In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

Lessons from Linden Hill:
Design Tips and Planning Pointers
by Jerry Fritz with Nancy Ondra

The lifelong dream of landscape designer Jerry Fritz comes to life when he purchases a farmstead in the heart of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The property includes an old, dilapidated stone barn filled with junk. Bucket by bucket, he and his family remove the junk and have the barn refurbished. They relocate their landscape business from their home to this new location, surround it with traffic-stopping display gardens, and open a collector’s-level nursery. So much so, that Martha Stewart invites Jerry to her show to design a deer-resistant container planting featuring unusual thrillers, fillers, and spillers—including “blurple” flowers from Linden Hill. Not quite blue, not quite purple—they’re blurple.

Not only is Lessons from Linden Hill (Linden Hill Gardens, 108 pages, $19.95) a must-read for green industry professionals, it is the story of a guy with a truck evolving into a destination garden center and gardens that give hope to deer-riddled gardeners. The incredible journey entails good instinct, an homage to history, and a passion for colorful foliage and flowers. The book is inspirational and packed full of fabulous plants and design tips, including how to look at a space and see what it could be, gardening in deer country, using stone in the garden, and working with a garden designer.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

Starter Vegetable Gardens:
24 No-Fail Plans for Small Organic Gardens
by Barbara Pleasant

The idea of where to begin with a vegetable garden can cause anxiety for any new gardener. Starter Vegetable Gardens (Storey Publishing, 179 pages, $19.95) takes the guesswork out of growing food. Using simple language the author explains exactly how to start, maintain, and eventually expand an organic vegetable garden. What to buy, where to plant, and how to care for your garden are all discussed in this resource.

The 24 small-scale garden plans provide the reader with many options for growing your own fresh food. Some of the plans include: Backyard Veggie Border, Front-Yard Food Supply, Family Food Factory, Sweet Corn and Company, Marinara Medley, and the Managed Mulch Garden. Each plan includes a labeled chart in color, along with a supply and tool inventory, and a to-do list for each season. Intertwined in each chapter are color photographs and valuable information such as watering tips, plant supports, and insect issues. The book concludes with a dictionary of 46 common vegetables and a glossary of gardener’s basic lingo.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.

What’s Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?):
A Visual Guide to Easy Diagnosis and Organic Remedies
by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth

This guide provides an easy system for visually diagnosing plant problems, and matching them to a cure. What’s Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?) (Timber Press, 451 pages, $24.95) includes information about houseplants, perennials, vegetables, trees, and shrubs. It is split into three parts. Part One presents illustrated flow charts, organized by the location of symptoms on the plant, so the reader can accurately diagnose the problem. The format does not require knowing the name of the plant; all you need to know is whether the problem is affecting its roots, stems, flowers, or leaves. 

Part Two offers 100 percent organic ways to fix the problems. From improper growing conditions and environmental factors, to molds, pests, and diseases, every problem has a safe, natural solution. Part Three shows photographs and drawings of stressed, damaged, and diseased plants that help with accurate comparison. 

Whether your garden consists of herbs on a kitchen windowsill, a vegetable garden, an elaborate backyard border, or a container on a patio, this reference book is a resource any gardener can use.

Click here to purchase from Amazon