Five-Plant Gardens by Nancy Ondra (Book Review)

Available on Amazon

Recently I was given the opportunity to check out Nancy Ondra's latest book called Five-Plant Gardens. Nancy Ondra writes the blog Hayefield and has written several other books including The Perennial Care Manual.  She is definitely what I consider and expert on perennial plants! This latest book isn't about the care of the plants it's about how to go about creating a sustainable plan for your perennial garden.  If you are passionate about perennials then this book can help you plan a fantastic perennial garden that will return each year.


Five-Plant Gardens does just what the title says, it takes five types of plants and makes them into an easy to plant garden plan. Included in each plan section is a synopsis of the plants, a diagram showing the placement of the plants, and an artist's rendering of what the garden will look like.

The photography in the book is beautiful and just what I've come to expect when I see Rob Cardillo listed on the cover.

I've only just begun to explore the ideas in her book.  Nancy has put together 52 garden plans which make it a very diverse collection of garden plants for virtually any type of garden! The beginning of Five-Plant Gardens contains some expert advice about shopping for plants, plant selection for garden zones, and some basic design concepts for expanding the garden designs.

I highly recommend this book but it's only fair to point out that Nancy has shared seed with me for some very special plants in the past.  She's a generous person who loves to share her knowledge of plants to those willing to learn.  To me that makes this book even more valuable!

You can find Five-Plant Gardens: 52 Ways to Grow a Perennial Garden with Just Five Plantson Amazon. Please make sure you visit her blog Hayefield, you will learn a lot!