SOME CLASSICS & A FEW NEW FAVORITES
Now that we’re heading into May, my gardening brain shifts into full gear. That must come from all the years I lived in snowy climates and couldn’t wait for May to come, when I could start playing in the dirt! Even though I live in a much more temperate climate now (U.S. Zone 9), for most people east of the Mississippi (and in parts of rural Northern France), the month of May still signifies the beginnings of gardening season. So I thought this would be a good time to share some of my favorite gardening books.
MY FIRST GARDENING BOOKS
When I began my gardening journey some 30 years ago (time flies!), I was a complete novice. In fact, I was such a novice that I didn’t know that you needed to take the little annual plants out of the plastic cells and either plant them in the ground or a bigger pot. True story. Everyone’s gotta start somewhere! After that little embarassment, I soon realized that if I wanted to get into gardening and not have it all be an epic fail, I needed some books to get me started. Mind you, this was before the internet made information much more readily available. But still. It sure is nice during the winter and spring months to curl up with a beautiful gardening book and start dreaming and planning for the coming gardening season.
For me, gardening books fall squarely into two categories:
- INSTRUCTIONAL
- BEAUTIFUL
INSTRUCTIONAL GARDENING BOOKS
My first instructional gardening book was “The Garden Primer” by Barbara Damrosch. The book was revised in 2008 and is a wonderful primer for new gardeners (like myself back in 1992). Basically, this was a one-volume reference guide that was indispensable as a learning tool about everything from tools to annuals to perennials, and everything in between. Also, the author lived in Maine, which I considered to be a much more difficult place to garden than Upstate New York, and she sure knew her stuff.
Another early favorite informational book was a pretty straightforward title: “Hanging Baskets, Window Boxes and Other Container Gardens: A Creative Guide To Small Scale Gardening” (1992) by David Joyce. This book was extremely helpful as I was learning how to match containers to plants. It’s not a large book, but it was the first book I owned that showed me the basics of container gardening. In fact, it’s still in my gardening library and I refer to it from time to time for inspiration.
BEAUTIFUL GARDEN COFFEE TABLE BOOKS
The second category of beautiful gardening books are coffee table, lustworthy tomes that have a lot of pretty pictures, and a few anecdotal stories. These books feature gardens that are largely out-of-reach to the average person (kind of Downton Abbey-esque estate gardens). Here’s a perfect example of a book that would qualify for this category: “Highgrove: An English Country Garden” by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales.
A couple of favorites from my own gardening library are the two books below: “The New Garden Paradise: Great Private Gardens of the World” by Dominique Browning (the former Editor-in-Chief of House & Garden magazine – another favorite magazine that was an early casualty of the great magazine demise of the mid-2000s). Most books published by the esteemed Taschen house fall into this category, as well. One of my favorites is “Gardens in France”. The author, Marie-Francoise Valery, says in her text about Monet’s gardens at Giverny, “Every gardener is a painter.” What’s not to like about that? In fact, many of the gorgeous photographs in the book look like paintings. This is armchair traveling to some of the finest and most famous gardens throughout France. Either of these two books would make lovely gifts for an avid gardener.
I love to read about gardens in places I’ve been to, and the gardens of Italy are beautifully represented in two of my favorite coffee table books.
The first book (below left), “Italian Gardens” by Judith Wade (2002), visits 37 exquisite outdoor spaces throughout Italy, and explores gardens – both small and aristocratic – in 11 regions throughout Italy. You can almost smell the intoxicating citrus and lavender jump off the pages as you revel in the beautiful photos. The second book (below right) is “Gardens of the Italian Lakes” by Steven Desmond and Marianne Majerus (2016), which centers on the gardens in Northern Italy around Lake Como and Lake Maggiore. Lake Como has a special place for me as my husband and I honeymooned there, and this book brings me back to a bucolic and magical place.
To round out the “beautiful” books, “The Glory of Roses” has been in my gardening library since shortly after it was published in 1990. The dreamy photography by Christopher Baker graces nearly every page. I also find it interesting how the author, Allen Lacy, delves into the rich and storied history of roses. This book would make a wonderful addition to any serious rose gardener’s library.
Finally, my favorite “beautiful” gardening book was written by the noted interior designer, Bunny Williams, who is also a prolific gardener. “Bunny Williams: On Garden Style” (1998) is a fabulous book for a couple of reasons. First, you get to “visit” gardens around the world, accompanied by Bunny’s deft observations. Most importantly, Bunny does a wonderful job of explaining the structure of a garden (“the bones”) and why it’s so important to get that right. She also delves into furnishing the garden and adding antique garden architecture to space. As a side note, Bunny and her husband, John Roselli, owned an incredible home & garden shop on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, “Treillage”, that I visited on a few occasions for inspiration. Their boutique was filled with gorgeous architectural elements for the garden such as lichen-encrusted stone urns, garden benches, obelisks and tuteurs (the beloved shop closed in 2015).
BRAINS + BEAUTY: GARDENING BOOKS
The best part is when the two categories (Instructional AND Beautiful) meet. These are my favorite gardening books that not only have useful information and ideas, but the photography and visuals are gorgeous. Here are my current favorites.
MODERN DESIGN IN PROVENCE
My favorite gardening book (about my favorite garden EVER that I hope to visit in the near future) is “Nicole de Vésian: Modern Design in Provence” about the famed gardens of ‘La Louve’ in Bonnieux, set in the hills of Provence. After an illustrious career as a designer for Hermès, Nicole de Vésian (1916–1996) moved to Provence, where she created minimalist garden masterpieces using drought-tolerant, native plants. I liken her gardens to “green sculptures”, and her understanding of scale, color and proportion has served as inspiration for many gardens and landscape architects around the globe.
GARDENISTA: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO STYLISH OUTDOOR SPACES
If you follow (like I do) the highly popular Remodelista and Gardenista blogs (links at the end of the post), you’ve probably heard of my next favorite book: “Gardenista: The Definitive Guide to Stylish Outdoor Spaces” by Michelle Slatalla (2016). This is my new go-to book for how to beautifully design and furnish your garden, the same way you do your home. I love the profiles of individual gardeners and how their gardens came to be. This book is full of fantastic design tips and sound advice from professionals, plus a resource guide I find invaluable. This is another wonderful gift for an avid gardener.
KITCHEN GARDEN REVIVAL
Not surprisingly, after the lockdown of 2020, many people decided it was prudent to grow their own food, even in small suburban plots. Enter this timely tome, “Kitchen Garden Revival” by Nicole Johnsey Burke (2020). The subtitle to the book is “A Modern Guide to creating a stylish, small-scale, low-maintenance, edible garden” – apparently the term “Kitchen Garden” is a little confusing (is it a garden in your kitchen?) the author’s no-nonsense approach to growing vegetables, fruit and herbs is an excellent guide (with beautiful photos and illustrations) for culinary use. This has been an excellent resource for me as I’m creating my own kitchen garden in my little suburban back yard.
MASTERING THE ART OF VEGETABLE GARDENING
Running with that Kitchen Garden theme, the next book “Mastering The Art of Vegetable Gardening” by Matt Mattus (2018) features the most stunning photography and will make you want to grow more unusual varieties of vegetables. The author explores more than 200 varieties of vegetables and herbs from the 50 most popular groups, featured in hands-on profiles that tell you how, where, and why to grow each one. I, for one, am growing unusual varieties of purple artichokes, dark purple tiny tomatoes and gorgeous pink radicchio in my own garden because of this book. A must if you’re interested in growing unusual varieties of herbs and vegetables that you can’t find at the grocery store (or even at the farmer’s market).
COUNTRY LIVING GARDENER: COURTYARDS
I love the intimate, secluded nature of courtyard gardens, and my next favorite book “Courtyard Gardens” by Toby Musgrave (2001) shows how you can create gardens in small spaces. The book showcases courtyard gardens around the world with a variety of themes – Zen Garden, Spa Garden, English Courtyard. I also like the plant recommendations that are suited to both container gardening and small spaces. This book was invaluable to me as I was creating courtyard gardens in previous homes.
THE ART OF OUTDOOR LIVING
You may recall that I mentioned how much I love this book on my “Plant Table” Styling By Numbers™ post here. If you want to learn the fine art of creating an outdoor “room” with nature, look no further than esteemed California landscape designer Scott Shrader. My personal favorite is how he seamlessly married the indoors and outdoors in his own West Hollywood cottage and garden.
FAVORITE GARDEN STORIES
For those of you who like non-fiction stories about creating a garden and all that it signifies and represents, I have three favorite books I recommend (below).
The first, “French Dirt: The Story of a Garden in the South of France” by Richard Goodman (2002) is a must-read for anyone (myself included) who has dreamed of picking up roots, moving to Provence and renovating a house and a garden.
I also believe in the garden as a metaphor for life, and about new beginnings. The next two books are excellent examples. Noted garden writer Page Dickey wrote “Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again” about transitioning from a tried-and-true place and creating a new garden from scratch. And finally, “Around the House and In the Garden: A Memoir of Heartbreak, Healing & Home Improvement” (2003) by the aforementioned author (and former House & Garden Editor in Chief) Dominique Browning, which tells her personal story of tending to her home and garden after a major mid-life shift. “My story,” she writes, “is about the way a house can express loss, and then bereavement, and then, finally, the rebuilding of a life.” Anyone who has lost anything – and maybe even found something better – will relate to this book. I read it in one day.
I hope this post helped to get you into the Gardening Spirit – wherever you’re at on the journey. My next gardening post will feature a favorite plant that I never put in the ground (but use all the time in containers!) Stay tuned…
