Each year, the esteemed Perennial Plant Association picks one fairly new plant to be honored as plant of the year.

For 2008, the nod goes to a perennial geranium known as ‘Rozanne.’ I know it’s a good plant because it has always been out of stock every time I’ve tried to order it in the last two or three years.

‘Rozanne’ has one of the longest flowering periods of any of the hardy geraniums — from late spring to mid-fall. It gets its name from Donald and Rozanne Waterer, who discovered this strong-performing hardy geranium in their garden in Somerset, England, in 1989.

The iridescent violet-blue flowers are about 2 and one-half inches wide, with purple-violet veins and radiant white centers.

‘Rozanne’ is hardy to USDA Zones 5 and likes full sun to partial shade and moist well-drained soil. It will grow 20 to 24 inches tall and 24 to 28 inches wide.

Good companion plants include salvias, hostas, Shasta daisy, speedwell and short ornamental grasses. It also does well in patio containers, window boxes and hanging baskets.

For a look at previous winners, visit the Perennial Plant Association Web site.

If you take a walk in the woods this time of year, Christmas ferns are one of the few green plants you’re likely to encounter. This native evergreen fern really comes into its own when everything around it is brown or gray.

Here’s a shot of one that our Peter Carr took at Teatown Lake Reservation in Yorktown.

Known botanically as Polystichum acrostichoides, Christmas fern got its name from early settlers of North America who used it in holiday decorations, according to John Mickel, author of the classic “Ferns for American Gardens� (Macmillan, 1994; Timber Press, 2003). His is the only book about ferns among the 75 honored as “Great American Garden Books� by the American Horticultural Society.

Mickel and his wife, Carol, have about 140 varieties of ferns in their Briarcliff Manor garden. They also mapped out the 24 species of ferns found in the Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Pocantico Hills and helped to produce an illustrated brochure for park visitors.

Christmas ferns, like all ferns, are practically the perfect plant for Hudson Valley gardeners: deer resistant, shade friendly and low maintenance. They particularly like moist woody areas with not much sun. My own property has lots of wet, shady spots and at the beginning of every winter I notice nearly twice as many Christmas ferns as the year before.

While cutting back a patch of dead and dying ferns earlier this fall…

I noticed a whole new layer of ferns beneath the dead ones.

Sure enough, these Christmas ferns had been thriving all summer beneath a canopy of larger ferns.

Just waiting to be uncovered for their time to shine in late fall and winter.

Christmas ferns grow to about 20 inches tall and wide, with all of the dark green fronds emerging from a central crown. As the plant ages, it produces more fronds.

Snow will flatten out the fronds over the course of the winter, and in early spring new fronds will begin to uncurl from the crown.

Christmas ferns look good with most plants in the shade garden, including hostas, bleeding hearts, pulmonaria, vinca and tiarella.

“P. Allen Smith’s Living in the Garden Home: Connecting the Seasons with Containers, Crafts, and Celebrations” (Clarkson Potter, $39.95) is a pretty coffee table book with a good list of gardening projects organized by season. Gorgeous photos with a fair amount of good text, too.

I used to always like his garden segments on the Weather Channel and I occasionally see his pieces on the “Today” show (I wish they wouldn’t race him through them so fast).

“The Homeowner’s Complete Tree & Shrub Handbook: The Essential Guide to Choosing, Planting, and Maintaining Perfect Landscape Plants” by Penelope O’Sullivan (Storey, $29.95). This book looks great, a true encyclopedia on trees and shrubs and how to select and care for them.

“Fallscaping: Extending Your Garden Season Into Fall” by Nancy J. Ondra and Stephanie Cohen (Storey, $22.95) offers lots of ideas on how to push the summer gardening season well into fall.

These two books both look good. I’m not particularly handy with tools so both are way beyond me.

“How to Build Your Own Greenhouse” by Roger Marshall (Storey, $24.95) offers lots of conventional plans that should work anywhere. Good schematics and clear directions.

“The Earth-Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book” by Mike Oehler (Mole Publishing, $24.95) looks like a fun read. Mike has lived on a 46-acre homestead in northern Idaho since 1971 and he’s got lots of notions about gardening and how to use the earth to your advantage when considering a greenhouse.

Like buying green, organic gardening has been everywhere this year, and I’ve been sent three new books on the topic in the last few months.

“Grow Organic: Over 250 Tips and Ideas for Growing Flowers, Veggies, Lawns and More” by Doug Oster and Jessica Walliser (St. Lynn’s Press, $18.95) is by no means the flashiest, but it looks like the one with the best information.

“The Organic Gardening Bible: Successful Gardening the Natural Way” by Bob Flowerdew (don’t you love it when authors’ names match the title topic?) (Taylor Trade, $24.95) also looks good. Very comprehensive.

“Newspaper, Pennies, Cardboard & Eggs for Growing a Better Garden” by Roger Yepsen and the editors of “Organic Gardening.” Great title and looks like a good book. It offers more than 400 projects, and luckily there’s a good index to help you find all the stuff that’s scattered through the book. Looks like a fast read, too – lots of graphics.

As you may have guessed by now, I’m trying to plow through the big pile of new garden books on my desk and let you know which ones look worthwhile—in time for last-minute holiday shopping (is there any other?).

“The Garden in Winter” by Suzy Bales (Rodale, $34.95) looks pretty good. Lots of gorgeous photos and a fair amount of substance in the text, including plant lists and descriptions.

Bales is a contributing editor for “Better Homes and Garden” and the author of 13 books. She also does garden segments for “Good Morning America.” She splits her time between Manhattan and Oyster Bay on Long Island, so the book is very New York friendly.

There’s a whole chapter on using berries, bark, branches and seedpods from the garden for Christmas decorations.

Another good book on the winter garden is “Wonders of the Winter Landscape” by Vincent Simeone (Ball, 2005.

I’ve heard him speak a couple of times on this topic and he’s very good. Also based on Long Island.

Looking for a last-minute stocking stuffer for a gardener? Try one of the slender All-Region guide books that the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has been writing and publishing since 1945. You can’t beat the price: $9.95.

This year, the Botanic Garden added three titles to its rich list of 188 handbooks:

• “Buried Treasures: Tasty Tubers of the World� by Beth Hanson et al. This is the Botanic Garden’s first handbook devoted to root vegetables and more than 30 edible tubers are included here, with growing tips and recipes.

• “Gardening with Children� by Monika Hannemann, Patricia Hulse, Brian Johnson, Barbara Kurland and Tracey Patterson. This hands-on array of more than 40 gardening activities is aimed at adults with 6- to-10-year-old children. Older children can enjoy the book on their own.

• “The Tree Care Primer� by Christopher Roddick with Beth Hanson. This comprehensive guide includes everything from matching trees to sites to pruning and long-term care. I particularly like the section on nursery and tool sources.

The easy-to-follow primers are 120 pages long, with lots of full-color photos and graphics. Find the books at local bookstores and garden centers or online at www.bbg.org or by calling 718-623-7286.

If you’ve got a gardener on your list, you can’t go wrong with a big, fat gardening tome to keep them amused and out of your hair for the next three months, until spring begins to break and they can get outdoors again.

Here’s a look at five gardening books on a wide range of topics that have come across my desk in recent months.

“The Landscape Diaries: Garden of Obsession� by Gayatri Carole Rocherolle, with photos by Richard Felber (Ruder Finn, $24.95). Many fans of great gardens in the Hudson Valley know Rocherolle and her husband, Jerome, as the behind-the-scenes brains and brawn that led to the creation of Michael and Judy Steinhardt’s magnificent 55-acre spread in Bedford. Who knew she could write, too?

This very personal and quirky book takes readers along for a funny ride through a childhood of great wealth and privilege as an heir to the Avnet fortune (with a Renoir in her bedroom) that eventually led to the parking-lot launch of a Pound Ridge/Stamford, Conn., nursery that’s now considered one of the best sources in the country for bonsai.

Against her family’s wishes, she ran away to London (on the final voyage of the Queen Mary, no less) in 1965 to marry Jerome. The book chronicles their wonderful marriage and how they fell into the world of high-end garden design and maintenance. We also learn lots about the Steinhardt garden and how it came to be, with spectacular four-season photos by Felber and Carole Rocherolle.

• “Down & Dirty: 43 Fun & Funky First-Time Projects & Activities to Get You Gardening� by Ellen Zachos (Storey, $19.95). This is a fun, easy-to-read book that’s been on my desk since the summer. It’s a very practical approach to all kinds of backyard or terrace projects, including outdoor firepits, window-box herb gardens, raised beds, dividing perennials, forcing bulbs, growing blueberries and strawberries and drawing hummingbirds and other wildlife to your garden.

For the last 10 years, Zachos has run New York City-based Acme Plant Stuff, a boutique horticultural services company specializing in design, installation and maintenance of exterior and interior landscapes. She coordinates many of the educational programs at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and teaches courses at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland County.

Zachos is also the author of “Tempting Tropicals: 175 Irresistible Indoor Plants� (Timber Press, 2005) and “Orchid Growing for Wimps: Techniques for the ‘Wish I Could Do That’ Gardener� (Sterling, 2002).

• “The Way We Garden Now: 41 Pick-and-Choose Projects for Planting Your Paradise Large or Small� by Katherine Whiteside (Clarkson Potter, $29.95). Hmmm, there seems to be a number sort of theme going on this year in the garden book world. This one’s a winner, too — hands-on, practical and well written.

Whiteside has maintained a lovely home and garden in Garrison for 15 years, so the book is very much of the Hudson Valley. Her property was featured this fall in “Country Home� to coincide with the announcement that she was becoming garden editor-at-large for the magazine.

Her first 10 projects start with such basics as fertilizing, preparing beds, weeding and avoiding pests and then she moves on to more fun projects like pea trellises, scented evening gardens and bulb displays. She includes recipes, too.

Like most gardeners I know, Whiteside likes to save money wherever she can and go all-organic as much as possible.

• “Covering Ground: Unexpected Ideas for Landscaping with Colorful, Low-Maintenance Ground Covers� by Barbara Ellis (Storey, $19.95). Ellis, a very prolific garden writer for many publishers, brings a particularly authoritative voice to her writing. She really knows her stuff and covers lots of ground here (sorry!).

As more and more home gardeners banish more and more patches of lawn, this primer offers tons of suggestions for grass alternatives: vines, vincas, container plants, aggressive groundcovers for steep slopes and boggy spots, hardscaping, herb carpets and succulents.

Ellis has written dozens of garden books, including one of my favorites, “Shady Retreats: 20 Plans for Colorful, Private Spaces in Your Backyard� (Storey, 2003).

• “The Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer: The Essential Guide to Creating Simply Sensational Gardens� by Stephanie Cohen and Nancy J. Ondra (Storey, $24.95). Known as the “Perennials Queen� by many in the garden world, Cohen is another expert with lots to say. I’ve heard her lecture a few times and I always come away with dozens of ideas for new plants and color combinations I can’t wait to try.

The authors’ 20 plant-by-numbers designs that cover a full range of garden challenges are particularly helpful. You’ll also find good sources, plant charts and detailed descriptions of more than 475 perennials. This looks like another winner, one that will keep me busy well into February.

Any other favorite new gardening books that have come out this year?

Year after year, Terra Nova Nurseries comes out with bigger, bolder and brighter heucheras for home gardeners.

I can’t wait to try their new ‘Georgia Peach’ cultivar in my own garden. It was introduced this past summer and should be more widely available next spring. Look for it in the better nurseries and garden centers (or on-line, of course).

Here’s a photo from Terra Nova.

Yes, this heuchera does have flowers — creamy white ones that rise to a height of about 30 inches — but as every heuchera fan knows, it’s all about the foliage.

‘Georgia Peach’ boasts 8-inch scalloped leaves in a lush peach-strawberry tone that deepens to rose, then rose-purple in late fall and winter.

Don’t let the name fool you — this is no shrinking violet that can’t stand the cold. In fact, ‘Georgia Peach’ was bred to stand up to just the kind of long winters we all know (well, used to know) in the Hudson Valley. It was also bred to thrive in high heat and humidity.

Known more commonly as coral bells or alum root, heucheras have been fast friends with shade gardeners for many years. This new variety from Terra Nova, which is based in Canby, Ore., can also take absolute full sun, with no sign of burn marks on the leaves. (It’s said to be an employee favorite at Terra Nova, by the way.)

Within a year or two or three, ‘Georgia Peach’ will form a dense clump that measures 24 inches wide and 14 inches tall.

Heucheras are not particularly fussy about garden soil, but they do need water in periods of drought.

So did you bring home a Norway spruce or a Douglas fir? Or is it a grand fir or a Fraser fir? I’ll bet the guy at Home Depot didn’t have a clue.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has a great click-through tool on its Web site that guides you to a proper identification based on what the needles, buds and twigs look like. Here’s a link.

The site also has a good description of all 15 commercially grown varieties of holiday trees, including advantages and disadvantages as indoor Christmas trees.

My favorite for the last few years has been the Canaan fir, but it’s hard to find. It’s got a nice full look, but still has lots of room between branches for ornaments. Gentle on the hands, too. Any other favorites out there?

Here’s some more info on Christmas trees from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, including how-to-shop-green info, pesticide concerns and potted live trees that can then go outside:

“Whether assessing one’s carbon footprint, or looking at the footprints in the snow on the way to the tree farm, there is no doubt that this year there is a “greenâ€? consciousness growing among holiday revelers. Many are searching for answers on ways to reduce the environmental impact of some traditional holiday activities—including the purchase of a seasonal tree.

“Each year, Americans purchase more than 30 million fresh-cut holiday trees. But now, with a “greenâ€? awareness growing among holiday revelers, traditionalists and environmentalists alike are asking, “Is it environmentally sound to decorate with a cut tree, or should we find an alternative?â€? Following are some considerations the experts at BBG offer to help eco-conscious buyers make the “greenestâ€? choice possible:

“Most fresh-cut holiday trees are grown on dedicated tree farms in the U.S. and Canada. This is a positive: natural or virgin forests are not harvested (but to be sure, ask the tree seller where his product comes from). Tree farms are generally beneficial to the environment because, while growing, the trees help absorb carbon dioxide.

“However, there can be some negatives with farmed trees: If the growers use pesticides, residue can remain present on the tree leaves and bark after cutting. And trucking trees long distances to bring them to the tree lot near you increases the carbon footprint of the trees significantly. If these matters concern you, try to find a local tree farm that grows its plants organically.

“Most artificial trees are made overseas from PVC and other harmful products. Reusable plastic trees help you avoid chopping down a tree each year, but most artificial trees are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other products that are harmful to one’s health. The carbon-load of artificial trees is also quite high: most of the trees are made from petroleum-based ingredients, and 85 percent of them are made in China, requiring significant burning of fuels for shipping to the U.S.

“However, artificial trees are not all bad: Some come pre-strung with LED lights, which are 90 percent more energy efficient than incandescent lights. LED lights also do not heat up and therefore do not pose the same fire risk as conventional bulbs.

“Many tree species are available live in pots, and can be planted outdoors after the holidays. Perhaps it’s time to start a new family tradition: a potted fig or pear tree next to the fireplace. Many conifers are also available in pots at nurseries. Be sure to buy a tree that is appropriate to the USDA climate zone where you live, and plant the tree out within a reasonable amount of time after the holidays so that it does not die.

“Many cities and towns now offer holiday tree recycling and mulching programs. If you choose to buy a fresh-cut tree, check with your local government’s sanitation and parks departments to find out if they have tree recycling programs. Some cities do special trash pickups for holiday trees to divert them from landfills. And some local organizations arrange holiday tree mulching programs.

“If you decorate trees in your yard with lights, remove the lights once the holidays are over. Light strands wrapped around tree limbs can strangle—and even kill—a tree as it grows.

“All information can be found at bbg.org/holidaytrees.”