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In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

Tomatoes Garlic Basil
by Doug Oster

Tomatoes Garlic Basil (St. Lynn’s Press, 256 pages, $17.95) is the result of the author’s lifelong passion for these vegetables. This resource showcases the simple pleasures of growing and cooking these versatile foods by covering each step from soil preparation to cooking dishes with your harvest. It is filled with everything you need to know about growing all three foods and creating a garden in your backyard or even on your condo deck. 

In addition to the step-by-step instructional aspect of the book, there are also real life stories of love, life, travel, and, of course, food. The chapter titles include: Gardens are Good for You, Gardening in the City, The Kid in the Tomato Suit, A Passion for Seeds, Garlic in My Genes, and For the Love of Basil. It includes over 30 classic recipes, with creative twists, right out of the author’s garden and kitchen. This is a useful book for gardeners and food lovers alike.

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In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

Lessons from Linden Hill:
Design Tips and Planning Pointers
by Jerry Fritz with Nancy Ondra

The lifelong dream of landscape designer Jerry Fritz comes to life when he purchases a farmstead in the heart of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The property includes an old, dilapidated stone barn filled with junk. Bucket by bucket, he and his family remove the junk and have the barn refurbished. They relocate their landscape business from their home to this new location, surround it with traffic-stopping display gardens, and open a collector’s-level nursery. So much so, that Martha Stewart invites Jerry to her show to design a deer-resistant container planting featuring unusual thrillers, fillers, and spillers—including “blurple” flowers from Linden Hill. Not quite blue, not quite purple—they’re blurple.

Not only is Lessons from Linden Hill (Linden Hill Gardens, 108 pages, $19.95) a must-read for green industry professionals, it is the story of a guy with a truck evolving into a destination garden center and gardens that give hope to deer-riddled gardeners. The incredible journey entails good instinct, an homage to history, and a passion for colorful foliage and flowers. The book is inspirational and packed full of fabulous plants and design tips, including how to look at a space and see what it could be, gardening in deer country, using stone in the garden, and working with a garden designer.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

Starter Vegetable Gardens:
24 No-Fail Plans for Small Organic Gardens
by Barbara Pleasant

The idea of where to begin with a vegetable garden can cause anxiety for any new gardener. Starter Vegetable Gardens (Storey Publishing, 179 pages, $19.95) takes the guesswork out of growing food. Using simple language the author explains exactly how to start, maintain, and eventually expand an organic vegetable garden. What to buy, where to plant, and how to care for your garden are all discussed in this resource.

The 24 small-scale garden plans provide the reader with many options for growing your own fresh food. Some of the plans include: Backyard Veggie Border, Front-Yard Food Supply, Family Food Factory, Sweet Corn and Company, Marinara Medley, and the Managed Mulch Garden. Each plan includes a labeled chart in color, along with a supply and tool inventory, and a to-do list for each season. Intertwined in each chapter are color photographs and valuable information such as watering tips, plant supports, and insect issues. The book concludes with a dictionary of 46 common vegetables and a glossary of gardener’s basic lingo.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

What’s Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?):
A Visual Guide to Easy Diagnosis and Organic Remedies
by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth

This guide provides an easy system for visually diagnosing plant problems, and matching them to a cure. What’s Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?) (Timber Press, 451 pages, $24.95) includes information about houseplants, perennials, vegetables, trees, and shrubs. It is split into three parts. Part One presents illustrated flow charts, organized by the location of symptoms on the plant, so the reader can accurately diagnose the problem. The format does not require knowing the name of the plant; all you need to know is whether the problem is affecting its roots, stems, flowers, or leaves. 

Part Two offers 100 percent organic ways to fix the problems. From improper growing conditions and environmental factors, to molds, pests, and diseases, every problem has a safe, natural solution. Part Three shows photographs and drawings of stressed, damaged, and diseased plants that help with accurate comparison. 

Whether your garden consists of herbs on a kitchen windowsill, a vegetable garden, an elaborate backyard border, or a container on a patio, this reference book is a resource any gardener can use.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

Homegrown Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs: A Bountiful, Healthful Garden for Lean Times
by Jim Wilson

Like the Victory gardens of World War II, food gardens planted in sunny yards during these economically challenging times can provide families with nourishing, delicious food at a fraction of the cost to buy it at a supermarket. What’s more, families know that the food they grow themselves using natural pesticides and minimal or no synthetic fertilizers is safe from the many E. coli and other tainted-food scares of recent years. Homegrown Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs (Creative Homeowner, 191 pages, $16.95) will help aspiring gardeners avoid disappointment or failure with their first food gardens and help families who are already growing food crops to grow more and reduce their food costs.

This resource includes instructional and inspiring color photographs from a seasoned garden photographer. It covers information on selecting a food-garden site and setting a realistic size; no-till gardening; making food gardening easier and cheaper; fertilizers, soil conditioners, mulches, green manures, tonics, and do-it-yourself soil tests; understanding garden soils and nutrients; ways to keep crops fresh and full of flavor after picking; a guide to fruit and vegetables; and sources for vegetable seeds and seedlings.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

Right Rose Right Place: 359 Perfect Choices for Beds, Borders, Hedges and Screens, Containers, Fences, Trellises, and More
by Peter Schneider

Expert rosarian Peter Schneider invites you to grow roses with confidence. He also shows you how, in this up-to-date book based on over 30 years of experience growing over 2000 different roses in his zone 5 Ohio garden. He believes the secret in our tough midwestern climate is choosing the right rose for the conditions and location where it will live.

Most rose books are not written by Midwesterners, and that is one of the key reasons this will become the go-to rose book in your horticultural library. This reference is written from a “local” perspective, which is a plus for Michigan gardeners—there is no sugar coating of the rose-growing experience. It will change the way you look at growing roses.

In Part One, Schneider describes the versatility and appeal of roses. Gardening with roses is as simple as choosing the right cultivar for your conditions, location, and needs. Part Two is a compendium of information that lists “a rose for every purpose” and describes species, modern, climbing, miniature, and old garden roses in detail—from roses that stand alone, make great hedges, grow in harmony with other plants, to bedding, cutting, tree, and container roses. All information is based on Schneider’s actual experience of growing every rose listed in this book.

Part Three is about rose growing, and starts with advice on figuring out what your conditions really are so you know where to begin. The basics of rose care, dealing with problems, understanding pruning, and preparation for winter are all covered.

If you’re seasoned rose gardener, you will laugh out loud at the honest descriptions (think Armitage and Dirr) and stories behind the roses. If you’re a beginner, you will carry Right Rose Right Place (Storey Publishing, 272 pages, $29.95) with you everywhere and constantly reference it. 

June is rose month and there is no better way to celebrate than treating yourself or the rose lover you know to this invaluable book.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

The Rock Garden Plant Primer: Easy, Small Plants for Containers, Patios, and the Open Garden
by Christopher Grey-Wilson

It is not necessary to have a traditional rock garden to enjoy rock garden plants. In fact, these colorful, small plants are perfect for the pots, containers, window boxes, and raised beds that are the mainstays of modern gardens.

In The Rock Garden Plant Primer (Timber Press, 232 pages, $29.95), world-renowned botanist Christopher Grey-Wilson recommends easy-to-grow plants for a variety of garden situations including shade, mixed borders, and patios. Introductory chapters explain how to grow and care for these gardener-friendly plants that are cold-hardy and adaptable. Detailed plant descriptions are based on his personal experience of seeing the plants in the wild and growing them in the garden. This resource also includes colorful photographs to aid in selection and identification.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible
by Edward C. Smith

The updated, best-selling gardening book The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible (Storey Publishing, 352 pages, $24.95) includes coverage of 15 additional vegetables; an expanded section on salad greens; more attention to European and Asian vegetables; growing information on more fruits and herbs; new cultivar photographs; a much-requested section on extending the growing season into the winter months; and more. Each food lists information on the growing site, sowing, growing, harvest, and varieties. Soil issues, watering guidelines, seed tips, pest control and plant diseases are also addressed in a practical approach.

Wide rows, organic methods, raised beds, and deep soil is the advice given to create the W-O-R-D system and is credited for the high-yield results described. Sustainable and healthier eating is an underlying theme throughout the book. Also, solutions for small-space gardens are provided. The author tends a garden of over 1,500 square feet filled with raspberries, blueberries, flowers, herbs, and nearly 100 varieties of vegetables.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs:
More than 350 Expert Choices for Your Garden
by Roger, Eric, and Marjory Gossler

For most homeowners, shrubs are an essential part of the yard or garden because they provide flowers and foliage from spring through fall. The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs (Timber Press, 204 pages, $34.95) shows you how the superior plants available today can transform ho-hum gardens into scenes of beauty and serenity. For decades, the Gossler family has tested, propagated, and sold the best hardy shrubs from around the world. The book starts with personal, common sense advice about climate, care and maintenance, plant categories, and learning from other people’s gardens. The remainder of the book is a guide to more than 350 beautiful, versatile, and easy-to-grow shrubs. Plant profiles describe the plant’s main characteristics, give height and spread, and list the growing conditions needed to thrive. Colorful photographs also provide examples of the shrubs and how they can compliment landscape design.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

The Dirt Cheap Green Thumb
by Rhonda Massingham Hart

Gardening is experiencing a surge in interest as more people want chemical-free, inexpensive produce, and a healthier and more economical lifestyle. Without planning and knowledge, however, even experienced gardeners can make costly mistakes. And even if you’re not frugal, there is nothing more valuable than our time. The Dirt Cheap Green Thumb (Storey Publishing, 288 pages, $10.95) provides practical advice on successfully growing both edibles and ornamentals, helping gardeners save money without compromising the crop or their garden’s beauty. This easy-to-browse guide is full of smart ideas, quick tips, and advice for beginners. Specific topics range from improving your soil, watering, and mulching, to essential garden tools and accessories, plant propagation, seed saving, preservation of food crops, and more. Dozens of helpful lists make the information easy to find.

Click here to purchase from Amazon