The Year-Round Garden
The Year-Round Garden is the perfect resource for northern gardeners who despair at the lack of interest in their landscapes once winter rolls around. Stebbings offers a plethora of plant choices for each of the seasons. Gladly, he goes beyond the common suggestions of tulips for spring, roses for summer, mums for fall, and hollies for winter. These standbys are included, of course, but there is so much more out there! No matter your taste, The Year-Round Garden will show you something to make your garden shine.[continue]
Bulbs in Containers
If you are interested in rare varieties of bulbs, and are interested in adding something exotic to your garden, this book is for you. I have to admit that when I picked this book up, I was expecting more of a book about designing container gardens using bulbs. That is not at all what this book is. For the most part, the photos are of one variety of bulb in a clay pot. However, this book is a very thorough introduction to some of the bulbs that we may not be familiar with, [continue]
Gardening From Seed: The Keys to Success with Flowers and Vegetables
I use this book every single year when I start thinking about starting my seeds. I have several books on seed starting, but this is the one that is the most complete, and, much like all of Martha Stewart's endeavors, the most attractive. It is a nice, thin volume packed with well written information and gorgeous photos. The book is divided in three parts. Part One is all about starting seeds indoors. It contains everything you want to know (plus some) about growing seeds indoors. [continue]
The Garden Design Primer
This is not a new book, but it is one that I have just discovered, and I'm glad I did. It is definitely not typical of most garden design books. Usually, design books are large and a bit on the flashy side, full of glossy full-color pictures. While these are wonderful for inspiration, they can be a bit daunting in terms of their size and scope. The Garden Design Primer is a small book, with very few photos and a few line drawings. [continue]
Favorite Seed Catalogs
Seeds of Change
http://www.seedsofchange.com for a free catalog
If you are an organic gardener, Seeds of Change is for you. They sell only 100% organically grown seeds, and carry many heirloom and rare varieties. The prices are a bit higher than the other seed catalogs I like, but if you're looking for organic seeds, this is the place to find them. The catalog is full color, glossy, with photos that give you a good idea what your crops will look like. In addition, the descriptions are pretty thorough for each variety. Seeds of Change also sells garden tools, clothing, books, seed saving kits, organic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. [continue]
Square Foot Gardening
"Twice as much in half the space!"
"Grow a perfect garden in only ten minutes a day."
"A new way to garden with 80 percent less space and work"
The claims on the back cover are promising, intriguing. . . and true. When I bought my copy of Square Foot Gardening (the previous edition) years ago, I had a garden bed that was roughly three feet deep by five feet wide. I was interested in growing vegetables for salads, but there was no way I had room for those long rows of vegetables you see in most gardens. After reading Bartholomew's book, I was still unsure about whether his method would really work. [continue]
Annuals for Michigan
Although it's not a new book, I just had to review Annuals for Michigan for ITGO's first book review. Beyond overflowing with useful information, Annuals for Michigan is pure eye candy for anyone who loves plants. Starting with the cover, and extending to nearly every single page within, this book is full of gorgeous photographs. Annuals for Michigan starts with short, straightforward sections on everything from plant selection and garden prep to pests and seed starting. The main bulk of the book is an encyclopedia of annuals that do well in Michigan. Each entry gives basic plant info such as height, spread, and available colors, and goes into more depth. [continue]
Favorite Gardening Magazines
With the plethora of gardening magazines out there, you could be buried in glossy pages in no time. And the cost of all of those magazines piles up fast. Here are my top five gardening magazines. You may have other favorites. There are many good ones out there, but these are the ones I can't live without.
For Gardening in Michigan: The Michigan Gardener
I love this magazine because it is completely relevant to our zones. There is nothing they publish in The Michigan Gardener that we can't do, so you don't suffer that frustration that comes from seeing a drop-dead gorgeous plant and then finding out that it only grows in Florida. [continue]