One of the top three things that clients request for their landscaping project is seasonal color year-round. One of the fastest, easiest and best ways to do this is by including perennials in your installations. The problem is that there are literally thousands and thousands of perennials to choose from, making perennial selections an overwhelming task for most contractors. And the truth of the matter is that you can't just plant daylilies and hostas everywhere.

The self-proclaimed Perennial Diva Stephanie Cohen has got you covered. She discusses her favorite tried and true perennials (and some grasses, too) that will give your clients the color that you want, while working within their budget and limiting the amount of maintenance that is required throughout the year.

She also goes over:

-Perennial garden design basics
-Her top 10 tried and true perennials
-Sequential color throughout the year
-More than just flower color
-Divide and conquer
-Perennial bed maintenance opportunities
-Her bottom 10 perennials
-What about the natives?
-Perennials vs. annuals

Cohen has taught herbaceous plants and perennial design at Temple University for over 20 years. She was the Founder and Director of the Landscape Arboretum at Temple University, Ambler. She is a contributing editor for “Fine Gardening”, the advisory board for “Green Profit” and is a regional writer for The Blooms of Bressingham Plant Program.

She has received three awards from the Perennial Plant Association for design, as well as receiving their Service and Academic Award. She has received awards from Temple University, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and The American Nursery and Landscape Association for Garden Communicator of the Year 2000. She is the first woman to receive the honor award from The Perennial Plant Association at their meeting in 2005 in Canada

In 2005, she became a fellow of Temple University Alumni Association, the highest award given to an alumna. She has lectured coast to coast, including Alaska, and has been featured on QVC TV as the “Perennial Diva.”

In 2005, she also wrote a book on perennial garden design called “The Perennial Gardeners Design Primer,” published by Storey Press. It was chosen by The Garden Writer's of America as the winner in the best overall book category.

She has also written three other books published by Timber Press. In 2007, she authored "Fallscaping", 2011 she published “The Non-Stop Garden” and her newest book, “Greenhouse Grower" was just translated into Russian.

For more information, visit www.theperennialdiva.com.