gardening and the American Nurseryman, and her garden has been featured in Country Gardens magazine.


Excerpted from Well-Tended Perennial Garden : Planting & Pruning Techniques by Tracy Disabato-Aust, Steven M. Still. Copyright © 1998. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Generally speaking, plants that are not pruned in the autumn need to be cut back, or possibly deadleafed, in the spring. Perennials like Asarum, Bergenia, Helleborus, and Heuchera need to have their dead leaves removed, particularly if they have been exposed to windburn or sunscald. Epimedium and Helleborus need to be cut back early in spring so that the new flowers and leaves are not masked by the previous season’s tattered remains. Rotary mowers can be used on large plantings of Epimedium . The groundcover Liriope spicata also can be mown down in the spring. Moss phlox ( Phlox subulata ) may incur dead branches over the winter, or portions of the plant may die out, and these should be removed at this time. Evergreens may not need any additional pruning in the spring in some years, as their foliage stays fresh over the winter. Phlox stolonifera, Dianthus gratianopolitanus , and Arabis procurrens are just a few that usually fair well. Most often evergreen basal foliage doesn’t need any additional pruning in the spring. Certain subshrubs have their overwintering buds above ground, which classifies them botanically as woody plants but horticulturally they are classified with herbaceous perennials. They benefit from snow cover for protection and may experience tip die-back on the part of the plant above the snow line. Spring is the time to prune off those dead tips. This group includes heather ( Calluna vulgaris ), evergreen candytuft ( Iberis sempervirens ), lavender ( Lavandula ), germander ( Teucrium ), and thymes ( Thymus ). They may also need a hard cutting back in the spring if they start to grow leggy. . . . Lavender normally only needs its dead tips cut off in late spring or early summer, once all the woody growth has had a chance to break. Often the beginning gardener will prune back lavender hard before winter, only to be disappointed that it doesn’t return at all the following spring. Lavender may need a hard cutting back (down to 4 to 6 in.) in spring every 2 to 3 years to hold a decent habit if it has become open and leggy or if it’s being used as a hedge. It can be cut back hard annually for hedging. . . . I do most spring pruning in the early spring before new growth begins, usually sometime in late March or early April. Gardeners in milder climates [than Ohio] may need to get an earlier start. You don’t want a lot of new growth in the way while you are trying to clean-up the old stems and leaves. If some new growth is hit during spring clean-up, no harm done—perennials are very forgiving and will be quick to fill in, but if you cut it too late you may be altering the plant’s ultimate height and even its flowering time on early blooming species.

ANNOTATION

This guide to garden maintenance shows how careful planning and judicious care can extend the visual pleasure of your garden from a few brief days to long weeks and even months. Learn about deadheading, pinching, cutting back, thinning, disbudding, deadleafing, and other techniques that will produce more flowers, encourage growth, and stagger bloom time. Color photos and black-and-white line drawings.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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 maintenance. The first key to success lies in good site planning and plant selection that emphasizes each plant's strengths. But what is most important 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 has covered 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 gardener's arsenal that are thoroughly explained and illustrated. There is also an extensive encyclopedia of important perennial species and cultivars that clearly 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 and lists of plants with specific pruning requirements.

SYNOPSIS

This guide to garden maintenance shows how careful planning and judicious care can extend the visual pleasure of your garden from a few brief days to long weeks and even months. Learn about deadheading, pinching, cutting back, thinning, disbudding, deadleafing, and other techniques that will produce more flowers, encourage growth, and stagger bloom time. Color photos and black-and-white line drawings.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

To pinch or not to pinch is not the only question addressed here. Horticulturist DiSabato-Aust affirms that pinching is essential for plant robustness and an extended blooming season. In addition to explaining how and where to pinch a plant, she details correct techniques for deadheading, effectively removing the mystery from perennial pruning by referring to it "as grooming, shaping, shearing or snipping." Recognizing the diverse styles of gardens and gardeners, she demonstrates how different approaches to pruning can produce varied growth and blooming patterns. Also offered is information on site selection, soil preparation, planting and disease and pest control. Most impressive is the extensive encyclopedia of perennials which, drawing principally on her own field experience, focuses on pruning and maintenance practices. Practical appendices include a month-by-month calendar of pruning and maintenance tasks and a list of perennials arranged in 35 categories related to their specific pruning and maintenance requirements. Beth Ann Daye's line drawings and the author's color photos enhance the clarity of the text and make this book invaluable for both home gardeners and professionals. (Mar.)

Library Journal

Get two copies, one for reference and one for circulation. The last two-thirds is an A-Z Encyclopedia of Perennials with exceptional details on the pruning and maintenance of perennials. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

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