Recommended Reading
There is no required reading in gardening. Lots of people learn all they need to know by watching others and asking questions, by trial and error, or plain good luck. But as an avid reader of everything from cereal boxes to Hortus III, I know the value of a great book. To make my list, a resource must offer proven information in an easily readable style with illustrations that add to the text in practical ways. Some are broad based collections of information, others are plant specific; all have given me comfort.And I assure you, these selections are not insomnia cures!
Dirr’s Trees and Shrubs for Warm Climates, Michael A. Dirr, Timber Press, Portland, OR, 2002. At last, an encyclopedia you can read without a dictionary close at hand, Dr. Dirr starts with his personal garden and takes you across the region with brilliant descriptions and his own photos.
Passalong Plants, Steve Bender and Felder Rushing, UNC Press, Chapel Hill, NC, 1993. This collection of vignettes put names on the venerable cottage garden plants you seldom see in the trade, but always find in someone’s garden. A scream of a read - put this award-winner in your bathroom.
Gardening in the Humid South, Edmund N. O’Rourke, Jr., and Leon C. Standifer, LSU Press, Baton Rouge, LA, 2002. My major professor in graduate school and the toughest seminar prof I ever had have joined forces to explain horticulture to us all. It’s like reading a boxing match – each punch from one is met by a jab from the other. Like them, an inspiration.
Southern Herb Growing, Madelyn Hill and Gwen Barclay, Shearer Publishing, Fredericksburg, TX, 1987. Let this mother-daughter team expand your definition of ‘herbs’ to include perennials you never thought of, and learn to bake the best Rose Geranium cake ever eaten.
Bulletproof Flowers for the South, Jim Wilson, Taylor Publishing Co., Dallas, TX, 1999. If you agree the best test of a flower is how soon it recovers from pounding thunderstorms, you’ll understand the reason for this book. Anything Jim writes is worth reading.
Jim Wilson’s Container Gardening, Taylor Trade Publishing, Dallas, TX, 2000. The future of gardening sits right on your deck – no tilling, no digging, but pounds of tomatoes, beautiful flowering combinations, and great advice for novice and veteran gardeners – see comment above.
Commonsense Vegetable Gardening for the South, William D. Adams and Thomas LeRoy, Taylor Publishing Co., Dallas, TX, 1995. Though I never agree 100% with anyone on vegetable gardening, these guys cover nearly all the bases with emphasis on cultural practices over chemical controls.
Native Shrubs and Vines for the Southeast, Leonard Foote and Samuel B. Jones, Jr., Timber Press, Portland, OR, 1989. More than 500 shrubs and vines are included and most of them should be used more in landscapes around the region.
Gardening ‘Round Atlanta, Avis Y. Aronovitz, Eldorado Publishers, Atlanta, GA, 1996. Real world advice that applies to areas well beyond Hotlanta – nobody else ever told me to use a brown paper bag to shade new transplants in hot or cold weather.
Creative Propagation: a Grower’s Guide, Peter Thompson, Timber Press, Portland, OR, 1989, 1992. When you get serious about taking cuttings of every plant you have, refer to this book to know when and how to have the best success.
Garden Flowers from Seed, Christopher Lloyd and Graham Rice, Timber Press, Portland, OR, 1994. A classic reprinted in accessible paperback, with vast information unavailable elsewhere about specific flower seed-starting techniques.
A Cutting Garden for Florida, Betty Barr Mackey and Monica Moran Brandies, BB Mackey Books, Wayne, PA, 3rd edition, 2001. Newly updated and expanded with an excellent selection of plants and how to beat heat and humidity to grow them.
Southern Living Garden Book, Steve Bender, Editor, Oxmoor House, Birmingham, AL, 1998. A long-awaited basic tome, written with attention to detail and clear explanations of the zone descriptions within our region.
Southern Living Garden Problem Solver, Steve Bender, Editor, Oxmoor House, Birmingham, AL, 1999. Ideas for curing many garden ills common across the South, with pictures you hope never to see in your own garden.
Annuals for Dummies, Bill Marken (Nellie Neal, Regional Contributor), IDG Books, 1998. Despite the name, this series of books has much to offer in basic information, broad based and very mainstream.
Ortho’s All About Greenhouses, Nellie Neal (Contributing Editor), Meredith Publishing, Des Moines, IA, 2001. It was my pleasure to work on the latest edition of the best-selling Ortho book ever and I recommend it to those considering or already addicted to greenhouse growing.
The New Orleans Garden, Charlotte Seidenberg, University Press of MS, Jackson, MS, 1990, 1993. Invaluable for those in coastal areas and written with the grace of a southern breeze, you’ll learn as much about plants and culture as New Orleans gardening landmarks.
Insects and Gardens, Eric Grissell, Timber Press, Portland, OR, 2001. I’ve waited years for someone to explain the dynamics of horticultural entomology in real world terms and this book comes as close as Timber’s Botany for Gardeners does on that subject.
Attracting Birds to Southern Gardens, Thomas Pope, Neil Odenwald, Charles Fryling, Jr., Taylor Publishing Co., 1993. Until these guys took it on, nobody had written about landscaping for birding – they did it well.
Attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirds to your Garden, Sally Roth, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA, 2001. A newer book, this one genuinely transfers the writer’s joy and expertise to the reader.
Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, JI Rodale and Staff, Editors, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA, 1959, 1999.
Roses in the Southern Garden, G. Michael Shoup, Antique Rose Emporium, Brenham, TX, 2000. Yes, this is written by the owner of the Emporium, a passionate rosarian with great experience rediscovering and expanding the genera. Well-written and extensive in its scope.
Armitage’s Garden Perennials, Allan M. Armitage, Timber Press, Portland, OR, 2000. A tireless plantsman and hort professor (U of GA in Athens) provides the lowdown and photographs of hundreds of perennials suited to the South.
The Southern Gardener’s Book of Lists, Lois Trigg Chaplin, Taylor Publishing Co., Dallas, TX, 1994. An astounding collection of plant choices for every situation you can imagine – and having the lists can lead you to group plants that actually grow in the same conditions.
Warm Climate Gardening, Barbara Pleasant, Garden Way Books, Storey Communications, Pownal, VT, 1993. Useful ideas, with cogent explanations of why they work here, written by an experienced and dedicated author, this book fills a big void in southern gardening information.
