‘Tis the season to curl up by the fire and read about gardening while your plants rest up for the return of the growing season. Over the years, I’ve subscribed to just about every gardening magazine out there, and I’ve also received a lot of gardening books as gifts. Those can be tricky—sometimes the books I’ve received were too general for my tastes, or didn’t contain information that was of practical use to me. My favorites were anthologies by a collection of different authors, that gave me insights into their gardening techniques and adventures.
I’ve gained a certain satisfaction from reading about the horrible mistakes others have made—I think, “Well, at least I didn’t make that mistake,” even though I’ve made plenty of others. I gained some confidence when I was first learning about perennials and thought moving them around was the sign of a total amateur. What a thrill to read a long-time gardener sing the praises of what he called “putting perennials on roller skates”—moving them until he hit upon the perfect spot.
Now, I’m sure plenty of you are gasping at that, which is fine. We all have our quirks, when it comes to gardening. But reading about other gardeners and their trials and tribulations can make us feel better about our own mishaps and give us a deeper appreciation for the art form that is gardening.
Treat yourself or someone you care for to one of these great collections. When it’s too cold to play outdoors, reading about other gardens and gardeners is the next best thing. Here are a couple more:
Becke Davis is the senior writer for The Landscape Contractor magazine, a member of Garden Writers of America and the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association. She has written well over 1,000 published articles and is the author of five garden-related books in addition to being the moderator of B&N's Garden and Mystery book clubs.
