book reading
(Image credit: amenic181)
Very few things beat the feeling of relaxing with a good book. Many gardeners know this feeling well, especially as the gardening season begins winding down during the cooler months of fall and winter. Thumbing through a selection from the garden bookshelf can ignite the imagination, and help enhance green thumbs without being able to actually dig into the soil.
Book Ideas for Gardeners
Gardening books for nature lovers make excellent gifts for any occasion, and it’s never too early to start thinking about those gift lists. With so many options, choosing the best gardening books can be quite difficult. Fortunately, we have compiled a list of our favorites.
- The New Organic Grower (Eliot Coleman) – Eliot Coleman is well known in the gardening community for his many books regarding season extension and growing throughout all four seasons. Techniques include the use of frost blankets, unheated hoop houses, and various other methods in which growers are able to maximize their gardens, even when the weather is exceptionally cold. Other works by Coleman include The Winter Harvest Handbook and Four Season Harvest.
- Epic Tomatoes (Craig Lehoullier) – Who doesn’t love a good tomato? For many gardeners, growing their first tomatoes is a rite of passage. Novice and experienced growers alike agree that Epic Tomatoes is an engaging book which details tomato varieties, as well as a wide range of tips for a successful growing season.
- The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible (Edward C. Smith) – Among the best gardening books, this comprehensive guide always ranks quite high. In this book, Smith places emphasis on the techniques and methods used to produce high yield growing spaces. Smith’s discussion of raised beds and organic growing techniques make this book extremely valuable to a wide gardening audience. Detailed information on a large range of garden vegetables and herbs further cements its use as a true garden guide for your bookshelf.
- Great Garden Companions (Sally Jean Cunningham) – Companion gardening is the process of interplanting within the garden to encourage the specific results. Marigolds, for example, are said to deter certain pests in the garden. In this book, Cunningham offers an exciting look into potential companion plants and their purpose. Gaining popularity in recent years, this concept is especially appealing to organic growers.
- Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden (Erin Benzakein and Julie Chai) – Among the best gardening books for nature lovers is one which is also quite beautiful. Though many gardeners focus on vegetables, expanding your knowledge to include flowers can be an excellent way to sharpen your growing skills too. This book focuses on the creation of cut flower gardens. Exceptionally photographed by Michele Waite, the book is likely to leave gardeners planning a new flower bed next season.
- Cool Flowers (Lisa Mason Ziegler) – Ziegler is a well-known cut flower farmer. In her book, she explores the impact of planting hardy annual flowers in the garden. Since hardy annual flowers can withstand some cold and frost, this book may be especially appealing to those wishing to continue growing once the weather is less than ideal.
- Vintage Roses (Jan Eastoe) – Eastoe’s book brings into focus the beauty of old roses. Though its beautiful photography by Georgianna Lane makes it an excellent coffee table book, there is no doubt that the information regarding specific cultivars of vintage roses is sure to spark curiosity in both the budding rose grower and seasoned ones.