A Garden of Possibilities

I know what you’re thinking…not another book about designing with perennials and ornamental grasses, how could this one be any different from the oodles of others out there?  Well, I’ll tell you how.

First of all, the author, Adrian Bloom literally has plants in his blood.  Undoubtedly, you have heard of the line of perennials called ‘Blooms of Bressingham’.  Well, our author is the current president of Bressingham’s (his father started the famous English nursery back in the 1920′s), as well as a noted gardener and writer.  So who better to help you sift through the growing offering of perennials and grasses and find the ones that are reliable from season to season and year to year?

What I really liked about Bloom’s Best is, that in addition to the usual plant profiles (the book has descriptions of almost 400 plants) and maintenance tips, Bloom offers a chapter on what he calls “twelve tried and true plants” that “provide year-round interest often in the form of spectacular flower and foliage that changes with the seasons”.  Isn’t that what we’re all looking for in our gardens? 

The photos in Bloom’s Best, taken by the author and his son, Richard, are simply stunning.  There is a photo of each plant profiled (one of the yardsticks I use to measure gardening books – for the life of me I can’t figure out why you would publish a book about plants and not have a photo of each and every one included…sorry for the rant but that’s a pet peeve!).  Many of the photos give the reader a long view of the garden so you get a better sense of how Bloom combines plants in actual settings.   The photo of the river of ‘Rozanne’ is a personal favorite and perfectly illustrates Bloom’s genius in combining plants.

So what’s the bottom line?  Bloom’s Best Perennials and Grasses deserves a place on every gardener’s book shelf.  Even if you have to give away a perennial dust collector to make room for it!

Note:  I received this book from the publisher, Timber Press for the purpose of reviewing it.