Ruth Rogers Clausen is the author of 50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants , and co-author of Essential Perennials and The Proven Winners Garden Book . She received a Quill and Trowel award from the Garden Writers Association (now Garden Communicators International) and has written for the American Garden Guides series. She is the former horticulture editor for Country Living Garden magazine and a long-time contributor to Country Gardens magazine. Ruth lectures widely at horticultural conventions and symposia, flower shows, and to garden societies and clubs. In 2017, she was awarded the Garden Media Award by the Perennial Plant Association. Thomas Christopher is the author of more than a dozen gardening books. He has written for The New York Times , The Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society , and Horticulture Magazine , as well as serving as a columnist for House & Garden and a contributing editor at Martha Stewart Living .