Gardening Bibliography

Gardening is full of strong ideas about methods, sometimes contradictory. It’s part of the challenge.

These books worked for me – in Anchorage on a small city lot and here in the Pacific Northwest woods, so I am grateful for them and happy to share (specially with the young writer who is also a reader and a new garden owner).

Some of these books cover most everything, but they fall into somewhat into categories: inspiration, instruction, calendar (Robson and Seattle Tilth), and day-after-day plant reference (Sunset and Pojar).

Dillon, Helen

“Garden Artistry: Secrets of Designing and Planting a Small Garden”

Hemenway, Toby

Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture

Keen, Mary

“Creating a Garden”

Kellaway, Deborah

“The Making of an English Country Garden”

“The Virago Book of Women Gardeners” (Edited by Deborah Kellaway)

“Favourite Flowers” (Watercolours by Elizabeth Blackadder, Commentary by Deborah Kellaway)

Link, Russell

“Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest”

Lovejoy, Ann

Organic Garden Design School: A Guide to Creating Your Own Beautiful Easy-Care Garden

Mitchell, Henry

“The Essential Earthman”

“One Man’s Garden”

Osler, Mirabel

“A Gentle Plea for Chaos: The Enchantment of Gardening”

“A Breath from Elsewhere”

“In the Eye of the Garden”

Page, Russell

“Education of a Gardener”

Pojar, Jim and MacKinnon, Andy

“Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, & Alaska

Robson, Mary

“Gardening in Washington & Oregon: What to do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden”

Russell, Vivian (photographer) and Hunningher, Erica (editor)

“Gardens of Inspiration”

Sackville-West, Vita

Sackville-West wrote a garden column for many years. They’ve been collected into a series of books with titles like: “In Your Garden”  “Even More for your Garden” and “In Your Garden Again”

Seattle Tilth

“The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide: Planning Calendar for Year-Round Organic Gardening”

Smit, Tim

“The Lost Gardens of Heligan”

Stein, Sara B.

“My Weeds: A Gardener’s Botany”

“Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Back Yards”

Sunset (edited by Brenzel, Kathleen Norris)

“Western Garden Book”

Thaxter, Celia

“An Island Garden” (pictures and illuminations by Childe Hassam)

Villers-Stuart, Constance M.

“Spanish Gardens: Their History, Types and Features”

Ward, Bobby J. (Foreword by Ann Lovejoy)

“A Contemplation upon Flowers: Garden Plants in Myth and Literature”