THE READERS DIGEST ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GARDEN PLANTS AND FLOWERS
You might think this is an unlikely reference but we probably use this more than any other book we have. It’s a beast of a volume but most of what we want to know is in there somewhere.
PERENNIAL GARDEN PLANTS
by Graham Stuart Thomas.
The late Graham Thomas was for a long time the horticultural advisor to the National Trust as well as running his own nursery in Surrey. He has written several gardening books all of which are worth reading. He writes from having first hand experience of the plants he describes.
ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS, CLIMBERS AND BAMBOO
by Graham Stuart Thomas.
This book was bought as a present and for some reason has an aristocratic feel about it. Although it deals with three unrelated subjects their combined effect in a garden is huge. He is a reliable author and you can feel his personal experience right on the page.
PLANTS FOR GROUND COVER
by Graham Stuart Thomas.
If there is one thing that matters to gardeners it’s having the time to enjoy your own garden. And if there is one thing that gets gardeners down it’s the endless presence of weeds that will grow in the smallest space and grow faster than anything you have planted yourself. So here is a book that will help because the more soil you can cover up the less chance the weeds have.
BEST FOLIAGE SHRUBS
by Stefan Buczacki.
This is a super little book. Great colour pictures and the detail written by someone perhaps not known by many but was in the past a panelist on “Gardeners’ Question Time”. He has written several others in the same format and all are very readable.
A GARDENOTE BOOK
by Beth Chatto.
These are the gardening experiences of the late Beth Chatto, multiple gold medal winner at Chelsea. Pick it up and start anywhere and you can tell this lady is at home with her plants. Her six-acre garden is still open to the public near Elmstead Market in Essex.
ROCK PLANTS
by The Royal Horticultural Society.
We have several books on alpines and this one stands out because it’s written with authority, practical and nearly pocket-sized.
THE PLANT FINDERS GUIDE TO GARDEN FERNS
by Martin Rickard.
Martin Rickard was one of the people who helped introduce the Antarctic tree fern into the UK on a scale which meant that amateur gardeners could buy them, although they aren’t cheap. Ferns in the right place have a lot to offer the amateur gardener and this is our book of choice.
CLEMATIS
by Christopher Lloyd.
There are scores of books on clematis and the knotty problem of how to prune them. We like this one because it’s written with the easy confidence of someone with a wealth of experience. The late Christopher Lloyd, long time at Great Dixter in East Sussex, has many books to his name and they are all worth having in your own home.
THE PRUNING OF TREES, SHRUBS AND CONIFERS
by George E Brown.
George Brown was for decades an assistant curator at The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew and has committed his invaluable know-how to paper. Not too heavy going but not a light read either however if you want to know what to do about an overgrown hydrangea or an overgrown anything else, then here it is.