You know you have a love and passion for plants and gardening when you enjoy reading these books over New York Times Bestsellers. Here are just a few of my favorite books I've added to my bookshelf over the years.
How to Grow Stuff by Alice Vincent
This book is GREAT for those who are just starting to experiment with plants. Perhaps you're a new home owner, or you've just gotten your own place, this book will help you learn the basics of planting and growing. The focus of the book is on apartment balcony container gardening but the concept can easily be relayed to your home. Its a quick easy read.
This book covers the basics for commonly used herbs (rosemary, basil, parsley to name a few), vegetables (tomatoes, squash, arugula and peppers), flowers (geraniums, lavender and bulbs to name a few) and houseplants (aloe, maidenhair fern, and more). Each plant is its own chapter which covers topics like placement, light, drainage, watering, soil and compost, among other topics like re-potting, cuttings or growing from seed, and pests.
While the write is based in England, some of the planting times can be slightly off from our Central Texas environment. Key dates to remember are the first and last frost dates for your area. For Central Texas the first frost date is around mid-November and the last frost date is around mid-March.
This book is detailed about how to grow different fruits and vegetables in Texas. It also has a section that covers how to set up your garden for success, as well as other tips on pest control, harvesting and storage.
What I find most fascinating with this book is the wide selection of varieties of plants that are most suitable for Texas. You know these are tried and true varieties, but it can be challenging finding some of those recommended at your local nursery or garden center.
There is also additional information for first and last freeze dates, transplanting, how to recognize and treat nutrient deficiencies, as well as record keeping and recipe sections. For the home gardener, this book is a must; one you will reference year after year.
OMG, I couldn't put this book down! After building my confidence with my small vegetable gardening I wanted to branch out and try growing seasonal cut flowers. There is tons of great information about how to grow many different varieties of common cut flowers.
This book is broken down by season, with a list of tasks you should do in your flower farm/garden along with the varieties to plant. Now, I don't have a farm but there is still great knowledge to gain from this book for your small scale flower bed.
Floret also sells seeds and tubers for the varieties covered in the book, just be careful because your shopping cart will fill up fast and be expensive!
This is a book I added to my collection many years ago when I was working in the landscape industry. This is a great reference for native plants across the different regions of Texas. In addition to the regions the plants are broken down into what category they are, such as groundcovers, perennials, shrubs, trees, and so on.
Plants referenced include color photos, scientific and common names, growth habits, sun or shade requirements, and which region(s) suitable for growing, as well as a description. This is a great desk reference when you are looking for plants that work best for where you live with hopes to find at your local nursery that specialize in native plants.
Another great feature of this books is that it includes design concepts. This can help you visualize how to use the native plants in your own landscape.
I need to pick up a copy of this How to Grow Stuff book. I don’t have a natural green thumb and could use all the help I can get