Perennial Gardening With Derek Fell

This wonderfully readable series by premier gardening writer and photographer Derek Fell presents invaluable information on every element of gardening from design and planting to maintaining and harvesting. Each information-packed volume includes: -- A discussion of Fell's gardening principles, including site evaluation, soil testing and conditioning, selection of appropriate plants, and tips on care and maintenance -- The basics of garden design, with tips on creating striking color harmonies and special theme gardens, complete with sample garden plants that detail effective designs -- An A-to-Z listing of Fell's recommendations for truly superior plants -- each entry includes a full-color photograph, a complete description of the plant, cultivation information and propagation methods, the season of bloom, disease and pest resistance, and the plant's best usesSolid advice from one of the world's foremost gardening authorities and a focus on results that are both beautiful and achievable makes this series perfect for beginners and experienced gardeners alike.

What gardeners want most is a bigger and better return on their investment of time and money—maximum yields and superior flavor for edibles, long-lasting blooms for flowers. Derek Fell's Grow This! features expert advice for choosing and growing the top-performing plants (and avoiding the ones that disappoint). Derek Fell has grown hundreds of varieties and annually visits gardens and test plots across America, so he's qualified to guide gardeners to the best of the best—more than 600 vegetable, flower, herb, and lawn grass all-stars. He offers honest feedback about plant performance, even when it contradicts favorable public opinion or a grower's claims. Seed racks may be filled with ‘Kentucky Wonder' snap beans, but he dismisses that variety as too fibrous and needy and instead recommends ‘Blue Lake' beans for tenderness and high yields. Fell's firsthand experience means the difference between choosing plant winners and losers. Packed with insider evaluations from seedsmen, growers, and nursery retailers that readers won't find elsewhere, Derek Fell's Grow This! explains industry lingo and debunks marketing hype to help gardeners select the best-performing plants for all garden conditions and goals.

A visual sourcebook offers ways to use perennials in any setting for creative gardens year round.

The biggest mistake gardeners make each season is starting out too big and then quickly realizing their large plot requires too much weeding, watering, and backbreaking labor. Vertical gardening guarantees a better outcome from the day the trowel hits the soil—by shrinking the amount of "floor" space needed and focusing on climbing plants that are less prone to insects, diseases, and animal pests. Notable author and gardener Derek Fell has tried and tested thousands of varieties of vegetables, flowers, and fruits and recommends the best plants for space-saving vertical gardening. His grow-up, grow-down system also shows which ground-level plants make good companions underneath and alongside climbing plants. Best of all, many of Fell's greatest climbers and mutually beneficial plants are available in seed packets in every local garden center. With a mix of DIY and commercially available string supports, trellises, pergolas, raised beds, skyscraper gardens, and topsy-turvy planters, the vertical garden system reduces work, increases yields, makes harvesting easier, and can be practiced in spaces as small as a container or a one-by-four-foot strip. Vertical Gardening features 100 color photos of the author's own vertical methods and showcases beautiful, troublefree perennials, shrubs, vegetables, annuals, and fruit perfect for this new, rewarding way to garden.

America's premier gardening authority provides everything you need to know about garden plants in four conveniently sized, spiral-bound guides. Each book, covering more than two hundred varieties of plants, supplies botanical and common names, a description of foliage and blooms, a listing of the most favorable garden zones, and most popular uses.

Solid advice from one of the world's foremost gardening authorities and a focus on results that are both beautiful and achievable makes this book perfect for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. Full color throughout.

What gardeners want most is a bigger and better return on their investment of time and money--maximum yields and superior flavor for edibles, long-lasting blooms for flowers. "Derek Fell's Grow This! "features expert advice for choosing and growing the top-performing plants (and avoiding the ones that disappoint). Derek Fell has grown hundreds of varieties and annually visits gardens and test plots across America, so he's qualified to guide gardeners to the best of the best--more than 600 vegetable, flower, herb, and lawn grass all-stars. He offers honest feedback about plant performance, even when it contradicts favorable public opinion or a grower's claims. Seed racks may be filled with 'Kentucky Wonder' snap beans, but he dismisses that variety as too fibrous and needy and instead recommends 'Blue Lake' beans for tenderness and high yields. Fell's firsthand experience means the difference between choosing plant winners and losers. Packed with insider evaluations from seedsmen, growers, and nursery retailers that readers won't find elsewhere, "Derek Fell's Grow This! "explains industry lingo and debunks marketing hype to help gardeners select the best-performing plants for all garden conditions and goals.

Practical advice and personal favorites from the best-selling author and television show host.