A Fresh Crop of Books (Plus another Book Giveaway)

Some of us are still waiting impatiently for Spring to arrive. Believe it or not, there was a light dusting of snow on the ground this morning!

I can't think of a better of a better way to laze-away a wintery evening than sipping a cup of coffee and thumbing through a spring catalogue of gardening books. Here are just a few of the books that caught my eye:

Small Green Roofs

By Nigel Dunnett, Dusty Gedge, John Little & Edmund C. Snodgrass

Paperback 256 pages; full color throughout

American Horticultural Society Book Award winner

We need to replace our garden shed and so this book cover grabbed my attention. I'd love to have a similar green roof on our new shed.

This book contains 40 illustrated profiles of small green roof designs with details on design, construction, installation, care and maintenance.

Cultivating Garden Style

Inspired ideas and practical advice to unleash your garden personality

By Rochelle Greayer

Paper over board

320 pages; full color throughout

Selection of the Homestyle Book Club

This guide to outdoor design by the editor of Pith + Vigor features 23 unique garden styles intended to help you find your personal garden style. There are lessons and tips in gardening and design, as well as step-by-step projects.

Worthy of note: this book contains over 1,500 photographs to inspire you.

This is a series of books covering: Asters, Epimediums, Ferns, Sedums, Snowdrops and Tulips. Carolyn of Carolyn's Shade Gardens, who is a snowdrop expert among other things, did a very favourable review of The Plant Lover's Guide of Snowdrops. The New York Times describes the series as "lavishly illustrated."

A Beginners Guide to Preserving Food at Home
By Janet Chadwick
Paperback
240 pages; a mix of two-color and illustrations

This bestseller promises to take the fear out of canning, which is reassuring to people like me who are novice canners. The book covers best techniques for canning popular fruits and veggies.

Drink the Harvest
By Nan K. Chase & DeNeice C. Guest
Paperback 232 pages; Full color with photographs & illustrations

I like the idea that preserving summer's harvest extends beyond jams and pickles.

This book covers juices, ciders, wines, teas and syrups. There are also tips and growing and harvesting the necessary ingredients.

Coleus
Rainbow of Foliage for Containers and Gardens
By Ray Rogers
Hardcover, 228 pages; full color throughout

Did you know that 2015 has been named as the Year of the Coleus by the National Garden Bureau (USA)?

With 225 varieties of Coleus featured in its pages and tips of propagation, care and use, this book covers just about everything you might want to know about the plant of the year.

Planting the Dry Shade Garden

By Graham Rice

Paperback, 192 pages; full color throughout

Moist shade, is one thing. Dry shade is double the challenge. A good chunk of my back garden is dry and shady, so a guide that highlights 130 plants that do well with reduced light and moisture, would be a handy reference.

Epic Tomatoes

By Craig Lehoullier

Paperback, 256 pages; full color photographs & illustrations

This book explains how to plant and grow tomatoes, as well as offers tips on how to control pests and diseases. Author Craig Lehoullier has spent over 30 years trialing tomatoes and highlights his top 10 tomato varieties.

Mosaic Garden Projects

By Mark Brody

Paperback 256 pages; full color throughout

For those of us still waiting for Spring, a garden art project might help keep us sane!
This book covers the basics of making a mosaic and has 25 projects with step-by-step instructions.

 



A few older Books you might want to look out for:

The Collector's Garden

By Ken Druse

Paperback 256 pages; full color throughout

American Horticultural Society Book Award winner

In The Collector's Garden author Ken Druse studies 28 gardens throughout the world that have a plant driven focus.

Natural Companions, The Garden Lover's Guide to Plant Combinations is second book by Ken Druse. It features stunning photographs by Ellen Hoverkamp.

The Layered Garden

By David L. Culp

Paperback 312 pages; full color throughout

This book, which I reviewed back in 2012, went on to be a bestseller and won a gold award from the Garden Writers Association. The Layered Garden shows gardeners how to layer plants with beautiful photographs of Culp's Brandywine Cottage Garden as illustration of the concept.

Below is an image of Brandywine Cottage's walled garden.

Image from The Layered Garden © David l. Culp & Timber Press, 2012. Used with kind permission from Timber Press.

Coming Soon:

The Magical World of Moss Gardening

By Annie Martin 

Paperback 264 pages; full color throughout

For Release July 2015

Two years ago I started growing some moss and was surprised and pleased by the results. Now I'd like to learn more about growing moss.

This book, by expert Annie Martin, covers the basics: tips on designing with moss, as well as planting and maintenance.

The Indestructible Houseplant

By Tovah Martin with Photography by Kindra Clineff

Paperback 328 pages; full color throughout

For Release June 2015

During the late fall and winter I lavish attention on my houseplants, but by summertime, they are looking forlorn and neglected, baking in the sun of my dinning room window. "Indestructible" could prove useful adjective in coping with my seasonal neglect!

In this book author Tovah Martin highlights indoor plants that are tough, beautiful, and readily available. In addition to plant profiles there are there are tips on care, maintenance and creating eye-catching indoor displays.

Disclaimer: This selection of books is entirely of my own choosing. I did receive a copy of Epic Tomatoes: How to Select & Grow the Best Varieties of All Time by Craig Lehoullier at the Garden Writers Association (Chapter 7) annual lunch that I am going to give away to one lucky reader.

If you would like to be entered in the draw to win Epic Tomatoes please leave a comment below. 

If you are a non-blogger and would like to enter please leave a comment on the Three Dogs in a Garden Facebook page (link to Facebook in the right sidebar).

Please make sure there is a way for me to get hold of you by Facebook or email! I am still struggling to contact Bonnie Johnson who won Grow Gardeners in my last book draw.