I am an avid reader, and dozens of gardening books line my bookshelves. Friends and clients often ask for garden book recommendations, and I recently founded a Book Group within my garden club. Below are some of my favorites, and many are available as audiobooks.
Click on the photo to purchase from Amazon.*
The Roots of My Obsession
Thirty essays from the most vital voices in gardening, exploring the myriad motives that cause a person to become a gardener.
Gardening for a Lifetime
A practical and encouraging roadmap for scaling back the garden while keeping up with the activities that each gardener loves most.
The Art of Gardening
Garden inspiration from Chanticleer, one of the most romantic and imaginative gardens in America
Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life
See how Beatrix Potter's passion for plants and gardening came to be reflected in her work.
Bring Nature Home
How to sustain wildlife with native plants
The Drunken Botanist
Discover the surprising botanical history and fascinating science and chemistry of over 150 plants, flowers, trees, and fruits (and even a few fungi).
The Brother Gardeners
The adventure and science of 18th century plant collecting, and the story of six men that created a garden revolution.
The Layered Garden
Lessons on how to create and maintain a layered garden that will provide interest in all season's from Brandywine Cottage.
Backyard Foraging
Discover 70 edible weeds, flowers, mushrooms and ornamentals commonly found in suburban gardens.
Founding Gardeners
For the Founding Fathers, gardening, agriculture, and botany were elemental passions: a conjoined interest as deeply ingrained in their characters as the battle for liberty and a belief in the greatness of their new nation.
Heroes of Horticulture
American garden creators and plant hunters who transformed the landscape
An Island Garden
American author and poet Celia Thaxter takes you on an adventure through her gardening experiences on the island of Appledore, sharing her indispensable advice on how to grow the perfect flower.
Success with Hydrangeas
A great guide to growing hydrangeas from a Connecticut gardener.
Roses Without Chemicals
A guide to 150 varieties that will change the way you grow roses.
Fruit Trees in Small Spaces
Colby Eierman, garden designer and fruit expert, shows how trees can easily be tucked into the tiniest spots and still yield a bumper crop of gorgeous fruit.
The Hidden Life of Trees
Groundbreaking discoveries show that the forest is a social network where trees communicate and care for each other.
The Well-Tended Perennial Garden
The most thorough guide to perennials, from their growth habit to maintenance, propagation and use in garden design.
Covering Ground
Enhance your landscape with a vibrant palette of low-maintenance herbs, perennials and mosses that serve as ground covers.
The Orchid Thief
A wickedly funny, elegant and captivating tale of one man's obsession with orchids.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan
A fascinating account of the restoration of this Cornwall garden.
The Wild Trees
The spellbinding story of a tiny group of daring botanists and amateur naturalists that found a new world high in the canopies of California redwoods.
Fallscaping
Design ideas, plant recommendations, garden plans and inspiring photos to help you create a beautiful garden for autumn.
For All the Tea in China
Robert Fortune was a gardener, plant hunter and botanist, and became an industrial spy when he was hired to steal China's guarded secrets of tea.
The Unexpected Houseplant
Unusual plant selections for the indoors, with loads of visual inspiration and great advice on growing these plants.
*Disclaimer: Links from the books are to an Amazon affiliate account, where I earn a commission if you shop.
