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Buddha Belly Interiors

Gardening books to bring color (well, green) into your holidays

By Maia Eisen

Winter is when gardeners love to get cozy with a fleece throw, a hot cuppa, and a beautiful garden book to dream over. Here are twelve of 2007’s most irresistible titles, perfect for giving as gifts, or maybe thinking about giving as gifts and then keeping for yourself. (Hey, your green thumb deserves it!)

Topping the list is Perennials: The Gardener’s Reference by Susan Carter, Carrie Becker, and Bob Lilly (Timber Press, $49.95). Finally, in one comprehensive book, find the best time to deadhead, cut back, divide, transplant, and fertilize (or not fertilize) over 2,700 perennial species. Authors Becker and Lilly were two of the original designers of the acclaimed perennial border at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. Their collaboration with Seattle landscape designer Susan Carter provides all the important cultural information on each perennial, plus personal commentary about plant habits. With beautiful photographs by Lynne Harrison, this book is well worth the price.

What makes a garden space feel deeply peaceful? In A Pattern Garden, the Essential Elements of Garden Making (Timber Press, $34.95), Valerie Easton identifies fourteen garden patterns with innate, universal appeal. She addresses how to use elements of design such as scale, focal points, water, the play of light and texture, garden rooms and pathways, ornamentation, and containers to create spaces that soothe, intrigue, or surprise us. Easton also explains how to assess your own site. Sumptuous accompanying photos will enchant you.

Rain Gardens: Managing Water Sustainably in the Garden and Designed Landscape by Nigel Dunnett and Andy Clayden (Timber Press, $34.95) is overflowing (sorry, tough pun to pass up) with practical ways to reduce flooding, water pollution, and Summer drought. From simple rain chains and catch basins, to landscaped eco-swales (like the gardens at the Danielson Grove cottage community in Kirkland), to green roofs for sheds, and to infiltration planters at the bottom of downspouts, this book offers solutions. Examples from around the world include the Cedar River Watershed Education Center.

In The Encyclopedia of Grasses for Livable Landscapes (Timber Press, $59.95), Rick Darke writes, “Grasses are the first to tell of each caressing Summer breeze…As they move, they sing in tones ranging from a low whisper to a…rustle, to a staccato rattle.” Gorgeously photographed, this comprehensive resource is a delight to read. It also includes cultural and historical information and a section on how to design with grasses.

Foliage: Astonishing Color and Texture Beyond Flowers by Nancy J. Ondra (Storey Publishing, $24.95) satisfies a gardener’s craving for color. It’s so richly photographed, you will practically want to eat this book. Ondra organizes foliage by leaf color, leaf texture (spiky, medium, fine, and lacy), and whether plants are sun- or shade-lovers. You will find suggestions for stunning foliage combinations. Buy this book if you dare to have a more vibrant, eye-catching garden year-round.

If you love having flowers in the house, Garden to Vase: Growing and Using Your Own Cut Flowers by Linda Beutler (Timber Press, $29.95), provides inspiration for exciting arrangements. Beutler, president of the Pacific Northwest Clematis Society, covers what makes a good cut flower, the emotional effects of flowers, and floral-design ideas for occasions from formal to casual. Her directory of hundreds of plants includes tips on culture, harvesting, conditioning, and vase life. Photos by award-winning photographer Allan Mandel make this a knockout of a book.

Shrubs form the underlying architectural structure of a garden, and two lovely new books pay them some well-earned attention.

“A garden without viburnums is like a life without the pleasures of music and art,” writes author Michael A. Dirr in Viburnums: Flowering Shrubs for Every Season (Timber Press, $39.95). There are truly viburnums for every season, from the fragrant, Winter-flowering Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ to the Spring blooms and metallic-blue Summer berries of Viburnum tinus ‘Spring Bouquet’ to Viburnum dentatum’s fabulous Fall color.

The luscious photos in Glyn Church’s Complete Hydrangeas (Firefly Books, $24.95) make it understandable why hydrangeas are so popular. From macrophyllas to paniculatas to quercifolias, Church includes information on more than 200 varieties. Church discusses using hydrangeas in the landscape, good companion plants, how and when to prune, disease and pest control, manipulating color with soil acidity (hint: alkaline soil is needed for pink flowers), and how to save cut flowers for indoor decoration.

Pots in the Garden: Expert Design and Planting Techniques by Ray Rogers (Timber Press, $29.95) is a visually exciting book. Stunning photos by Richard Hartlage illustrate container-garden compositions from timeless to wildly innovative. The text explains the design principles at work in the photographed containers. You’ll gain both inspiration and the knowledge to design your own pots with confidence. Learn about potting up annuals, bulbs, succulents, perennials, vines, tropicals, trees, and shrubs.

For growing edibles in small spaces, a fun, easy, and mouth-watering book is Crops in Pots: How to Plan, Plant, and Grow Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs in Easy-Care Containers, by Bob Purnell (Reader’s Digest, $19.95). Fifty “recipes” for what to plant and how to care for it are each accompanied by an actual food recipe. For example, directions for growing bok choy and mustard greens are paired with a recipe for sesame shrimp with bok choy. Purnell playfully organizes his contents by starters, main courses, and desserts.

Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens by Douglas Tallamy (Timber Press, $27.95) makes a powerful case for native plants in our landscapes. This is a fascinating look at how importing exotic plants into your garden can negatively affect native birds, bees, and wildlife. Tallamy offers an engaging argument for the power of gardeners to contribute to maintaining biodiversity.

Are you bemoaning the lack of sun in your yard? Celebrate shade with Gardening with Woodland Plants, by Karan Junker (Timber Press, $39.95). Drawing on her experience running a woodland nursery, Junker demonstrates that large spaces are not required for a beautiful garden, and she offers advice on balancing soil and choosing the right plant for the right place. Junker includes an encyclopedic guide to the variety and beauty of woodland plants. ■

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