Ed's Favorite Gardening Books
Looking for gifts for your favorite gardener? Below is a list of the books that Ed Hume thinks are the best in their category. These are the books that Ed uses to research those hard to answer questions. Because of our association with Amazon.com you can order these books directly from Amazon.com through our web site. Not only do you get a great price on these wonderful books, but you also help to support this site.
Books from 
Best Encyclopedia
Sunset Western Garden Book - An outstanding garden reference book. One of the best 'Garden Encyclopedia' type books available today. Although the information is written for the West, it is general enough to be used throughout North America. Two outstanding sections are 'A Guide to Plant Selection' which outlines special situations; effects and basic landscape plant recommendations; and the ‘Plant-List’ section which is a detailed plant encyclopedia. It is so well done it is used by many professional organizations as a textbook.
Best General Gardening Book
Shortcuts for Accenting Your Garden by Marianne Binetti - Ideas, in fact, over 500 ideas and tips showing ways you can create accents in your garden inexpensively. There are many tips for creating a carefree landscape. An easy read, this book features many common sense, easy to create, features for the home owner.
Best NW Gardening Book
Gardening With Ed Hume, Northwest Gardening Made Easy by Ed Hume. - The most concise book on gardening in the cool short season, northwest climate. Seventeen chapters and over 400 pages of easy, effective methods for growing and maintaining a beautiful yard. Ed's time-proven techniques for cultivating colorful flowerbeds, healthy shrubs, and exquisite lawns make this book an invaluable gardening tool. Includes extensive plant lists (using common names) organized by growing size, flower color, best garden place and much more. A must for northwest homeowners.
Best Books on Flowers
Perennials for American Gardens by Ruth Rogers Clausen and Nicolas H. Ekstrom - A wonderful guide to over 3,000 species, cultivars and hybrid perennials. Color photographs make it easy for the reader to 'identify' or determine whether this is a plant they want to include in their garden. The 600 plus pages are an easy read. Information on culture; propagation; staking; location; pests and diseases; and fertilizing are covered for each plant family.
The Border in Bloom by Ann Lovejoy - A great source of information about providing color in northwest gardens throughout the year. What to use and how to use it, during the six gardening seasons of the year: late winter; spring; early summer; high summer; autumn and early winter. A superb reference for creating a colorful year-round garden.
Best Book on Trees & Shrubs
Trees and Shrubs for Northwest Gardens by John A. Grant and Carol L. Grant - One of the best books ever written about which trees and shrubs perform best in northwest gardens. The authors are renowned horticulturists and have gone to great lengths to make the book an easy read. One of my favorite sections of the book is their list of ‘Twelve Trees and Shrubs for Special Purposes'
Now in its second edition, this book has been a 'must' for over 40 years. It is a classic, 'Reference Sourcebook on Plant Material'.
Best Bulb Book
Better Homes and Gardens: Bulbs for All Seasons by Meredith - What a great reference book on bulbs, whether you're interested in the new, old or unusual. This is a book for the average home gardener with ideas on planting; forcing; designs in using various types of bulbs and their year-round care. The bulb photographs make it easy to decide which bulbs you want to include in your garden. This would be a nice 'coffee table' book too!
Best Pruning Book
Pruning Made Easy by Lewis Hill - Here's a handy, easy to understand guide to pruning your trees and shrubs. The illustrations show you how to prune and the text tells you when to prune. Pruning is a great mystery to most home owners, so here's a visual guide to help make pruning easy. There are even suggestions on how to create and prune 'Bonsai' plants. Plenty of 'before and after' illustrations really help you decide the how, what, when, and where of pruning.
Best Landscaping Book
Sunset Western Landscaping - Landscaping is one of the best investments one can make when owning their own home. In fact, it is estimated that good landscaping can increase the value of one's home by as much as 12 to 21 percent. Here's a book that outlines some ideas on design; special situations; hardscaping; construction of structures; water features and much, much more. The photographs provide plenty of visual ideas from home gardens in many areas of the West.
Best Lawn Book
Lawns and Ground Covers by Michael MacCaskey - Need some help with your lawn? Planting a new lawn? Wondering which ground covers to use in your garden. Here's a very informative book to help you solve your lawn and ground cover problems. Photographs show basic disease; weeds and maintenance problems and the authors give suggestions on how to improve and correct them. Excellent information is provided on the various varieties of lawn grasses and ground covers. In addition, there is information on how to install an irrigation system.
Best Book on Vegetables
All About Vegetables by Walter L. Doty - Here's a great reference for growing your own vegetables. Packed with ideas from seeding to harvesting. Soil preparation; location; planting; varieties; care and harvesting are all discussed at a level even the beginner can understand. There are a lot of ideas on subjects varying from cold frames/hot beds; coverings; extending the season; supports; composting; watering; feeding and a lot more. A 'must' for the average home vegetable gardener.
Best NW Resource Books
The Northwest Gardeners' Resource Directory by Debra Prinzing -What a great resource book! If you live in the northwest or plan on visiting the area (and are interested in gardening) this is the book for you. It's a marvelous directory of public gardens; nurseries; emporiums; and all kinds of help for gardeners. Over 300 pages, full of valuable northwest gardening information.
The Pacific Northwest Gardeners' Book of Lists by Ray and Jan McNeilan - Wondering what to plant in various parts of the garden? Here's a concise, informative book listing the best plants to use under varying exposures; soil conditions and unusual planting circumstances. If you have soggy soil, dry soil, windy spots, or need plants for special areas, this book contains over 200 lists of trees, shrubs, and flowers that meet specific garden needs. A very handy reference book, that could be adapted to any part of North America.
Other Books of Interest
The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust - An outstanding book on how, when and which perennials need to be given special attention. Learn how to keep many of your perennials flowering most of the summer. Special tips on planting and pruning techniques. Ideas on how to produce more flowers, encourage lush new growth, discourage pests, stagger bloom times and maintain vigorous health. Handy month-by-month planting and maintenance schedule. A 'must' for anyone that enjoys growing perennials in their garden.
Brian Minter's New Gardening Guide by Brian Minter - Here's a fresh approach for Canadian gardeners, by one of Canada's leading horticulturists. Adaptable to many parts of the United States, this informative book covers all phases of gardening in an easy to understand read format. Special tips on each topic are highlighted for easy reference. Here are the answers to your questions about lawns, vegetable gardening; growing annuals, perennials and other pertinent every day garden problems.
Making Gardens by Patrick Taylor - An outstanding new book and essential guide to planning and planting. Nicely illustrated with easy to follow landscape plant plans and colorful photographs, gives the reader a before and after perspective. Numerous ideas on various styles of landscape plantings. If you're doing your own landscaping or are looking for ideas to share with a designer or landscape architect that is drawing-up your plan, you will find this a very handy idea book.
Gardening with Climbers by Christopher Grey-Wilson and Victoria Matthews -A comprehensive directory describing many of the best climbers, for use in the home garden. Need ideas on how to plant, train, support, prune and care for vines? Glorious color photographs show the many climbing species suitable for growing in your garden. A great guide to choosing the right vine or climber for the right spot in your garden.
Year-Round Garden by Adrian Bloom -A wonderful book by one of the World's great perennial growers. Here's an excellent guide to providing garden color from January to December. Perennials and shrubs are the focus of this colorful reference guide. Detailed information on each species and valuable cultural information is featured on every page. A 280 page gem!
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Camellias by Stirling Macoboy - This is a magnificent illustrated book. If you like camellias, you'll love this book. There are over 1,000 illustrated entries in this book. Including the major species: Sasanquas, japonicas, Higos and reticulatas. In addition, an entire chapter is devoted to the cultivation of camellias. A great 'coffee table' book.
The Plantfinder's Guide to Ornamental Grasses by Roger Grounds - Here's a wide-ranging and thorough exploration of grasses from their history and biology through to plant selection and garden uses. The author separates grasses with colorful leaves and the flowering grasses. The effects of grasses; planting and care information is included. If you are a grass lover you will appreciate the planting plans.
Gardening with Grasses by Michael King and Pier Oudolf - The authors show how grasses can be used in a variety of ways to transform the garden. The examples and colorful photographs show how effectively grasses can be used with other garden plants. In a listing of over 150 varieties and cultivars, the authors select the most appropriate for a wide range of garden situations.
Easy Answers for Great Gardens: 500 Tips, Techniques, and Outlandish Ideas by Marianne Binetti
Scarecrows by Felder Rushing
Quick and Easy Indoor Topiary by Chris Jones
Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs by Michael A. Dirr
Making Brentwood Trellises, Arbors, Gates and Fences by Jim Long
Ed's Out of Print Favorites
Look for these at your favorite used book store or have Amazon.com find them for you!
Reader's Digest: Success with House Plants - How unusual, a houseplant book that is written for those of us that grow houseplants in the home. So often one picks up a houseplant book, and on the over-leaf what do you find, the author standing in a greenhouse, so you know right-away, they are going to tell you how to grow houseplants in a greenhouse, not indoors in your home. Not this book. This is a wonderful encyclopedia and houseplant problem solver. Practical ideas on watering; feeding; propagation and possible problems.
Gardening by the National Gardening Association
The Step By Step Guide to Patio and Container Gardening
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