Believe it or not, spring is here and it’s time to get outside and into your garden. But before you grab those gardening gloves, grab one of these books for inspiration, tips and tricks, recipes and more.
Growing the Midwest Garden
Ed Lyon
The Book Stall Manager Jon Grand recommends this book by Ed Lyon, a former Chicago Botanic Garden employee. Lyon shows gardeners how to grow a gorgeous garden in the Midwest with an A-to-Z guide to help you always pick the perfect plant.
Month-by-Month Gardening: Illinois, Indiana, & Ohio
Beth Botts
Grand also loves this guide. Month-by-month instructions and step-by-step illustrations make it easy to keep your garden in tip-top shape all year long.
Succulents Simplified
Debra Lee Baldwin
Grow trendy (and low-maintenance!) succulents with the help of this book, which not only features tips for planting succulents but also ideas for decorating with them.
Planting the Dry Shade Garden
Graham Rice
Don’t let a lack of sunlight in your backyard keep you from gardening. This book, recommended by Better Homes & Gardens writer and Make It Better contributor Heather Blackmore, includes details on more than 130 plants that are perfect for areas with low sunlight and moisture levels.
Right Rose, Right Place
Peter Schneider
Roses are a favorite flower, but you might be wary of planting them if you’ve heard they’re hard to grow. Peter Schneider debunks that myth, helping you decide which rose is right for your garden. Plus, you’ll find inspiration thanks to the more than 400 photos throughout the book.
The New Terrarium: Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature
Tovah Martin
Short on outdoor space? Bring the beauty of nature inside. This Blackmore favorite shows you how to create gorgeous gardens in glass for Pinterest-perfect plants you can enjoy in an apartment or the office.
The Gardener’s Garden
Madison Cox, Toby Musgrave and Bill Noble
If you simply want to spend hours looking at gorgeous gardens from around the world before getting your own hands dirty, settle in with this 480-page book recommended by Grand. You’ll end up inspired to style your own backyard.
Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less
Robin Robertson
Once you’ve grown delicious tomatoes, zucchini and other veggies in your garden, enjoy the fruits of your labor with one of the 150 delicious recipes in this book that’s perfect for vegetarians and those trying to sneak more veggies in their diet.
From the Ground Up: A Food Grower’s Education in Life, Love and the Movement That’s Changing the Nation
Jeanne Nolan
After a long day tending to your garden, relax by curling up with this memoir (a Grand pick) by a woman who left Chicago for a communal farm and is now a leader in the sustainable food movement.
Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities
Amy Stewart
Love horror stories? Consider yourself a bit of a plant geek? Then you’ll enjoy this look into the scariest aspects of nature by Amy Stewart, the award-winning author of “The Drunken Botanist.”
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