Continuous Color

A guide to using more than flowers to make a beautiful garden, this book discusses the small trees and shrubs that make up much of the structure for contemporary gardens. Trees and shrubs are arranged according to months of interest with many of the trees’ characteristics described through multiple seasons—flowers in spring, foliage in summer, foliage and fruit in fall, and bark in winter. Gardeners can find the information they need quickly, and each of the 272 entries include beautiful photographs showing the plant characteristics in a natural setting. Specific gardening information is listed for each tree—the plant type, zone grown in, fruit or flower, habit or foliage, height, width, spacing, light, soil, care, uses in the garden, problems, insider’s tips, and complimentary plants. Deciduous, evergreen, and broadleaf evergreen trees and shrubs are all profiled.

Pam Duthie is a landscape designer who owns her own design company, The Gifted Gardener, and is the author of Continuous Bloom. She lives in Northbrook, Illinois.