Book Reviews by Gardeners for Gardeners
Garden Design & Planning
The Art of Gardening:
Design Inspiration and Innovative Planting Techniques from Chanticleer (2015)
by R. William Thomas et.al.
New Landscaping Ideas That Work (2018)
by Julie Moir Messervy
Planting in a Post-Wild World (2015)
by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West
Private Gardens of the Potomac & Chesapeake (2023)
by Claudia Kousoulas
The Money-Saving Gardener:
Create Your Dream Garden at a Fraction of the Cost (2024)
by Anya Lautenbach
The Winter Garden:
Celebrating the Forgotten Season (2023)
by Naomi Slade
Gardeners
The Earth in Her Hands:
75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants (2020)
by Jennifer Jewell
Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life:
The Plants and Places That Inspired the Iconic Poet (2019)
by Marta McDowell
Gardening History
50 Plants that Changed the World (2025)
by Stephen A. Harris
All the Presidents’ Gardens:
Madison’s Cabbages to Kennedy’s Roses – How the White House Grounds Have Grown with America (2016)
by Marta McDowell
Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life:
The Plants and Places That Inspired the Iconic Poet (2019)
by Marta McDowell
Founding Gardeners:
The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation (2012)
by Andrea Wulf
Gardening Practices
The Art of Gardening:
Design Inspiration and Innovative PlantingTechniques from Chanticleer (2015)
by R. William Thomas et.al.
Attracting Beneficial Bugs to your Garden:
A Natural Approach to Pest Control (2022)
by Jessica Walliser
Climate Change Gardening for the South (2022)
by Barbara J. Sullivan
Garden Up!
Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces (2011)
by Susan Morrison and Rebecca Sweet
The Well-Tended Perennial Garden (2017, 2006)
by Tracy DiSabato-Aust
Your Natural Garden: A Practical Guide to Caring for an Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden (2025)
by Kelly D. Norris
Gift Books
Gift Books for Gardeners – December 2021
Holiday Gift Shopping Guide – November 2019
Holiday Gift Guide:
Children’s Picture Books on Gardening, Nature, & the Environment – December 2022
Houseplants
Happy Cactus:
Cacti, Succulents, and More (2018)
John Pilbeam, Consulting Editor
Gardening Under Lights:
The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers (2018)
by Leslie F. Halleck
The Indestructible Houseplant:
200 Beautiful Plants that Everyone Can Grow (2015)
by Tovah Martin
Native Plants
American Botanical Paintings:
Native Plants of the Mid-Atlantic (2014)
Bonnie Driggers, Editor
Essential Native Trees and Shrubs for the Eastern United States (2018)
by Tony Dove and Ginger Woolridge
Native Plants of the Southeast
by Larry Mellichamp (2014)
Sowing Beauty:
Designing Flowering Meadows from Seed (2017)
by James Hitchmough
Plants
Beautiful No-Mow Yards (2012)
by Evelyn Hadden
Essential Native Trees and Shrubs for the Eastern United States (2018)
by Tony Dove and Ginger Woolridge
Glorious Shade:
Dazzling plants, design ideas, and proven techniques for your shady garden (2017)
by Jenny Rose Carey
The Homeowner’s Complete Tree & Shrub Handbook
by Penelope O’Sullivan (2007)
Plant Science for Gardeners: Essentials for Growing Better Plants (2022)
by Robert Pavlis
Powerhouse Plants: 510 Top Performers for Multi-Season Beauty (2013)
by Graham Rice
Smithsonian Encyclopedia of Garden Plants for Every Location (2014)
Zia Allway, Editor-in-Chief
The Homeowner’s Complete Tree & Shrub Handbook
by Penelope O’Sullivan (2007)
What Have Plants Ever Done for Us?
by Stephen Harris (2016)
Why Grow That When You Can Grow This? (2012)
by Andrew Keys
Pollinators
Bees:
An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide (2017)
by Heather Holm
The Humane Gardener:
Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife (2017)
by Nancy Lawson
The Pollinator Victory Garden (2020)
by Kim Eierman
Wasps:
Their Biology, Diversity, and Role as Beneficial Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants (2021)
by Heather Holm
Sustainable Gardening
Beautiful No-Mow Yards (2012)
by Evelyn Hadden
Garden Revolution:
How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change (2016)
by Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher
Nature’s Action Guide: How to Support Diversity and Your Local Ecosystem (2024)
by Sarah F. Jayne
Nature’s Best Hope:
A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard (2020)
by Douglas W. Tallamy
Paradise Lot:
Two Plant Geeks, One-Tenth of an Acre, and the Making of an Edible Garden Oasis in the City (2013)
by Eric Toensmeier
Planting in a Post-Wild World (2015)
by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West
Tiny + Wild:
Build a Small-Scale Meadow Anywhere (2023)
by Graham Laird Gardner
Vegetable Gardening
All New Square Foot Gardening, 3rd Edition (2018)
by Mel Bartholomew with the Square Foot Gardening Foundation
American Horticultural Society Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening (2025)
by the American Horticultural Society
Attracting Beneficial Bugs to your Garden:
A Natural Approach to Pest Control (2022)
by Jessica Walliser
The Complete Kitchen Garden:
An Inspired Collection of Garden Designs & 100 Seasonal Recipes (2011)
by Ellen Ecker Ogden
Derek Fell’s Grow This!:
A Garden Expert’s Guide to Choosing the Best Vegetables, Flowers, and Seeds So You’re Never Disappointed Again (2013)
by Derek Fell
The Edible Front Yard (2011)
by Ivette Soler
Epic Tomatoes:
How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time (2014)
by Craig LeHoullier
The Foodscape Revolution:
Finding a Better Way to Make Space for Food and Beauty in Your Garden (2017)
by Brie Arthur
Gardening Under Lights:
The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers (2018)
by Leslie F. Halleck
Growing Under Cover:
Techniques for a More Productive, Weather-Resistant, Pest-Free Vegetable Garden (2020)
by Niki Jabbour
Homegrown Pantry:
A Gardener’s Guide to Selecting the Best Varieties & Planting the Perfect Amount (2017)
by Barbara Pleasant
How to Grow Your Own Food:
An Illustrated Beginner’s Guide to Container Gardening (2021)
by Angela S. Judd
Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Gardening:
Plant, Grow, and Harvest the Best Edibles (2013)
by Katie Elzer-Peters
Paradise Lot:
Two Plant Geeks, One-Tenth of an Acre, and the Making of an Edible Garden Oasis in the City (2013)
by Eric Toensmeier
Plant Grow Harvest Repeat (2022)
by Meg McAndrews Cowden
Plant Partners:
Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden (2020)
by Jessica Walliser
The Complete Kitchen Garden: An Inspired Collection of Garden Designs & 100 Seasonal Recipes (2011)
by Ellen Ecker Ogden
The Edible Front Yard (2011)
by Ivette Soler
The Foodscape Revolution: Finding a Better Way to Make Space for Food and Beauty in Your Garden (2017)
by Brie Arthur
Tiny Victory Gardens:
Growing food without a Yard (2021)
by Acadia Tucker with Emily Castle
The Vegetable Garden Problem Solving Handbook (2023)
by Susan Mulvihill
Vegetables Love Flowers:
Companion Planting for Beauty and Bounty (2018)
by Lisa Mason Ziegler