If you are like me, the only thing better than being in the garden, is poring over pictures of other gardens. I keep a robust collection of books and magazines for reference and inspiration, and I revisit my favorites when I have a new design underway.
Some well thumbed books at my house are:
Valerie Easton’s Plant Life
Nancy J. Ondra’s Grasses and Foliage
Beth Chatto’s Woodland Garden and Gravel Garden
Ann Lovejoy’s Handbook of Northwest Gardening
Noel Kingsbury’s Gardens by Design
Piet Oudolf’s Designing with Plants
And if you love modern design – Zahid Sardar’s New Garden Design
While I fully endorse supporting local book sellers when possible, if budget is a concern, many of these books can be found used at bargain prices on Amazon. Or, if you have a well stocked local library, you may find a healthy gardening section there. I often check out books several times before I decide to purchase and rarely leave the library without an armload of treasures.
So grab some books, kick back with a cup of tea and enjoy a little armchair gardening.
Piet Oudolf's Designing with Plants
