Five-Plant Gardens: 52 Ways to Grow a Perennial Garden with Just Five Plants

Planting an eye-popping perennial garden is the intended result of following the guidelines used by Ondra (The Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer). In her newest, Ondra cuts through the confusion that would otherwise attend the process of creating a border or bed, including tips for creating a garden for a particular season or color scheme. She helps the gardener with a simple key: planting a magic five plants for a variety of beds. Her guidelines, which include a “shopping list” for each bed, reflect her skill as an accomplished horticulturist and include diverse color options (for example, “Stunning in Silver,” “Think Pink”) and seasonal schemes. She draws sound distinctions, differentiating, for example, between full-sun-to-partial-shade and partial-to-full-shade gardens. Other highlights include the color photography of Rob Cardillo and a generous supply of design plans. The reader will benefit from this gardener’s eye and her sharing of knowledge. More to the point, the resulting garden will be so simple yet sophisticated that it will look easy. (Mar.)