7 Last Minute Gift Ideas – Garden Books
This year has been an amazing year for good garden reading. The garden books included in the post I read with interest and thought you might like them. Below (in no particular order) is a list of some of my favorites for 2014 with links so you can order them if you like along with a brief book review. Happy Holidays!
1. Fine Foliage By Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz
Fine Foliage is a magnificent little book that shows gardeners how to combine all types of different foliage in their gardens. The photography is utterly beyond fabulous and the idea list is long. I felt the foliage combinations were simple but made a strong statement in the garden. The authors Christina and Karen (right) did a great job of educating the reader on how to garden for an attractive color punch in the garden.
2. Straw Bale Gardens by Joel Karsten
Joel is a genius and I adore the little book that totally transforms a lot of idea on raised garden beds. Straw bale gardening is more than a trend, it offers a fantastic way for gardeners to raise their plants above the ground and create a healthy growing situation for the roots, particularly for vegetable growing. Definitely a must-have book for gardeners who want to try something new.
3. Fresh Eggs Daily by Lisa Steele
This book is for all the chicken lovers out there. So many of my friends are into “chicken gardening” where you bring chickens into your gardens to provide eggs as well as helping provide fresh vegetables for your family. I love Lisa’s ideas for homemade dust baths for the chickens – they look so cute. There are all kinds of tips on how to take care of a chicken in this book and each one is novel and wonderful.
4. Taming Wildflowers by Miriam Goldberger
Wildflowers are important to the environment and this book focuses on how every day people can bring wildflowers to their backyard gardens. I love the idea as it promotes organic growing, gives ideas on how to support pollinators, lists plant profiles and ideas for the end reader. Plus it is all written in Miriam’s cheerful and ever-positive outlook. I loved the book and the photos, particularly the photos on wildflower design ideas. A lovely book!
5. Miniature Gardens by Katie Elzer-Peters
With every page turn I fell in love with a new miniature garden in this book. They are so adorable and truly bring an interesting story to the container garden. There are tons of plant recommendations, ideas on where you can find miniature items for your projects, and of course, smart advice on how to lay out your very own mini-garden. This book is super helpful for getting you kick-started in the world of tiny gardening.
6. The Edible Garden; How To Have Your Garden and Eat It, Too by Alys Fowler
Alys Fowler writes this delightful book on how to have an edible garden. I love the photos by Simon Wheeler and the unique feel of the books matte pages. In the back of the book there is a glorious list of cocktails you can make from the edibles you have grown which I find excellent. I also like the handy guide she posts in the middle of the book which shows plants according to height, so you can design your garden accordingly.
7. Culinary Herbs & Spices of the World by Ben-Erik Van Wyk
With my blog and my life being focused on food, I often am challenged to find something new. This book is filled with astounding herb and spice facts from all around the world. I am not a fan of the photos in the book; they are more industrial and less beautiful. Yet the book, as a whole, is reflective of such a vast quantity of horticultural and culinary facts that I will keep it for years as the Bible of herbs and spice references.
