Great Books for Gardners

A few weeks ago on my radio program, I got a question about my favorite gardening-related books. I quickly came up with two of my favorites, The $64 Tomato, William Alexander and The Last Child in the Woods:  Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv.

The first is a humorous story of the fanatic passion we all share when it comes to our garden. Read it and see if you don’t connect with the author’s experiences. I know I did!

The second is a much more serious look at how the absence of nature in our children’s lives is so directly connected to so many of the issues our younger generations face. This is one that everyone should read. If you grew up playing outdoors as a kid, like most of us did, you will connect with this one.

I put out the call for other favorites and got all kinds of recommendations. I haven’t read any of these, so I can’t tell you anything about them, but a lot of them certainly have caught my eye. I’m definitely going to add a few to my own wish list. If you have a gardener on your shopping list this season, you might want to check out some of these titles too.

Garden Dreams, Ferris Cook

People with Dirty Hands:  The Passion for Gardening, Robin Chotzinoff

One Man’s Garden, Henry Mitchell

Rhapsody In Green:  The Garden Wit and Wisdom of Beverly Nichols, Beverly Nichols and Roy C. Dick

Prairie, A Natural History, Candice Savage

Wicked Plants:  The Weed that Killed Lincolns’ Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities, Amy Stewart

Wildlife Friendly Plants:  Make Your Garden a Haven for Beneficial Insects, Amphibians and Birds, Rosemary Creeser

Bringing Nature Home:  How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Douglas W. Tallamy

Legacy and Challenge, Rachel Carson

The Well-Tended Perennial Garden, Tracy DiSabato-Aust

Noah’s Garden:  Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards, Sara Stein

The Informed Gardener, Linda Chalker-Scott

The After Dinner Gardener, Richard W. Langer

The Bad Tempered Gardener, Ann Wareham

How to Buy the Right Plants, Tools & Gardening Supplies, Jim Fox

Vince Dooley's Garden: A Horticultural Journey of a Football Coach, Vince Dooley

The Complete Book of Garden Magic, Roy Biles