February 16, 2006


The only thing better than gardening or visiting gardens is reading about gardening! I review many books here at Digging, favoring those about garden design (which is universal) and gardening in Texas or the Southwest (where regional info is essential). But I also branch out into general gardening books, memoirs, garden-project books, and even a little fiction and poetry. Here you’ll find an alphabetized list of all the books I’ve reviewed, with links to my posts about them. Click through to read my reviews.

If you click on my Books category, you can browse all my blog posts that mention gardening books, including those without reviews.

Happy reading!

Read This: Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley

Read This: Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley

February 29, 2024 At the Philadelphia Area Fling last September (click here for my posts about it), attendees were given a copy of new book Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley. The good folks at Longwood Gardens handed the books out as we boarded the buses after a lovely ...
Read This: A garden care guide for DIYers in Central Texas

Read This: A garden care guide for DIYers in Central Texas

July 16, 2023 A couple years ago, Austin gardening expert Colleen Dieter handed me a “DIY zine for DIYers” she’d written and published in booklet form. Titled Let’s Care for Texas Plants, the 3-part series distills Colleen’s 12+ years of experience as a professional gardener into an easy-to-digest format for ...
Read This: Dry Climate Gardening

Read This: Dry Climate Gardening

February 14, 2023 I’ve been following Noelle Johnson’s informative and entertaining garden blog, AZ Plant Lady: Ramblings From a Desert Garden, for more than a decade. As a horticulturist and landscape consultant in Phoenix, Noelle is an authority on native and desert-adapted plants suited to her hot, arid climate. Her ...
Read This: American Roots

Read This: American Roots

December 03, 2022 A couple of years ago British gardening TV personality Monty Don made a 3-part series about U.S. gardens to answer the question, “What is an American garden?” Turns out, it’s an impossible question to answer satisfactorily in a country that spans a continent, 13 hardiness zones, and ...
Read This: The Lost Words, a spell book to bring nature back to life

Read This: The Lost Words, a spell book to bring nature back to life

November 10, 2022 For Christmas last year, I gave a book to my grown daughter that enchanted me when I paged through it in a bookstore in Maine. I carried it home and read it cover to cover, savoring its evocative poems about plants and animals and its magical illustrations, ...
Read This: Black Flora

Read This: Black Flora

August 28, 2022 A few years ago I had the pleasure of attending a Texas-swing Field to Vase dinner at a flower farm in Blanco as the guest of Debra Prinzing, founder of Slow Flowers, which advocates for using American-grown flowers in the U.S. floral industry. Debra is also co-founder, ...
Read This: The Garden Refresh

Read This: The Garden Refresh

June 22, 2022 Solstice, smolstice. Summer arrived in Texas back in early May, with a vengeance. We’ve had 16 triple-digit days already (unseasonably early) and little rain. For many avid gardeners this means sweaty mornings or mosquitoey evenings standing hose-in-hand over young plants stuffed willy-nilly into the garden during the ...
Read This: The View from Federal Twist

Read This: The View from Federal Twist

April 01, 2022 “I am Federal Twist,” declares James Golden in the preface of his book The View From Federal Twist: A New Way of Thinking About Gardens, Nature and Ourselves (2021). Of course all gardens are personal creations, and good ones have an expressiveness and emotional quality that transcends ...
Read This: Private Gardens of the Pacific Northwest

Read This: Private Gardens of the Pacific Northwest

October 12, 2021 We hot-climate gardeners are finally feeling a breath of fall, as it shoos away the summer doldrums. The eagerly anticipated fall gardening season is at hand. Is it emotionally safe, therefore, to crack open a new book about Pacific Northwest gardens? Let’s live dangerously! Photo courtesy of ...
Read This: Under Western Skies

Read This: Under Western Skies

September 16, 2021 Texas straddles the climatic line between the Southeast and the Southwest — Austin even more so, sitting smack-dab in the middle of the state. We’re not part of the Old South, except perhaps East Texas. But we’re not part of the vast West either, aside from Marfa, ...
Read This: Adventures in Eden takes you on a virtual tour of private European gardens

Read This: Adventures in Eden takes you on a virtual tour of private European gardens

July 26, 2021 Traveling to Europe for a guided garden tour is on my wish list of dream vacations. Maybe it’s on yours too. While covid precautions and travel restrictions, not to mention cost, may keep nearly everyone from booking such a trip right now, you can still enjoy an ...
Read This: Striking Succulent Gardens

Read This: Striking Succulent Gardens

March 09, 2021 After the prolonged deep freeze that Texas endured last month, which reduced our beloved agaves and other succulents to oozing mush and browned nearly everything else back to the roots, it may not seem…timely…for a Texan to review a book about succulent gardening. But it would be ...
Read This: The Art of Outdoor Living

Read This: The Art of Outdoor Living

February 05, 2021 Are you craving greenery? Want to drool over gorgeous Southern California patio and entry gardens while gleaning excellent design ideas for your own garden? Then immerse yourself in Los Angeles designer Scott Shrader’s book, The Art of Outdoor Living: Gardens for Entertaining Family and Friends (Rizzoli, 2019) ...
Fearless Gardening book launch and GIVEAWAY

Fearless Gardening book launch and GIVEAWAY

January 08, 2021 Midwinter is a great time to take stock of your garden and mull over what you want it to be, how you want it to evolve, and — let’s be honest — how you want it to freaking WOW you every time you step into it. Maybe ...
Leaving a garden and starting over: Uprooted by Page Dickey

Leaving a garden and starting over: Uprooted by Page Dickey

December 02, 2020 I left my last garden 12 years ago with little regret, despite my love for that sunny cottage garden. Instead I looked forward to starting a new, larger garden in completely different conditions: from sun to shade, from deep clay soil to thinner soil over limestone, from ...
Read This: Windcliff by Daniel Hinkley

Read This: Windcliff by Daniel Hinkley

September 16, 2020 “There is no magic or revelation,” world-renowned plantsman Dan Hinkley modestly declares in the preface of his book Windcliff: A Story of People, Plants, and Gardens (Timber Press, 2020), just “my attempt to convey my thoughts on good gardening as applied to my own climate and surroundings.” ...
Read This: 101 Organic Gardening Hacks, The Spirit of Stone, and The Cocktail Hour Garden
101 Organic Gardening Hacks: Eco-friendly Solutions to Improve Any Garden, by Shawna Coronado (2017, Cool Springs Press)
May 15, 2017 A raft of gardening books has piled up on my desk this spring. I’m tempted to lash the whole stack into a raft and paddle to a deserted island, where I’ll have time to read them all (if only that wouldn’t make them soggily unreadable). If you’re ... Keep Reading
Read This: Adventures in Eden takes you on a virtual tour of private European gardens
Adventures in Eden: An Intimate Tour of the Private Gardens of Europe by Carolyn Mullet (2020, Timber Press)
July 26, 2021 Traveling to Europe for a guided garden tour is on my wish list of dream vacations. Maybe it’s on yours too. While covid precautions and travel restrictions, not to mention cost, may keep nearly everyone from booking such a trip right now, you can still enjoy an ... Keep Reading
Read This: Agaves: Living Sculptures for Landscapes and Containers
Agaves: Living Sculptures for Landscapes and Containers, by Greg Starr (2012, Timber Press)
December 04, 2012 Do you have an agave lover on your holiday shopping list? Or do you want to know more about these marvelous, architectural plants yourself? Or maybe, just maybe, you fantasize about plant hunting on rocky, treacherous hillsides in remote Mexico? Then check out Greg Starr’s Agaves: Living ... Keep Reading
Read This: American Roots
American Roots by Nick McCullough, Allison McCullough, and Teresa Woodard (2022, Timber Press)
December 03, 2022 A couple of years ago British gardening TV personality Monty Don made a 3-part series about U.S. gardens to answer the question, “What is an American garden?” Turns out, it’s an impossible question to answer satisfactorily in a country that spans a continent, 13 hardiness zones, and ... Keep Reading
Read This: Armitage's Vines and Climbers
Armitage’s Vines and Climbers: A Gardener’s Guide to the Best Vertical Plants, by Allan M. Armitage (2010, Timber Press)
May 04, 2011 Vertical gardening has gotten a lot of attention lately (see my recent review of Garden Up!), and deservedly so. While gardeners have always planted vines and greened up their walls, a renewed interest makes sense for those of us who garden on tight urban or fenced-in suburban ... Keep Reading
Read This: Home Outside and Sunset Design Guides
Backyards: A Sunset Design Guide, by the editors of Sunset Books (2009, Sunset Books)
April 06, 2009 As springtime sends you racing out into your yard, eager to create the garden you’ve been dreaming of all winter, publishers are releasing new design books seemingly daily to inspire, to educate, and to demystify the process. One of these is Julie Moir Messervy’s Home Outside: Creating ... Keep Reading
Read This: Black Flora
Black Flora by Teresa J Speight (2022, BLOOM Imprint)
August 28, 2022 A few years ago I had the pleasure of attending a Texas-swing Field to Vase dinner at a flower farm in Blanco as the guest of Debra Prinzing, founder of Slow Flowers, which advocates for using American-grown flowers in the U.S. floral industry. Debra is also co-founder, ... Keep Reading
Garden books to curl up with: 6 mini-reviews
Bloom’s Best Perennials and Grasses: Expert Plant Choices and Dramatic Combinations for Year-Round Gardens, by Adrian Bloom (2010, Timber Press)
November 18, 2010 Looking for garden books to add to your wish list for Christmas? Here are five I read this year and recommend for information and/or inspiration. New Garden Design: Inspiring Private Paradises by Zahid Sardar, photographs by Marion Brenner (2008). This is a big, coffee-table sized gardening book, ... Keep Reading
Read This: Chanticleer, a Pleasure Garden
Chanticleer, A Pleasure Garden, by Adrian Higgins, photographs by Rob Cardillo (2011, University of Pennsylvania Press)
June 06, 2011 I stumbled upon Chanticleer Garden by happy accident while on a driving trip down the East Coast during the summer of 2008. It was, and still is, the most engaging, playful, and beautiful garden I’ve seen. (Click here for the first of my six posts about Chanticleer.) ... Keep Reading
Read This: Concrete Garden Projects
Concrete Garden Projects: Easy & Inexpensive Containers, Furniture, Water Features & More, by Camilla Arvidsson and Malin Nilsson (2011, Timber Press)
September 24, 2011 Are you looking for a fun garden project this fall? A way to add clean-lined flair to your garden? I have just the book recommendation for you. Concrete Garden Projects: Easy & Inexpensive Containers, Furniture, Water Features & More by Camilla Arvidsson and Malin Nilsson is a ... Keep Reading
Read This: Cultivating Garden Style
Cultivating Garden Style: Inspired Ideas and Practical Advice to Unleash Your Garden Personality, by Rochelle Greayer (2014, Timber Press)
January 12, 2015 Cultivating Garden Style Style, which is about expressing yourself and your unique taste, applies as much to making gardens as to fashion or interior design. Most gardeners naturally prioritize plants when making a garden, but who doesn’t also enjoy accessorizing his or her outdoor spaces with color, ... Keep Reading
Deer-Resistant Design book features my garden, other Austin gardens!
Deer-Resistant Design: Fence-Free Gardens that Thrive Despite the Deer by Karen Chapman (2019, Timber Press)
July 19, 2019 In October of 2017, Seattle-area designer, author, and speaker Karen Chapman came to Austin to present for my Garden Spark series and to photograph gardens for a new book she was working on. That book has just been published: Deer-Resistant Design: Fence-Free Gardens that Thrive Despite the ... Keep Reading
Read This: Desert Gardens of Steve Martino
Desert Gardens of Steve Martino by Caren Yglesias, photographs by Steve Gunther (2018, The Monacelli Press)
October 12, 2018 Weeds and walls. That’s how Phoenix landscape architect and native son Steve Martino describes his life’s work of designing gardens in the Arizona desert. Steve has a knack for simplifying the language of design and explaining how his own designs work. “Weeds” is his shorthand for native ... Keep Reading
Read This: Designer Plant Combinations
Designer Plant Combinations: 105 Stunning Gardens Using Six Plants or Fewer, by Scott Calhoun (2008, Storey Publishing)
January 19, 2009 Soon enough daffodils, bluebonnets, and columbines will brighten our awakening gardens. Awakened ourselves to the joy of spring, we’ll throng to the nursery and snap up bedding plants and newly introduced perennials willy-nilly, bringing them home and plopping them in wherever we can find an open spot ... Keep Reading
Read This: Designing with Succulents
Designing with Succulents, by Debra Lee Baldwin (2007, Timber Press)
August 08, 2009 When the Death Star trains its energy-sapping, plant-frying beam on central Texas each summer, I find inspiration in succulent gardens, which use heat-loving, water-thrifty agaves, aloes, cacti, and groundcover succulents to create a tapestry of colorful foliage. This summer I’ve been devouring the images and design ideas ... Keep Reading
Two must-read books for succulent lovers: Succulents and Designing with Succulents
Designing with Succulents, revised 2nd edition, by Debra Lee Baldwin (2017, Timber Press)
September 20, 2017 All you succulent junkies, listen up. If you love succulents or want to learn how to grow them, two newly released books by succulent-gardening trailblazers Debra Lee Baldwin and Robin Stockwell need to be at the top of your must-read list. Let’s start with Designing with Succulents ... Keep Reading
Read This: Dreamscapes by Claire Takacs
Dreamscapes: Inspiration and Beauty in Gardens Near and Far by Claire Takacs (2018, Hardie Grant Books)
December 10, 2019 Claire Takacs has my dream job: she travels the world to photograph gardens. The Australian garden photographer known for her moody yet incandescent images of sunlight stretching long fingers over treetops and through stained-glass flowers and foliage published her first solo book last year, Dreamscapes: Inspiration and ... Keep Reading
Read This: Dry Climate Gardening
Dry Climate Gardening by Noelle Johnson (2023, Cool Springs Press)
February 14, 2023 I’ve been following Noelle Johnson’s informative and entertaining garden blog, AZ Plant Lady: Ramblings From a Desert Garden, for more than a decade. As a horticulturist and landscape consultant in Phoenix, Noelle is an authority on native and desert-adapted plants suited to her hot, arid climate. Her ... Keep Reading
Book Review: Dry Gardens: High Style for Low Water Gardens
Dry Gardens: High Style for Low Water Gardens by Daniel Nolan, photography by Caitlin Atkinson (2018, Rizzoli)
November 03, 2018 Not so long ago, a book about dry gardens in the U.S. would have featured cactus and rocks. Dry stuff indeed, except for the cactus aficionado. Over the past couple of decades, as drought and water shortages have led to a growing acceptance that thirsty lawns and ... Keep Reading
Read This: Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley
Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley by photographer Larry Lederman and writer Marta McDowell (2023, Monacelli)
February 29, 2024 At the Philadelphia Area Fling last September (click here for my posts about it), attendees were given a copy of new book Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley. The good folks at Longwood Gardens handed the books out as we boarded the buses after a lovely ... Keep Reading

The 20-30 Something Garden Guide: A No Fuss, Down and Dirty Gardening 101 for Anyone Who Wants to Grow Stuff by Dee Nash (2014, St. Lynn’s Press)

101 Organic Gardening Hacks: Eco-friendly Solutions to Improve Any Garden by Shawna Coronado (2017, Cool Springs Press)

Adventures in Eden: An Intimate Tour of the Private Gardens of Europe by Carolyn Mullet (2020, Timber Press)

Agaves: Living Sculptures for Landscapes and Containers by Greg Starr (2012, Timber Press)

The American Meadow Garden: Creating a Natural Alternative to the Traditional Lawn by John Greenlee (2009, Timber Press)

American Roots: Lessons and Inspiration from the Designers Reimagining Our Home Gardens by Nick McCullough, Allison McCullough, and Teresa Woodard (2022, Timber Press)

Ann Lovejoy’s Organic Garden Design School by Ann Lovejoy (2004, Rodale Books)

Armitage’s Vines and Climbers: A Gardener’s Guide to the Best Vertical Plants by Allan M. Armitage (2010, Timber Press)

The Art of Gardening: Design Inspiration and Innovative Planting Techniques from Chanticleer by R. William Thomas (2015, Timber Press)

The Art of Outdoor Living: Gardens for Entertaining Family and Friends by Scott Shrader (2019, Rizzoli)

The Artful Garden: Creative Inspiration for Landscape Design by James van Sweden, with Tom Christopher (2011, Random House)

Backyards: A Sunset Design Guide by the editors of Sunset Books (2009, Sunset Books)

The Beast in the Garden: The True Story of a Predator’s Deadly Return to Suburban America by David Baron (2005, W. W. Norton & Company)

Black Flora: Profiles of Inspiring Black Flower Farmers + Florists by Teresa J. Speight (2022, BLOOM Imprint)

Bloom’s Best Perennials and Grasses: Expert Plant Choices and Dramatic Combinations for Year-Round Gardens by Adrian Bloom (2010, Timber Press)

The Bold Dry Garden: Lessons from The Ruth Bancroft Garden by Johanna Silver (2016, Timber Press)

The Bulb Hunter by Chris Wiesinger and William C. Welch (2013, Texas A&M University Press)

The Cancer Survivor’s Garden Companion: Cultivating Hope, Healing and Joy in the Ground Beneath Your Feet by Jenny Peterson (2016, St. Lynn’s Press)

Chanticleer, A Pleasure Garden by Adrian Higgins, photographs by Rob Cardillo (2011, University of Pennsylvania Press)

Chasing Wildflowers: A Mad Search for Wild Gardens by Scott Calhoun (2007, Rio Nuevo)

A Child’s Calendar: Poems by John Updike, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (2002, Holiday House)

A Child’s Garden: Enchanting Outdoor Spaces for Children and Parents by Molly Dannenmaier (1998, Simon & Schuster)

The Cocktail Hour Garden: Creating Evening Landscapes for Relaxation and Entertaining by C.L. Fornari (2016, St. Lynn’s Press)

The Complete Kitchen Garden: An Inspired Collection of Garden Designs & 100 Seasonal Recipes by Ellen Ecker Ogden (2011, Stewart, Tabori and Chang)

Concrete Garden Projects: Easy & Inexpensive Containers, Furniture, Water Features & More by Camilla Arvidsson and Malin Nilsson (2011, Timber Press)

The Cultivated Wild: Gardens and Landscapes by Raymond Jungles (2015, The Monacelli Press)

Cultivating Garden Style: Inspired Ideas and Practical Advice to Unleash Your Garden Personality by Rochelle Greayer (2014, Timber Press)

Deer-Resistant Design: Fence-Free Gardens that Thrive Despite the Deer by Karen Chapman (2019, Timber Press)

Desert Gardens of Steve Martino by Caren Yglesias, photographs by Steve Gunther (2018, The Monacelli Press)

Designer Plant Combinations: 105 Stunning Gardens Using Six Plants or Fewer by Scott Calhoun (2008, Storey Publishing)

Designing with Succulents, revised 2nd edition, by Debra Lee Baldwin (2017, Timber Press)

Designing with Succulents by Debra Lee Baldwin (2007, Timber Press)

Dreamscapes: Inspiration and Beauty in Gardens Near and Far by Claire Takacs (2018, Hardie Grant Books)

The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks by Amy Stewart (2013, Algonquin Books)

Dry Climate Gardening: Growing Beautiful, Sustainable Gardens in Low-Water Conditions by Noelle Johnson (2023, Cool Springs Press)

Dry Gardens: High Style for Low Water Gardens by Daniel Nolan (2018, Rizzoli)

Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley by photographer Larry Lederman and writer Marta McDowell (2023, Monacelli)

The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants by Jennifer Jewell (2020, Timber Press)

The Edible Front Yard: The Mow-Less, Grow-More Plan for a Beautiful, Bountiful Garden by Ivette Soler (2011, Timber Press)

Elements of Garden Design by Joe Eck (2005, North Point Press)

The Essential Garden Book: Getting Back to Basics by Terence Conran and Dan Pearson (1998, Clarkson Potter)

Fearless Color Gardens: The Creative Gardener’s Guide to Jumping Off the Color Wheel by Keeyla Meadows (2009, Timber Press)

Fearless Gardening: Be Bold, Break the Rules, Grow What You Love by Loree Bohl (2021, Timber Press)

Fine Foliage: Elegant Plant Combinations for Garden and Container by Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz (2013, St. Lynn’s Press)

From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden by Amy Stewart (2000, Algonquin Books)

Front Yard Gardens: Growing More Than Grass, 2nd edition, by Liz Primeau (2010, Firefly Books)

The Garden Bible: Designing Your Perfect Outdoor Space by Barbara Ballinger and Michael Glassman (2016, Images Publishing)

The Garden Refresh: How to Give Your Yard Big Impact on a Small Budget by Kier Holmes (2022, Timber Press)

Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces by Susan Morrison and Rebecca Sweet (2011, Cool Springs Press)

The Gardener’s Guide to Cactus: The 100 Best Paddles, Barrels, Columns, and Globes by Scott Calhoun (2012, Timber Press)

Gardening with Foliage First: 127 Dazzling Combinations that Pair the Beauty of Leaves with Flowers, Bark, Berries, and More by Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz (2017, Timber Press)

Gardenista: The Definitive Guide to Stylish Outdoor Spaces by Michelle Slatalla (2016, Artisan)

Gardens Are for Living: Design Inspiration for Outdoor Spaces by Judy Kameon (2014, Rizzoli)

Gardens of Awe and Folly: A Traveler’s Journal on the Meaning of Life and Gardening by Vivian Swift (2016, Bloomsbury)

Gardens of the High Line: Elevating the Nature of Modern Landscapes by Piet Oudolf and Rick Darke (2017, Timber Press)

The Gardens of Japan by Helena Attlee, photographs by Alex Ramsay (2017, Frances Lincoln)

Gardens in Detail: 100 Contemporary Designs by Emma Reuss (2014, The Monacelli Press)

Gardentopia: Design Basics for Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces by Jan Johnsen (2019, The Countryman Press)

The Grumpy Gardener: An A to Z Guide from the Galaxy’s Most Irritable Green Thumb by Steve Bender (2017, Oxmoor House)

Hand-Built Outdoor Furniture: 20 Step-by-Step Projects Anyone Can Build by Katie Jackson (2016, Timber Press)

Handmade Garden Projects: Step-by-Step Instructions for Creative Garden Features, Containers, Lighting & More by Lorene Edwards Forkner (2011, Timber Press)

Hellstrip Gardening: Create a Paradise Between the Sidewalk and the Curb by Evelyn Hadden (2014, Timber Press)

The High Line: Foreseen/Unforeseen by James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro (2015, Phaidon Press)

Home Outside: Creating the Landscape You Love by Julie Moir Messervy (2009, Taunton Press)

Hot Color, Dry Garden: Inspiring Designs and Vibrant Plants for the Waterwise Gardener by Nan Sterman (2018, Timber Press)

The Hot Garden: Landscape Design for the Desert Southwest by Scott Calhoun (2009, Rio Nuevo)

How to Grow Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest, revised edition, by Jill Nokes (2001, University of Texas Press)

Hummelo: A Journey Through a Plantsman’s Life by Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury (2015, The Monacelli Press)

Hummingbird Plants of the Southwest by Marcy Scott (2015, Rio Nuevo Publishers)

Indoor Plant Decor: The Design Stylebook for Houseplants by Kylee Baumle and Jenny Peterson (2013, St. Lynn’s Press)

Japanese Zen Gardens by Yoko Kawaguchi (2014, Aurum Publishing Group)

Landprints: The Landscape Designs of Bernard Trainor by Susan Heeger (2013, Princeton Architectural Press)

The Landscaping Revolution: Garden With Mother Nature, Not Against Her by Andy Wasowski and Sally Wasowski (2002, McGraw-Hill/Contemporary)

The Less Is More Garden: Big Ideas for Designing Your Small Yard by Susan Morrison (2018, Timber Press)

Let’s Care for Texas Plants by Colleen Dieter (2021, Colleen Dieter)

The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane, illustrated by Jackie Morris (2017, Anansi International)

The Monarch: Saving Our Most-Loved Butterfly by Kylee Baumle (2017, St. Lynn’s Press)

Mrs. Whaley and Her Charleston Garden by Emily Whaley in conversation with William Baldwin (1997, Algonquin Books)

Native and Adapted Landscape Plants: An Earthwise Guide for Central Texas by the City of Austin’s Grow Green Program (booklet updated regularly)

Native Texas Gardens: Maximum Beauty Minimum Upkeep by Sally Wasowski and Andy Wasowski (2003, Taylor Trade Publishing)

Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region, 2nd edition, by Sally Wasowski and Andy Wasowski (1997, Lone Star Books)

Natural Gardening in Small Spaces by Noel Kingsbury (2006, Timber Press)

New Garden Design: Inspiring Private Paradises by Zahid Sardar, photographs by Marion Brenner (2008, Gibbs Smith)

The New Low-Maintenance Garden: How to Have a Beautiful, Productive Garden and the Time to Enjoy It by Valerie Easton (2009, Timber Press)

The New Southern Living Garden Book: The Ultimate Guide to Gardening, edited by Steve Bender (2015, Oxmoor House)

The Nonstop Garden: A Step-by-Step Guide to Smart Plant Choices and Four-Season Designs by Stephanie Cohen & Jennifer Benner (2010, Timber Press)

Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home by Julie Moir Messervy and Sarah Susanka (2006, Taunton Press)

Outstanding American Gardens: A Celebration: 25 Years of the Garden Conservancy by Page Dickey (2015, Stewart, Tabori and Chang)

Patio & Stone: A Sunset Design Guide by the editors of Sunset Books (2009, Sunset Books)

People with Dirty Hands: The Passion for Gardening by Robin Chotzinoff (1996, Wiley)

The Perennial Care Manual: A Plant-by-Plant Guide: What to Do & When to Do It by Nancy Ondra (2009, Storey Publishing)

Photographing Austin, San Antonio & the Texas Hill Country: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them by Laurence Parent (2012, The Countryman Press)

Plant-Driven Design: Creating Gardens that Honor Plants, Place, and Spirit by Scott Ogden and Lauren Springer Ogden (2008, Timber Press)

Plants with Benefits: An Uninhibited Guide to the Aphrodisiac Herbs, Fruits, Flowers & Veggies in Your Garden by Helen Yoest (2014, St. Lynn’s Press)

Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West (2015, Timber Press)

The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening by Kim Eierman (2020, Quarry Books)

Potted: Make Your Own Stylish Garden Containers by Annette Goliti Gutierrez and Mary Gray (2017, Timber Press)

Private Gardens of the Pacific Northwest by Brian D. Coleman, with photographs by William Wright (2021, Gibbs Smith)

Private Gardens of Santa Barbara: The Art of Outdoor Living by Margie Grace (2020, Gibbs Smith)

Refresh Your Garden Design with Color, Texture & Form by Rebecca Sweet (2013, Horticulture Books)

The Roses at the End of the Road by Pat Leuchtman (2011, Fiftyshift.com)

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1911)

Secret Gardens of the Cotswolds: A Personal Tour of 20 Private Gardens by Victoria Summerley (2015, Quarto Publishing USA).

So You Want to Be a Garden Designer: How to Get Started, Grow, and Thrive in the Landscape Design Business by Love Albrecht Howard (2010, Timber Press)

Spirit of Place: The Making of a New England Garden by Bill Noble (2020, Timber Press)

The Spirit of Stone: 101 Practical & Creative Stonescaping Ideas for Your Garden by Jan Johnson (2017, St. Lynn’s Press)

Striking Succulent Gardens: Plants and Plans for Designing Your Low-Maintenance Landscape by Gabriel Frank (2021, Ten Speed Press)

Succulent Container Gardens: Design Eye-Catching Displays with 350 Easy-Care Plants by Debra Lee Baldwin (2010, Timber Press)

Succulents: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Designing, and Growing 200 Easy-Care Plants by Robin Stockwell (2017, Oxmoor House)

Succulents Simplified: Growing, Designing, and Crafting with 100 Easy-Care Varieties by Debra Lee Baldwin (2013, Timber Press)

Sugar Snaps and Strawberries: Simple Solutions for Creating Your Own Small-Space Edible Garden by Andrea Bellamy (2011, Timber Press)

Sunset Backyards for Kids: Playhouses, Sandboxes, Tree Forts, Swing Sets, Sports Areas, and More by the editors of Sunset Books (2008, Oxmoor House)

Sunset Big Ideas for Small Gardens: Featuring Dave Egbert’s Garden Notebook by the editors of Sunset Books (2007, Oxmoor House)

Sunset Hillside Landscaping: A Complete Guide to Successful Gardens on Sloping Ground by the editors of Sunset Books (2007, Oxmoor House)

Sunset Sheds & Garages: Building Ideas and Plans for Every Shape of Storage Structure by the editors of Sunset Books (2008, Oxmoor House)

Sunset Trellises & Arbors: Over 35 Step-by-step Projects You Can Build by the editors of Sunset Books (2008, Oxmoor House)

Sunset Walks, Walls & Patio Floors: Build with Brick, Stone, Pavers, Concrete, Tile and More by the editors of Sunset Books (2008, Oxmoor House)

Sunset Western Garden Book of Easy-Care Plantings: The Ultimate Guide to Low-Water Beds, Borders, and Containers by the editors of Sunset Books (2015, Oxmoor House)

Sunset Western Landscaping Book, 2006 edition, edited by Kathleen Norris Brenzel (2006, Oxmoor House)

Taming Wildflowers: Bringing the Beauty and Splendor of Nature’s Blooms into Your Own Backyard by Miriam Goldberger (2014, St. Lynn’s Press)

Texas Getting Started Garden Guide: Grow the Best Flowers, Shrubs, Trees, Vines & Groundcovers by Mary Irish (2013, Cool Springs Press)

Texas Month-by-Month Gardening: What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year by Robert “Skip” Richter (2014, Cool Springs Press)

Tomorrow’s Garden: Design and Inspiration for a New Age of Sustainable Gardening by Stephen Orr (2011, Rodale Books)

The Undaunted Garden: Planting for Weather-Resilient Beauty, 2nd edition, by Lauren Springer Ogden (2010, Fulcrum Publishing)

Under Western Skies: Visionary Gardens from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast by photographer Caitlin Atkinson and writer Jennifer Jewell (2021, Timber Press)

Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again by Page Dickey (2020, Timber Press)

The View From Federal Twist: A New Way of Thinking About Gardens, Nature and Ourselves by James Golden (2021, Filbert Press)

Water Features for Small Gardens by Ethne Clarke (1998, Ward Lock Ltd)

Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens: 200 Drought-Tolerant Choices for All Climates by Lauren Springer Ogden and Scott Ogden (2011, Timber Press)

Why Grow That When You Can Grow This? 255 Extraordinary Alternatives to Everyday Problem Plants by Andrew Keys (2012, Timber Press)

Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason (2018, Timber Press)

Windcliff: A Story of People, Plants, and Gardens by Daniel J. Hinkley, photographs by Claire Takacs (2020, Timber Press)

The World of Garden Design: Inspiring Ideas from Around the Globe to Your Backyard by Susan Dooley and the editors of Garden Design magazine (2000, Chronicle Books)

Yard Full of Sun: The Story of a Gardener’s Obsession that Got a Little Out of Hand by Scott Calhoun (2005, Rio Nuevo)

Yards: Turn Any Outdoor Space Into the Garden of Your Dreams by Billy Goodnick (2013, St. Lynn’s Press)