Gardening Books To Read Or Gift This Season

by Dawn Oldfield, CCMGA Public Relations Chairperson

I’m a voracious reader. When I’m not at work or putting in the garden, you’ll almost always find me with my nose in a book. I read garden books cover to cover like novels (full confession – I do the same with cookbooks)! I have a small library of various gardening books for pleasure reading, gleaning ideas or refreshing my memory. With the holidays fast approaching, I enjoy giving books just as much as I like receiving them. Here are a few of my favorites that the gardeners on your list might enjoy, too.

 

The 3,000 Mile Garden: An Exchange of Letters on Gardening, Food, and the Good Life
Authors: Leslie Land and Roger Phillips
(Learn more about this book here.)

Through their letters, you’ll see the friendship between celebrated London gardening and nature photographer Roger Phillips and American food writer Leslie Land bloom. They share discoveries about garden design, climate, common and rare cultivars, soil, mulch, pests, diseases, recipes, and more. Discover and learn from their passions for gardening, food and life.

My takeaway from this book was to look at my gardens differently and journal about my successes, failures, and what makes me happy in nature. I also loved learning about the similarities and differences in their gardening experiences. It’s an older book (copyright 1996) but can still be found online.

 

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The Grape Man of Texas: The Life of T. V. Munson
Authors: Sherrie S. McLeRoy and Roy E Renfro, Jr., Ph.D.
(Learn more about this book here.)

Do you like wine, or know someone who does? I’ve noticed a lot of homeowners in the area growing grapes in their backyards. The Collin County Master Gardeners Association has a Grape Research Garden at Myers Park & Event Center in McKinney that is open to the public. In this informative biography, authors McLeRoy, a retired museum curator and Renfro, educator and author, explore how V.T. Munson from Grayson County in North Texas helped save the French wine industry from vineyard blight in the 1880s by sending Texas grapevines he developed to fortify the Old World vineyards.

It's a story that resonates with me because, as someone who enjoys a nice glass of wine, this local horticulturist was a man ahead of his time and, through his research and contributions, saved the world of wine!  His collaborations with Texas A&M were pretty cool, too.

 

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Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities
Author: Amy Stewart
(Learn more about this book here.)

Award-winning author and avid gardening enthusiast, Stewart takes readers on a journey around the world exploring the perils of plants that can irritate, maim, intoxicate or worse, kill – adults, children and pets! While many plants are beautiful and can nourish, she introduces readers to over 200 plants from A to Z; many of these bad actors may be growing in your backyard! She beautifully weaves together stories that include history, medicine, science and legends. Etchings and illustrations of each plant are beautifully done.

This book reminds me to be wary of more than the poison ivy that birds “plant” in my garden - I swear if I even look at it, I break out in a rash! Oleander, a popular landscaping plant, is deadly if ingested; all parts of the vine Carolina Jessamine are poisonous! Yikes! Of course, you can still grow them, but it helps you be more aware. If you enjoy this book, you may want to check out Flower Confidential, The Earth Moved, Wicked Bugs, and other Amy Steward books.

 

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Easy Gardens for North Central Texas
Authors: Steve Huddleston and Pamela Crawford
(Learn more about this book here.)

This is one of my constant go-to books when planning my gardens. It features the very best annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs that are Texas-tough! It teaches you about drought-tolerant plants that will also survive in wet areas, suggestions for companion planting, which plants attract butterflies and hummingbirds, plants that don’t require fertilizer, so they’re environmentally friendly and more. The book also features color photos of each plant, which I love so I can show my husband so he can visualize what I’m proposing. The book also offers easy basics on preparing the garden, from the seven worst mistakes gardeners make to tips that benefit the environment. Huddleston is an author and has worked as a horticulturist for both the Dallas Botanical Garden and Fort Worth Botanical Garden. Crawford is the author of several gardening books and is a garden designer.

 

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There are so many wonderful garden books out there that no matter what your passion (or maybe you’ll discover a new one), you’re sure to find a few to add to your bookshelf. And, Santa, if you’re reading Garden Wise Gazette, there are a few books on my holiday wish list. The Tree Collector by Amy Stewart, Rosemary Verey: Life Lessons of a Legendary Gardener by Barbara Paul Robinson, and the Encyclopedia of Garden Plants for Every Location. I’ve been a good girl. I promise!

Happy Reading!