The Coastal Gardener:

If you are hiring either a landscape designer or a landscape architect there is only one simple question you need to ask. It will tell you just about everything you need to know concerning their abilities: “Are you familiar with any of Bob Perry’s books?”

That should do. If you get a blank stare, it’s time to move on. “Next please.”

In 1980, Perry published his first book, “Trees and Shrubs for Dry California Landscapes.” It’s hard to understand today, but at the time there was little concern for climate appropriate plants and a “dry” garden was about as popular as a root canal. However, the book was the precursor of a gardening movement few imagined at the time.

In 1992, Perry published his second book, an epic titled “Landscape Plants for Western Regions,” which is still in print. Immediately, it became the standard reference for a new era of Western plant selections. Since then, it has been a common plant reference, a popular textbook and a pictorial plant guide for anyone wishing to better understand the mysteries of a myriad of new plants, all seeming to engulf and overwhelm California’s gardening world.

In the meantime, while working on his books, Perry had a day job. He has been designing gardens for 40 years and became a licensed landscape architect in 1972. He runs his own landscape architecture firm in Claremont, Perry & Associates Collaborative. Because of his long tenure as a horticulture and landscape design professor at UCLA, USC and especially at Cal Poly Pomona, where he is professor emeritus, his huge legion of disciples are well seeded throughout local horticulture, especially in the professional trade.

Perry’s latest book, “Landscape Plants for California Gardens,” is his latest gift to area gardeners and professionals. Released two weeks ago, the book was 17 years in the making and is published by Perry himself. Without debate, this is the best book ever written about California’s garden plants.

“Landscape Plants for California Gardens” is larger-than-life. At eight pounds, 650 pages and an $87.50 price tag, this is a serious volume. The book details 2,100 plants, with more than 3,100 full-color pictures. While the Sunset Western Garden Book tackles plants from Hawaii to Alaska and east to the Rocky Mountains, “Landscape Plants for California Gardens” focuses exclusively on California.