Here is a list of the best gardening books that were reviewed in 2022 in the Washington Gardener Magazine.
(These 10 selections are listed below in no particular order.)
1. The Elegant & Edible Garden: Design a Dream Kitchen Garden to Fit Your Personality, Desires and Lifestyle
Author: Linda Vater
Publisher: Cool Springs Press
List Price: $30.00
Order Link: https://amzn.to/3WM5wXM
Reviewer Andrea Siegel wrote, "This book doesn't break new ground, but it can be inspiring and instructive: The writer is a self-taught gardener and landscape creator. She shares not only her successes and beautiful grounds, but her miscalculations and mistakes. And she methodically shows the steps to take to create a lovely garden that reflects your individual taste and style."
2. The Regenerative Garden: 80 Practical Projects for Creating a Self-Sustaining Garden Ecosystem
Author: Stephanie Rose
Publisher: Cool Springs Press
List Price: $30.00
Order Link: https://amzn.to/3Zalzkr
Reviewer Andrea Siegel wrote, "This book stood out because it goes beyond organic gardening to teach us about improving the soil naturally, and then takes us beyond that toward building an ecosystem that is self-sustaining, productive and good for the environment. There are projects for all skill levels -- even for a toddler -- and the author shows us how to take each backyard project, such as making a simple trellis, from being environmentally good, better, and best. This shows us that baby steps matter, and it offers encouragement to all of us, as we ask what else can we do to improve our sliver of the ecosystem."
3. The Vegetable Gardening Book: Your Complete Guide to Growing an Edible Organic Garden from Seed to Harvest
Author: Joe Lamp’l
Publisher: Cool Springs Press
List Price: $28.99
Order Links: https://amzn.to/3VMofTF
Reviewer Jaime Breeden wrote, "Joe Lamp’l’s The Vegetable Gardening Book bills itself as a one-stop shop for your vegetable garden needs and comes as close as anything I’ve seen to actually offering it. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or someone who’s never touched or planted a seed, this book’s ability to display so much information, while making it easy to digest, is no small feat. It could easily become a modern mainstay on a gardener’s shelves."
4. 100 Plants to Feed the Monarch: Create a Healthy Habitat to Sustain North America’s Most Beloved Butterfly
Authors: Eric Lee-Mäder, Stephanie Frischie, Emma Pelton, Sarina Jepsen, Stephanie McKnight, and Scott Hoffman Black
Publisher: Storey Publishing
List Price: $16.95
Order Links: https://amzn.to/3dpGFbn
5. The Ultimate Flower Gardener’s Guide: How to Combine Shape, Color, and Texture to Create the Garden of Your Dreams
Author: Jenny Rose Carey
Publisher: Timber Press
List Price: $29.95
Order Links: https://amzn.to/3pCRCZn
Reviewer Jim Dronenburg wrote, "It is a good book for beginners, but also has a lot to say to those who are (ahem) longer in the tooth... Carey’s writing style is wonderful, and the pictures are good enough that this would be a coffee table book if there were not such good text/captions/information. In short, get this book. Your reviewer is a plant collector, not a designer, but I still very much like what Carey has to say."
6. Houseplant Warrior: 7 Keys to Unlocking the Mysteries of Houseplant Care
Author: Raffaele Di Lallo
Publisher: The Countryman Press
List Price: $25.00
Order Links: https://amzn.to/3zTQIOw
7. Lilacs: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden
Author: Naomi Slade
Photography: Georgianna Lane
Publisher: Gibbs Smith
List Price: $22.99
Order Links: https://amzn.to/3xLGGMX and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9781423661306
Reviewer Tori Vandergriff wrote, "Lilacs is a jaw-dropping piece of literature due to Slade’s elegant and informative language, as well as Lane’s incredible photography. This book would be perfect for anyone seeking to learn more about the history of lilacs, the differences in each variety, and how to care for them in the garden. I would highly recommend this book to any gardener (beginner or otherwise) and anyone who loves gorgeous flowers!"
8. Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Revised and Updated Second Edition)
Author: Jessica Walliser
Publisher: Cool Springs Press
List Price: $27.99
Order Link: https://amzn.to/3rm8Evj and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9780760371718
Reviewer Erica H. Smith wrote, "This is the rare gardening book that you just want to sit down and read straight through, including all the details about big-eyed bugs and mountain mint, phenology, and farmscaping, and then study the handy chart about what eats what and what you should plant to attract them. And then start ordering seeds. Maybe it’s even the book that will convince your insect-phobic neighbor to stop spraying and start planting, but at the very least, it will help you serve as a good example of how gardens can be beautiful, healthy, and full of bugs, at the same time."
9. A Rose Named Peace: How Francis Meilland Created a Flower of Hope for a World at War
Author: Barbara Carrol Roberts
Publisher: Candlewick Press
List Price: $18.99
Order Link: https://amzn.to/3MZTrdz and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9781536208436
Reviewer Beth Py-Lieberman wrote, "
10. The Garden Refresh: How to Give Your Yard Big Impact on a Small Budget
Author: Kier Holmes
Publisher: Timber Press
List Price: $27.95
Order Link: https://amzn.to/3HHCphV and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9781643260815
Reviewer Jamie Oberg wrote, "The Garden Refresh inspires readers to view gardening in a new, aesthetic way. It engages the reader and makes incredibly designed gardens feel more feasible, regardless of your situation. Holmes touches on every aspect of garden design, keeping each step of designing, creating, and maintaining a garden easy to follow. She makes gardening an art medium, highlighting how to work with all five senses in a garden design. Overall, the book embodies what Holmes would call 'creative gardening.' "
And one BONUS SELECTION:
We had to include our own book here, which we are extremely proud of and hope you will consider purchasing. The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City is by Kathy Jentz and Teresa Speight (Publisher: Cool Springs Press, List Price: $26.99, Order Link: https://amzn.to/3XcDNjt.) Garden writer Toni Gattone wrote, "The Urban Garden book is jam-packed with 101 great ideas, that beginner and experienced gardeners will learn from. This book is beautifully laid out with gorgeous, colorful photographs that will inspire you to create the garden of your dreams, no matter if it is a small space or a large plot. It’s well thought out and an easy read."
