Home gardener's library

A home gardener's library includes gardening books and journals to aid the residential gardener in planning, planting, harvesting, and maintaining a garden around the home. Gardening books encompass a variety of subjects from garden design, vegetable gardens, perennial gardens, to shade gardens. Every plant genus or category of plants may also be covered including roses, clematis, bulbs, hellebores, and hydrangeas. The Internet has expanded and enhanced the availability of gardening resources. Plant databases, photographic collections, as well as detailed articles and blogs greatly add to the range and depth of home gardening information.
"The gardens I love best are those that are still affectionately tended by the people who own them and who made them, who planned and planted and replanned and replanted them, who dug in the dirt and moved hoses and watched their gardens change with cycle of seasons and over the passage of years." [Lacy, A.(1998). The inviting garden: gardening for the senses, mind, and spirit. NY: Henry Holt.] A home gardener's library may include the following sources(books, journals, websites):

Plant Information

*Damrosch, B. (2008). "The garden primer." (2nd ed). New York: Workman. (ISBN 0-761-12275-3)
*Dirr, M.A. (1998). "Manual of woody landscape plants: their identification, ornamental characteristics, culture, propagation and uses." Champaign, IL: Stipes. (ISBN 0-875-63800-7)
*Dirr, M.A. (1997). "Dirr’s hardy trees and shrubs: an illustrated encyclopedia". Portland: Timber Press. (ISBN 0-881-92404-0)Not as comprehensive as the manual above, but it is enhanced with photographs.
*Pears, P. (2002). "Rodale's illustrated encyclopedia of organic gardening". New York: DK Pub. (ISBN 0-789-48908-2)
* [http://woodyplants.nres.uiuc.edu/ UI Plants] . Gary J. Kling. 2008. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 17 Mar. 2008.

Design

*Easton, V. (2007). "A pattern garden: the essential elements of garden making." Portland: Timber Press. (ISBN 0-881-92780-5)
*Williams, B. (1998). "On garden style." New York: Simon & Schuster. (ISBN 0-684-82605-4)

Perennials & Plants

*Di-Sabato-Aust, T. (1998). "The well-tended perennial garden: planting & pruning techniques." Portland: Timber Press.This work discusses techniques of pruning perennials to extend bloom time and visual appeal.
*Howells, J. (1996). "The rose and the clematis as good companions." Woodbridge: Garden Art Press. (ISBN 1-870-67319-0)
*Harper, P.J. (2000). "Time-tested plants: thirty years in a four-season garden." Portland: Timber Press.Seasonally organized, plants discussed are hardy in USDA hardiness zone 7.

Containers

*Fisher, S. (1999). "Scented containers: great ideas for year-round fragrance". NY: Sterling Pub. (ISBN 0-706-37800-8)Container ideas for spring, summer, autumn, winter. "Plants with scented flowers or aromatic foliage can be planted in pots and positioned for maximum enjoyment."

Inspiration

*Lacy, A. (1998)."The inviting garden: gardening for the senses, mind, and spirit." NY: Henry Holt.Divided into three parts: Part 1: Gardening and the Senses; Part 2: Gardening and the Mind; Part 3: Gardening and the Spirit. "An introduction to the passion of gardening and its lifetime rewards."

Garden Journals

* [http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/ Fine Gardening] bi-monthly magazine with ideas for garden design, plant combinations, techniques and tips, and advice for your gardening region. [http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/ Companion site] with plant guide, design, and how-to sections.
* [http://www.gardendesign.com/index.jsp Garden Design] "a lifestyle magazine edited for the upscale, design-conscious reader who is serious and passionate about the beauty of gardening, the satisfaction of fine design and decorating, and all the pleasures of outdoor living."
* [http://www.hortmag.com/GeneralMenu/ Horticulture] features gardens, how-tos for planting, pruning, and dividing, regional gardening tips, and advice for tools and accessories.

Gardening Catalogs

* [http://www.fairweathergardens.com/ Fairweather Gardens] Trees, shrubs, and perennials of distinction. Their catalog is an excellent reference featuring both native and unusual plants. Primarily mail order they are also open to the public on select days: [http://www.fairweathergardens.com/pages/calendar.php Calendar of Open Houses and Shopping Days] .
* [http://www.waysidegardens.com/ Wayside Gardens]
* [http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/ White Flower Farm] Print catalogs come three or four times a year and are an excellent reference.

External links

* [http://www.goldmedalplants.org/ Gold Medal Plant Award Program] sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society this program recognizes "trees, shrubs, and woody vines of outstanding merit" and are recommended for USDA Zones 5-7 and is a good place to look when considering adding shrubs and trees to the home garden.
* [http://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/ You Bet Your Garden] accompanying website to the radio show on Public Radio produced by WHYY in Philadelphia, it features Mike McGrath, former editor-in-chief of Organic Gardening magazine from 1991 through 1997. "You Bet Your Garden offers fiercely organic advice to gardeners far and wide: Tips on caring for plants, fending off pests, wrestling with weeds, dealing with disease, and all the other fun things we outdoor enthusiasts enjoy sooooo much."

References