The long-awaited third edition of Allan Armitage’s masterpiece on garden perennials was released in April of 2008. Armitage’s extensive traveling, teaching and trialing experiences provide a depth of understanding of the best ornamental perennials for North American gardens unparalleled by any other garden writer. One of the most definitive and conclusive books written about perennials, the first edition was designated as one of the best 75 books written in the last 75 years by the American Horticulture Society, and the third is even better! The third edition of “The Big Perennial Book” (as it is fondly referred to by many practitioners) describes 3,600 species in 1224 pages. More than 300 color photos complement detailed text filled with the author’s pointed observations of plant performance, cultivar selection and current taxonomy. Allan’s trademark wit and passion are both in abundance, making reading as pleasurable as it is informative.