Gardening Books

Over the winter, gardening books are a significant source of sanity and security for the avid gardener. Thinking ahead to the likely need for a mid-winter reprieve and with gift-giving in mind, I have a few garden-related books to suggest. I own copies of all of them, so I can recommend them with confidence. A couple of them I refer to regularly for gardening information, but as with most gardening books, for me they are also inspirational. They provide nutrients for the mind, and in mid-winter, that can feel rich indeed.

I recently purchased a book which I anticipate may become a sort of touchstone for me. Written by the well-known English landscape designer Russell Page, The Education of a Gardener (New York Review of Books, 1994 Edition, $18.95) was first published in 1962. As the title indicates, the book is written around Page's decades-long personal evolution in developing landscapes. The book is full of anecdotes and insight into how Page approaches his landscapes, both initially and throughout the process. Every landscape development includes not only the dynamics of the existing site, and the possible changes to it, but also the human dynamic of the owner, developer/designer, and the workers, whose hands actually enact the transformation. Consequently, there is also significant hands-on insight throughout the book.

Many years ago, I received the first edition of The Garden Primer, by Barbara Damsrosh (Workman Publishing Co., 2008 Edition, $18.95), as a Christmas gift. I was greener to the trade then and the book seemed like more information than I may ever need to use. As it happens, I have turned to this gardening book more than any other by far as it has helped me time and again. It covers every manner of gardening issue, certainly any that the home gardener would encounter. As a gardener by trade, it is often helpful to have a seasoned additional perspective on site; Ms. Damroschs' style is very readable and assured.

Another book I regularly have on hand is Rodale's Successful Organic Gardening – Perennials (Rodale Press, 1993). Though more of a handbook than a comprehensive tome, I have it on hand for just that reason. About half the book is how-to, and the other half is a perennial plant guide. Though the plant guide is short compared to much larger guides typically found in this category, almost invariably I find what I am looking to reference, to find a photo of, or for a growing tip.

Piet Oudolf is a landscape designer and writer whose ideas I have begun to understand and appreciate. Though initially his work strikes one as starkly contemporary, there is actually significant and progressive horticultural sense to it. He strives to group plants according to their native patterns, often in massed plantings, and places those larger groups in more austere contemporary arrangements and sites. Hence, the contemporary aesthetic appearance. This planting perspective is one in which we Corvallis Oregon gardeners, who are experiencing a fresh look at native plants, would be smart to explore. His book, Planting Design, written with Noel Kingsbury (Timber Press, $34.95) is on my winter reading stack.

For quality gardening books, The Timber Press of Portland, Oregon, is arguably the best publisher of horticultural books in North America. Find their catalog at www.timberpress.com, then go to a local bookstore and order it through them. Most local bookstores have significant gardening sections, the visiting of which could be a small winter reprieve all its own.

Matt Giroux is Grounds by Design – Fine Landscapes – Design, Photography, Gardening, Consulting. He can be reached at 802.496.4765 or by email.