Gardening by the book

For some people gardening is like sex. If they’re not doing it, they’re thinking about doing it. A good Gardening book is like that, too. Even when we can’t garden (like when it’s dark outside) we can still get our “garden fix” by reading about it.

Here’s the place you can find the most informative, fun and interesting garden books. Dream about your next project--or plan it. Our garden book reviewer Dee Dixon helps you get lost in a good read by doing the homework for you. Dee’s crib notes (known elsewhere as book reviews) saves you time and money by getting your hands on just the book you need. Might we suggest a cup o’ tea or a tall one to go along with? All you need to do is “turn the page”

Click here for reviews of our favorite books

If you love old garden books but don’t have one close by, I’ve found a couple of great sites on the Internet. Powell's has a terrific Web site at www.powells.com.  You’ll find more than 3,000 old, out of print and rare garden books at www.horizonbooks.com. Books sell for anywhere from $7 to $$$$$ of dollars. This site is really fun if you’re into this kind of thing because you can search by category, title or author. It also has some wonderful botanical art. 

If you want to go ‘awaaaaay’ back in what is called “Antiquarian” books, try looking through Elisabeth Woodburn Books www.woodburnbooks.com. The company has been around 56 years and has somewhere around 12,000 titles (is that enough for you?). Gee whiz, they even have Jan Ingenhousz’ book. Oh, yes, you know who Jan is… he’s the guy who discovered PHOTOSYNTHESIS! Now, that rings a bell. You’d have to spend quite a bit of green to be able to own Mr. Ingenhousz' book talking about his new discovery in the 1779 edition of “Experiments upon Vegetables.”