I thought I’d change things up a bit this month as we tiptoe into spring here in the northern hemisphere and share with you some of my favourite gardening books, all from my own burgeoning collection.
Like most gardeners I also possess a sizeable crop of gardening books, one that seems to multiple whenever my back is turned. My collection covers quite a broad spread of topics, from the practical to the inspirational and from vegetables to trees. However, some of them would definitely get packed into a trunk if I was to be shipped off to a retirement home tomorrow.
Below I share with you those books that would currently get packed into that trunk. I suppose that, even if I no longer had an actual garden to potter around in, I could still dream of such pleasures while I spend my time engrossed in the pages of these wonderful volumes.
If you have favourite gardening books of your own then please do let me know. In fact, I INSIST you let me know. There’s no such thing as too many gardening books and I’m always on the look out for more.
The Well-Tempered Garden by Christopher Lloyd
Great Dixter, the garden initially established by Christopher Lloyd’s parents and then developed by him throughout the course of his life, is only a few miles from where my mum lives and we were fortunate enough to visit it before he died in 2006. Like all gardens, it reflected its creator, offering up inspiration by the bucket-load, especially, for me, the exotic garden that replaced the old rose garden.
This book is an esoteric, entertaining and highly informative classic and probably the best known of all Lloyd’s many books. To my mind, it also contains much of what it was that went to make his own unique style. It covers a vast array of topics, including gems such as ‘The Fallible Gardener’; that being all of us gardeners, of course.
If you want a gardening book that is both informative and entertaining, then I don’t think you can get better.
The Garden: A Year at Home Farm by Dan Pearson
Perhaps in part because the garden in question here was newly created on land only a few miles from where I live, I found the TV series about it fascinating and the book then allowed to emerse myself even deeper into its story.
As much as it is a tale about a garden, this book also tells the story of a developing relationship between garden, gardener and designer. Beautifully illustrated and totally engrossing, it also leaves you with a much better understanding of what goes into making a well-thought out garden and one that takes a steer from the wider landscape in which it sits.
Trees for the Garden by John Cushnie
As the blurb says, “every garden should have a tree”, a sentiment I happily agree with. In addition to special sections on topics such as trees for specific purposes, conifers and how to garden with trees, the heart of this book is a well illustrated catalogue of 200 trees suitable for your garden. This makes it an excellent reference for those times when you are searching for just the right addition to your plot and, at all other times, a pleasure to simply browse.
The Good Gardens Guide ed. by Peter and Katherine Lambert
Being able to use the internet to look up gardens to visit (and who doesn’t like to visit a garden or two) is all very convenient, but I still love to have a physical volume of such places to hand. Flicking through the pages to alight on some wondrous place you have yet to visit is a joyous experience. My copy of this particular guide is ancient but still remains one of the first things I reach for when eyeing up a little garden visit.
Garden Plants: Choosing the Best Hardy Plants for your Garden by Alan and Adrian Bloom
My go-to compendium of plants for the garden, put together by the well-known father and son team. Sorted by plant type, with a comprehensive index to 5,000 plants and lots of photos. Only wish my garden was bigger, so I could grow more of them.
Pruning by Christopher Brickhell
Part of the RHS series of books. We are on to the practical stuff here and this is one I couldn’t do without. An excellent run through the when, how and why of pruning, covering lots of different plants and with plenty of illustrations.
Honourable Mentions
Men and Sheds by Gordon Thorburn
Men, in particular, love their sheds and I’m no different. A delightful little book that celebrates the shed and the many and varied ways it is put to good use.
Exotic Planting for Adventurous Gardeners by Christopher Lloyd and friends
Begun by Christopher Lloyd and completed by some of his friends after his death, this is a call for all us gardeners to ‘do something outlandish, to splash out, and be freer than ever’. Packed with loads of ideas for incorporating exotic plants into your garden, all from Lloyd’s own experience with his garden at Great Dixter.
All the best,
Ben
Image is my own.