Learn how to build an enduring, resilient, and biodiverse landscape prized by pollinators and people alike from the foremost authority on gardening in North America. The second book in the American Horticultural Society's series of growing guides, Essential Guide to Perennial Gardening is a comprehensive and modern guide to cultivating and caring for perennial plants, including many perennials native to North America. Whether you grow in full sun or a shady corner, in a small space or a large landscape, the insight and guidance offered by the experts at AHS ensure you'll have a thriving, bloom-filled garden. Included inside: Strategies for designing the perennial garden of your dreams or incorporating perennials into an existing garden Advice on selecting the best perennials for your climate and design styleTechniques for fostering a robust and adaptable garden that requires lower maintenance Eco-friendly approaches to managing pests and diseases Information on routine perennial plant-care tasks such as dividing, pruning, pinching, staking, and fertilizingInsight on garden maintenance methods that do not negatively impact pollinators and other wildlifeOver 150 perennial plant profiles with photographs and specific care advice This complete and contemporary manual contains all the information you need to grow perennials successfully in the face of today's many gardening challenges, including weather extremes, invasive pests, water-use restrictions, and other such trials. Its modern approach to perennial gardening focuses on treating the garden as an ecosystem that depends less on human interference and more on natural resiliency. Also included in this series are Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening and Essential Guide to Ecological Gardening.