TreeDazzled

Western Garden Book

by Kathleen Norris Brenzel, editor

This book is indispensable for western gardeners, with useful information on hundreds of plants at your fingertips. The encyclopedia section containing this information is the heart of the book. The Sunset division of climate zones is extremely useful to the western gardener, unlike USDA hardiness zones.

Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia

by Michael A. Dirr

This book is a must-have for lovers of trees. Comprehensive and opinionated, this book offers both basic critical information (zone, maturity height, etc.) and insights from an obvious tree lover. The photos are marvelous, often including pictures of several cultivars of the same species--or the same species in different seasons. For the native gardener, Dirr's inclusion of the geographic origin of various species is also useful.

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible: Discover Ed's High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions

by Edward C. Smith

Many readers see this books W-O-R-D system as somewhat more manageable than Square Foot Gardening. The system encompasses Wide rows, Organic methods, Raised beds, and Deep soil, all of which foster the development of deep roots and abundant harvests. The book is oriented toward beginning gardeners, with straightforward explanations of the basics, such as hardening off seedlings. Mr. Smith has included a lengthy, popular, very useful section with 1-2 pages of information about each of many popular vegetables.

Square Foot Gardening: A New Way to Garden in Less Space with Less Work

by Mel Bartholomew

One of the bestselling gardening books ever, newly reissued in 2005.  This book is the bible for those of us growing vegetables in limited space and with limited time.  One drawback: limited coverage of organic techniques.

Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting & Pruning Techniques

by Tracy DiSabato-Aust

This books filled some serious holes in my gardening knowledge. I wasn't raised a gardener. I didn't learn how to pinch back perennials at the age of three. In fact, embarrassingly, my mother-in-law taught me about pinching back only after I'd been a serious gardener for quite some time! This book teaches you about pinching back and much, much more. The author covers every conceivable tool for keeping your perennials groomed, sleek, and enviable.