Here is a list of the best gardening books that were reviewed in 2023 in the Washington Gardener Magazine. These 10 selections are listed below in no particular order.
(Note that if you click on the links, it takes you to the book's Amazon page and we get a few pennies if you order it from there through our affiliate link. We have also included the Bookshop.org link from our account for those who do not use Amazon.)
1. Gardening Can Be Murder: How Poisonous Poppies, Sinister Shovels, and Grim Gardens Have Inspired Mystery Writers
Author: Marta McDowell
Publisher: Timber Press
List Price: $29.00
Order Links: https://amzn.to/3QoAN2U and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9781643261126
Reviewer Beth Py-Lieberman wrote, "With murderous precision and the exhaustive art of a detective’s pursuit, McDowell is on the trail in her new book, Gardening Can Be Murder. But don’t mistake this tiny tome with its sinister black cover—the backdrop for a gorgeous rendering of deadly nightshade—as a playful light read. McDowell’s packed pages are a spell-binding timeline detailing how the garden provides key clues across a landscape of classic to contemporary mystery novels."
2. The Ecological Farm: A Minimalist No-Till, No-Spray, Selective-Weeding, Grow-Your-Own-Fertilizer System for Organic Agriculture
Author: Helen Atthowe
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
List Price: $44.95
Order Links: https://amzn.to/3RqUiIT and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9781645021810
Reviewer Marsha Douma wrote, "The Ecological Farm builds on the ideas that came before it. How fortunate we are to have so many good books to choose from in advocating organic, sustainable growing practices. Who will find this particular book valuable? Any gardener. Even for the reader who is familiar with organic gardening practices, the extensive second part of the book, about how to organically grow and trouble-shoot a wide selection of crops, is a valuable, carefully researched reference to have on hand."
3. How to Forage for Wild Foods Without Dying: An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Identifying 40 Edible Wild Plants
Author: Ellen Zachos
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
List Price: $16.99
Order Links:https://amzn.to/3Nvl5AR and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9781635866131
Reviewer Christine Folivi wrote, "Throughout the book, there are beautiful photographs of each plant, but what I personally liked the most and thought was most useful was the author showing us the “dangerous look-likes” for many edible plants. This handy book helps people avoid these doppelgangers when they are foraging, which will save you from deadly results."
4. The Climate Change Garden: Down to Earth Advice for Growing a Resilient Garden
Authors: Sally Morgan and Kim Stoddart
Publisher: Cool Springs Press/Quarto
List Price: $26.99
Order Links: https://amzn.to/3lk3HDZ and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9780760379486
5. The Vegetable Garden Problem Solver Handbook: Identify and Manage Diseases and Other Common Problems on Edible Plants
Author: Susan Mulvihill
Publisher: Cool Springs Press/Quarto
List Price: $28.99
Order Link: https://amzn.to/3YsdQND and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9780760377482
Reviewer Erica H. Smith wrote, "...let me assure you that this book will not, well, lead you down the garden path to unverified, nonscientific solutions. Mulvihill knows her stuff, and she knows how to present it. This is a well-written, encouraging guide to making your garden the best it can be."
6. Shade Gardening for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: A Guide to Planning the Ultimate Shade Garden
Author: Lee Miller
Publisher: Independently published
Order link: https://amzn.to/3UzMKD4
Cost: $31.91
7. The Color of Roses: A Curated Spectrum of 300 Blooms
Author: Danielle Dall’armi Hahn
Photographer: Victoria Pearson
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
List Price: $35.00
Order Links: https://amzn.to/3rsWnZU and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9781984861160
Reviewer Teri Speight wrote, "This carefully curated book about roses is written as a guide for learning what roses to choose from when looking for specific characteristics. It would also be quite useful as a non-intimidating resource for the care and use of one of the world’s most-loved flowers."
8. Field Guide to Outside Style: Design & Plant Your Perfect Outdoor Space
Author: Ryan McEnaney
Publisher: Cool Springs Press
List Price: $30.00
Order Link: https://amzn.to/46U76wA and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9780760372999
Reviewer: Taylor Edwards wrote, "The Field Guide to Outside Style is an easygoing guide to decorating any outdoor space. The author invites readers to think about what the ideal garden looks like to them by exploring personal choice and style. This book has a good balance of instructions and pictures throughout to provide some inspiration. Take your time reading through it, because it has a lot of information to digest.."
9. The First-Time Gardener: Container Food Gardening
Author: Pam Farley
Publisher: Cool Springs Press
List Price: $26.99
Order Links: https://amzn.to/44tzLHp and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9780760378137
Reviewer Marissa Yelenik wrote, "The First-Time Gardener: Container Food Gardening is a great resource for its intended audience of beginner gardeners. With charts to hammer down exactly the ideal conditions for each edible plant and photo resources to explain how to go about certain tasks, the book works to truly simplify edible container gardening for those who have never touched a plant before."
10. A Gardener’s Guide to Botany: The Biology Behind the Plants You Love, How They Grow, and What They Need
Author: Scott Zona
Publisher: Cool Springs Press/Quarto
List Price: $32.00
Order Links: https://amzn.to/3vjawL1 and https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9780760374450
Reviewer Marsha Douma wrote, "It has been many years since I read a biology book cover to cover, but Scott Zona’s clearly and expertly written, as well as beautifully arranged book was worth the effort. It is filled with fascinating photographs of plants from around the world to illustrate his points. Truly, every page is worthwhile, which is a claim not easy to make for a textbook. Even a cursory reading of the book will leave the reader in awe of how exquisitely plants have evolved to adapt and thrive no matter what environment they inhabit."
And one BONUS SELECTION:
We had to include our own book here, which we are extremely proud of and hope you will consider purchasing. GROUNDCOVER REVOLUTION is by Kathy Jentz (Publisher: Cool Springs Press, List Price: $26.99, Order Links: https://amzn.to/3IlYHYL or https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9780760378151) Garden writer C.L. Fornari of GardenLady.com said, “Groundcover Revolution is the must-have book for anyone who is interested in having less lawn, fewer weeds, and reduced mulching. The properties charts will save the reader time and money, the pictures provide inspiration, while the detailed plant portraits give the focused information needed for creating beautiful, functional landscapes.”
Here are our past year's listings of our Top Garden Books:
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