Fallscaping

June 18, 2007
Pennsylvania gardeners Ondra and Cohen (Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer
) bring imaginative ideas, practical techniques and new inspiration to autumn, that often-neglected tail end of the gardening year. According to the authors, the “key players” of “fallscaping” include the multicolored foliage of trees, grasses and other plants; flashy seedheads and berries; long-blooming perennials; late-blooming sedums, coneflowers, asters and goldenrod; the surprising fall-blooming crocuses, daffodils and lilies; and vines like honeysuckle and sweet autumn clematis. Ondra and Cohen submit a number of fall-friendly garden plans, complete with shopping lists, from a “high and dry” garden of echinaceas, lavenders and feather reed grass to a vegetable, herb and flower kitchen garden of peppers and basils (to be brought inside before cold weather) and kale and chard (to carry the harvest into winter), with colorful touches of alpine strawberries, sunflowers and pansies. Interspersed throughout are “Fall Techniques,” with practical, down-to-earth information on how to divide perennials and design suggestions on planning paths, as well as more wacky ideas like spray-painting seedheads. The book ends with a “Fall Garden Care Primer,” delineating ways to evaluate your garden, improve your soil, build new beds, take cuttings, prepare plants for winter, store your tools and care for your lawn (a long section). Full of useful details and lush photographs, this book rounds out the growing year and may fill a gap in many a gardening library.

August 1, 2007
Garden writers Ondra and Cohen ("Perennial Gardener's Design Primer") team up again to bring excitement and fun to fall gardening. Though many of us do not specifically plan for autumn gardens, the authors remind us that long-blooming perennials, hardy bulbs, showy seedheads and berries, and late-flowering trees and shrubs are some of the key players that combine with multiseason plants to create bursts of color that last from the spring through the "dog days" of summer and into the crisp, cooler fall. Interspersed throughout the book are full-color spreads, both photos and drawings, that vividly illustrate "Fall Techniques," with practical advice for taking cuttings and saving seeds, creating new garden sites, and using your autumn garden to provide supplemental food and shelter for birds and other wildlife. Ten well-designed garden plans with shopping lists cover a range of color themes and growing conditions while demonstrating variations on putting together the ideas and suggestions that the book offers. The crown jewel of this book is the culminating "Fall Garden Care Primer" and calendar, listing helpful tips for evaluating your garden; improving the soil; planting, transplanting, and propagating plants; preparing gardens for winter; and maintaining garden tools. This book will likely fill a gap in many library gardening collections and will be a good addition to specialized and public libraries.Eboni A. Francis, Ohio State Univ. Libs., Columbus

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2007
Gardens in fall are often deemed the poor stepchildren of their showier spring and summer counterparts, and there is simply no good reason why this should be the case. With their dazzling foliage colors, vivid blossoms, and tantalizing berries, fall gardens abound with sensory treats. In their engrossing and enthusiastic look at the marvels of autumn gardening, renowned garden writers Ondra and Cohen reveal the wealth of suitable and stunning plants destined to be the stars of any garden setting. Profiling trees and shrubs prized for their brilliant foliage, ornamental grasses treasured for their etherealseedheads, and hardy bulbs cherished for their surprising versatility, Ondra and Stephanie Cohen encourage gardeners to think beyond the traditional chrysanthemum/aster/goldenrod garden palette. With helpful sidebars covering such topics as invasive species and debris disposal; full-color illustrations of inventive planting designs for dozens of landscape challenges; and a comprehensive, basic care primer, Ondra and Cohens vibrant and authoritative guide is a must-have resource for those wishing to maximize their gardens potential.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)