Tracy diSabato-Aust, The Well-Tended Perennial Garden, is great. Wonderful advice on maintenance. I still haven't gotten a copy of her new book, The Well-Designed Perennial Gardenm which has also gotten rave reviews.

Elizabeth Murray, Monet's Passion, has some overlays showing what's blooming in different seasons in the back of the book. Very nicely done, you may want to look at this book for ideas.

clemmybug:

the author is Lois Hole, a well-known (in Canada) nurserywoman from Holes Nursery - she wrote a number of books on cold weather gardening.

you might want to look for books relating to your hardiness zone for plant selection (I wholeheartedly agree with the above recommendation for Tracy's book)

Growing Perennials in Cold Climates, by Mike Heger and John Whitman is excellent. Also look for Ornamental Grasses for Cold Climates from the University of Minnesota, for a good list of zone 4/5 perennial grasses.

good luck with your project.

PP

O.K. Thank you so much for the recommendations. I will go to Chapters and find an appropriate book. As far as the plants are concerned, that I have covered already. Some of the plants I have selected are hardy to zone 2. I have a college booklet "Hardy Perennials for the Garden" that gives many examples of some of the flowers I could use but some of them I just don't like. Since I am going to use this to actually create a garden at home, I'd really like to have plants that I like and that are not high maintenance. The books that I presently have are:
1) Perennial Gardening Guide by John M. Valleau
2) Perennial Garden (Flowers for 3 seasons by Harrowsmith -Patrick Lima (this one is pretty good)
3) The Cottage Gardener's Companion-by the cottage garden society
4) The New Greener Thumb by Mark Cullen
5) The Perennial Gardener's Design Primer by Stephanie Cohen and Nancy J. Ondra.
6) Perennials by James Underwood Crockett

The last 5 I have on loan from a local library. What I am looking for mainly is a book that describes how to set up a design with many overlays. I'm not quite sure how to start doing this. One book says to start from autumn and start from the back to the front and others have different opinions so I am left somewhat overwhelmed. I'd really like to go to Chapters with a referred book in mind and purchase one that explains this garden designing well.

Thanks for the correction about the author. I wasn't sure since I was told from a lady at the library. I do live in Canada where we often get cold, harsh, winters.

Thanks again for the help.
Happy Gardening
Clemmybug

This one won't give you the design overlays instruction, but it's one of the best I've seen on this theme. It's Christopher Lloyd's Succession Planting for Year Round Pleasure. He's a famed English gardener in an area which gets cold winters. At least try to look at it from the library. Truly helpful information about structure, seasons, etc. And, it's gorgeous. km

Thanks km I'm keeping record of the books people recommend. Sure appreciate it.

Also...BEDS AND BORDERS FOR YEAR ROUND COLOUR by Jill Cowley. British author. Good book with ideas which should be helpful.

The Di Sabato-Aust book is first rate for the kind of job you're working on.

Best of luck!

Thank you very much Nandina. I will look through that book also if I find it. Several people have recommended the Tracy Di-Sabato book so I definitely will need to look for that. Perhaps I might find it at Chapters book store. Thank you so much for adding your recomendations GreenieBeanie and everyone else that offered help. Best of luck to all of you also.
Happy Gardening
Clemmybug

It has been my experience that the planting site will dictate to you what to plant.If the area has full sun and irrigation the possiblities are greater than no irrigation or no regular maintenance, which limits you to xeric plants.Maybe look in to Sunset books on Low Maintenance Gardening also Sunset All about Annuals book.A really good place to buy books for half price or less www.half.com you can even add a wish list for books you are looking for.

Thank you so much nansgarden. This garden does get full sun. I have bought a few books so far that have been excellent. Luis Hole's "Perennial favorites" - (100 Best for Cooler Climates), Time Life Complete Gardener - "Combining Plants",and Orthos' "All About Perennials." Now I have a good baseline of what I am going to plant, plus I have purchased over 400 bulbs. I'm really looking forward to working on this assignment and I thank you for your help. I will keep my eye out for Sunset books in the meantime on www.half.com.
Happy Gardening
Clemmybug