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Perennial Gardening
*** This Guide is No Longer Being Actively Maintained ***
by Annette Waterman, Librarian
Annuals vs. Perennials?
Choose perennials if you don’t want to plant every year … perennials will come back year after year following even the coldest CNY winter. But starting and maintaining a perennial garden can be a daunting proposition for the new gardener. Unlike annuals, perennials need careful selection and maintenance.
Hardiness Zone for CNY
It’s important to know what you can plant in Central NY. The USDA publishes a plant hardiness zone map.
This guide will help you locate resources to start and maintain your blooms.
Please Choose from the Following:
Books, Videos, Computer Software
Magazines
Databases
Websites
Local Resources
Books, Videos, Computer Software
Here are some useful Subject Headings to search for materials:
Flower Gardening
Flowers—Diseases and Pests
Garden Borders
Gardens—Design
Landscape Gardening
Perennials
Books
Getting Started:
Beginner’s Guide to Gardening (Reader’s Digest)
Includes sections on soil, plant selection, plants for special places, weeds, pests.
American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening
A giant book full of practical information about every aspect of gardening.
Reader’s Digest New Illustrated Guide to Gardening
Contains excellent sections to help identify perennials, rock plants, trees, etc., plus gardening basics.
The New Flower Gardener
by Pippa Greenwood
Everything you need to know about basic planting, propagation & care, plus an “A-list” of personal favorites of the author.
Identification & Selection:
Taylor’s 50 Best Perennials for Sun
Taylor’s Guide to Bulbs
Taylor’s Guide to Ground Covers
Taylor’s Guide to Ornamental Grasses
Taylor’s Guide to Perennials
Taylor’s Guide to Shade Gardening
The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting & Pruning Techniques
by Tracey DiSabato-Aust
Features information plant by plant about what to prune, and how and when to prune it.
Gardening in the Northeast:
Native Plants of the Northeast: A Guide for Gardening and Conservation
by Donald J. Leopold
Syracuse resident and Distinguished Teaching Professor at SUNY/ESF Don Leopold identifies plants native to our region and suitable for your garden.
Videos & Computer Software
Rebecca’s Garden v. 1: Basic Gardening
from the TV show
The Best of Ground Force
British garden makeover series
Computer Software
Better Homes and Gardens Complete Guide to Gardening
Instructional videos, full-color photos, and a searchable plant database
Magazines
American Gardener
Better Homes and Gardens
Fine Gardening
Horticulture
Databases
For articles about perennials , see OCPL’s Online Databases. Here you can access magazine and journal articles, newspapers, and reference books 24 hours a day using your OCPL library card and PIN number.
For in-library use of the online databases, please see a librarian.
Websites
GardenWeb
Your best all-around source of gardening information on the web. Includes the HortiPlex Database to look up specific plants, dictionary of botanical terms, Q&A, Events, and a forum to discuss gardening issues and exchange information. No need to register if you are only reading the posts, but free to register if you want to post a question. Also check out the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions).
Of special interest is the forum specifically for Upstate New York gardeners.
Cornell Cooperative Extension Service
Another great site! Get help with problems about soil & composting, pests, and weather. It even includes a searchable database where you may enter the plant characteristics you desire, and they will tell you what to plant.
GardenBuddies.com
“Where friends meet to share their gardens”
Home Depot Garden Club
Garden basics, FAQs, plant care guides and a gardening calculator to determine how much mulch, etc. you’ll need. Free, but you must register.
Local Resources
Carol Bradford writes an excellent weekly garden column on Saturday in The Post Standard.
E-mail Carol at features@syracuse.com and she will answer your gardening questions.
Also, don’t miss the calendar in The Post Standard's Home & Garden section on Saturday that tells you what to do and when to do it around the home and garden. Here you will also find gardening events, classes sponsored by local nurseries, trip to garden shows, etc.
OCRRA (Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency) will take your grass clippings and other yard waste and turn them into mulch and compost for your garden. Also find information here about the annual Earth Day Cleanup program.
Last updated: June 26, 2010