Last spring/summer, I gave gardening my first real shot, and it was the most success I’ve ever had growing anything. That said, I still feel like I have so much to learn.
I know the best way to improve is through hands-on experience, but I’d love to find a great book (or books!) to guide me along the way.
Are there any gardening, botany, or even broader nature/ecology books that completely changed the way you thought about gardening? Not looking for shortcuts—just something insightful and inspiring to keep me learning!
“If nothing is eating your garden, you’re not really gardening.”
I highly recommend Nature’s Best Hope by Doug Tallamy. It completely reshaped how I think about my yard—not just as a garden, but as part of the local ecosystem.
Also, check out Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t on YouTube. The guy is hilarious, super knowledgeable, and has a great way of making botany exciting.
@Bay
Thank you! Just grabbed Nature’s Best Hope on Libby—excited to dig in. And I love finding good YouTube channels for learning, so I’ll definitely check out Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t! Appreciate the recommendations.
Zion said: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
It helped me shift my mindset from seeing gardening as an act of ownership to one of relationship and reciprocity with nature.
Same! After reading it, I started seeing ‘weeds’ differently and stopped pulling goldenrod—turns out, goldenrod soldier beetles demolished my cucumber beetle problem. Nature really does know best!
Rudy said: Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael A. Dirr.
If you want to get serious about understanding trees and shrubs, this book is a goldmine. It’s like the encyclopedia of woody plants.
Found it on Archive.org for free—thank you! It looks super detailed, so I might use it as a reference instead of reading it straight through. Excited to learn more about the structural backbone of gardens.
Valen said: Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels.
This book made me realize that happy plants start with healthy soil. If you take care of your soil, your plants will thrive with way less effort.
This one keeps popping up! Just put myself on the waitlist at the library. Can’t wait to learn more about soil biology—seems like an absolute game-changer.
@Spence
Love this advice—thank you! Watering is definitely something I struggled with last year. I’ll start watching No-Till Growers and Joe Gardener ASAP. And composting… here I come!
If you’re interested in permaculture and working with nature instead of against it, this book is fantastic. It changed my entire approach to gardening.