The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Perennials

Great read, overall, very informative. This in an international audience, so while it doesn't have a lot about North American Natives, I did find it to be a really well written, and well thought out book. I loved the organization of chapters, and the photos were excellent.

The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Perennials is an excellent and thorough resource for all gardening enthusiasts. A comprehensive introduction to gardening explains various garden types, best practices when choosing perennials, and how to plant and care for them. Detailed and beautifully illustrated descriptions of the most common perennials include growing requirements and tips. Also included are 12 projects, or “challenges”, meant to grow the reader’s ability and confidence in growing and living with perennials. A truly beautiful book that would make a lovely gift.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion, Frances Lincoln for this advance digital review copy.

I know nothing about plants, other than I think they look beautiful. This book is perfect for a complete beginner like me! It covers all the basics and equipment in the introductory chapter, and then gives a comprehensive guide to the most common perennials. It features detailed illustrations of each plant, but also the real life photograph, alongside the plant’s stats, and how to go about growing it. It features top tips, a troubleshooting section, a helpful garden timeline, so you know what to at what point in the year, and various themed projects throughout the book.
Would definitely recommend.
Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion and Netgalley for an eARC of this book to read and review.

This is a good general guide to gardening with perennials, as you'd expect with a book produced by the superb Kew Gardens. It would make an excellent gift to a new gardener, but is of less use to an experienced one, who would probably already have a library of books covering the same ground as well as knowledge gained through practice and through visiting other gardens, the latter always being a great source of new ideas. The publishers describe as "entry level".

The Kew guide is divided into Projects - chapters, really - on different topics such as gravel gardening, container growing, unifying a border and so on, with each project also focusing on a number of individual plants in greater depth. These are mostly bread-and-butter plants familiar in British gardens - though a handful are perhaps slightly less familiar, baptisia and macleaya for instance - but I think all would be readily available, if not at always at a garden centre then an online nursery would supply them. In the Table of Contents they are all called by their common names, but alternative names are also given, along with the Latin species, so there should be no problems identifying them. A colour drawing is given with each flower description, but there's also an inset photograph.

There's a chapter on troubleshooting plant problems which, I was pleased to see, gives more space to dealing organically with issues than to chemical solutions, which it cautions against using too readily. Propagation and retaining seedheads are covered and a final chapter gives advice on seasonal gardening; there is also an adequate index.

My copy, provided by NetGalley was a e-book, so I can't comment on the physical production of the book, but it looks well-produced and the hardback edition should be nice to handle. All-in-all, a nice guide, out usefully in time for the Christmas market and, if you have a new gardener in the family, you won't go far wrong with choosing this book for them.

"Growing Perennials" is an exceptional gardening resource that I highly recommend to all plant enthusiasts. This book is an invaluable guide packed with a wealth of information on perennials, making it an essential addition to any gardener's library. I love the abundance of guidance it offers; from detailed explanations on planting and care to insightful tips on maintaining perennials throughout the year, it provides comprehensive and practical advice. The inclusion of illustrations and photos is a huge plus, as they not only enhance the learning experience but also make it easier to identify and select the perfect perennials for your garden.

Personally, I find this book to be a must-have if you are a new gardener. It's a valuable companion that will help you create and maintain a beautiful perennial garden.