Review by Martha Quillen
Gardening – June 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine
Best Perennials for the Rocky Mountains and High Plains
by Celia Tannehill and James E. Klett, Ph.D.
Published in 2002 by
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension
ISBN 188914309X
THIS BEAUTIFUL, four-color, 128-page bulletin reports on the performance of perennials in CSU’s W.D. Holley Plant Environmental Research Center. An update of a 1989 publication, this book offers a lot of information on planning a perennial garden, including: whether to plant in sun or shade; whether the flowers can be cut or used in dried arrangements; whether the plant is fragrant, poisonous, or attractive to bees and hummingbirds.
Individual plant descriptions offer information on common pests, soil preparation, particular problems, and what to plant nearby. Tables in the back list plants that are recommended for ground covers, drought tolerance, and longevity. Graphs show which week plants had the most blooms in Fort Collins, so you can mix, match or contrast foliage, flowers, and colors.
Best Perennials also includes a section on ornamental grasses and a glossary, and there’s even an appendix of plants that haven’t done well in CSU’s research gardens, along with information on what went wrong (eg. Crambe cordifolia Has not bloomed; leaves damaged by chewing insects).
BUT CSU’S GARDENS are in Fort Collins at 5,007 feet; their last frost usually comes in the first week of May and summer extends into late September, so not every flower will behave the same way in Central Colorado. It would have been nice if the authors had included a little more information on alternate climates, growing seasons, and altitude, but they didn’t, and plants are bound to perform very differently up above Leadville, Ohio City, and Bonanza.
The plants in this book have proven reliably cold-hardy in Fort Collins, though, so most of them will probably do all right in our milder regions — like Salida, Saguache, and Cañon. But I did notice that some of their plants had survived through a lot more winters than mine have — including Shasta Daisies (19 years) and Gaillardia grandiflora (8). I’m not sure whether that’s due to my gardening skills or our climate in Salida, but I suspect that local gardeners will find numerous discrepancies in longevity, growth, and pest problems.
Anyway, Best Perennials is chock-full of pictures, information and helpful charts, but to plan a successful perennial garden in the mountains, you’ll still need to consult a local nursery.
–Martha Quillen