Put on your sun hat and make yourself a drink. We’ve rounded up some of the best summer gardening books to read in the comfort of your favorite spot in the garden. From gardening for wildlife to starting a small garden, these great summer gardening books cover a wide range of gardening topics. There’s something for every gardener, whether you’re an experienced gardener or a beginner.
Christina Hart-Davies is a botanical artist and illustrator who has worked with some of the UK’s leading publishers and has exhibited her work in official exhibitions. In this book, her captivating paintings illustrate her own writing on popular herbs. Combining folklore, cultural history and contemporary herbalism with scientific research, she presents a well-considered and engaging snapshot of some of our garden’s most winning plants as they emerge throughout the year. Recipes and personal (but not medical) advice also appear.
Rachel recently dedicated part of her kitchen garden to pollinators, and from this experience she argues that incorporating the smallest creatures in the garden should be an absolute priority. If you don’t already have a similar element in your garden, this thorough study will show you how to introduce one in a beautiful and effective way, no matter the space.
Designer and journalist Anne Treneman turns her thoughts to sustainable containers for a new RHS series. She demonstrates how potted plants can support garden wildlife and look good for longer using eco-friendly gardening techniques. A catalogue of plant characteristics and tips on how best to care for them is a useful addition.
Sisters Lorraine and Jodie Caley, founders of Caley Brothers, offer mushroom growing kits and workshops. Their book explains how to grow and use mushrooms, whether you’re pickling them or making inks. A helpful catalogue outlines the characteristics of popular varieties.
Lalage Snow’s previous book, War Gardens, chronicles gardeners in conflict zones around the world. Now living in Dorset with her young family, she brushes aside her family’s scepticism and rents a plot of land. Her story examines her life as a gardener and a new mother: sometimes frustrating, but also joyful and life-affirming.
As hedgerows settle in for the summer, consider their place in gardens and the wider landscape as food storage, windbreaks, flood defences, habitats and carbon sinks. Christopher’s wide-ranging exploration of these iconic British signs is both lyrical and rich in truth; their demise is tragic but their restoration is inspiring and achievable. A beautiful and essential read.
Photographer Mark Bolton has worked in all manner of gardens, but here he photographs small gardens, inspired by creating his own, in Devon. Filled with workable ideas drawn from gardens across the country as well as his own, this is a great guide to establishing this most popular style. Beautiful to look at, packed with useful advice.
For some escapism, check out Sean’s charming, photo-filled guide to filling your home with flowers. There’s no arrangement – no setting – you won’t want to recreate. Thankfully, the designer shows you how to do it, from planning your plantings to choosing your vases, with his Somerset cottage providing a stunning backdrop.
Gardens are in a constant cycle of change, emerging, blooming, receding and regenerating. Using these phases to incorporate ecological and design principles will create a garden that is attractive all year round, according to garden designer and consultant Catherine Heatherington in this helpful guide to sustainable design.
Experienced gardeners know that many specialty plants are often only available as seeds, and collecting your own seeds year after year will ensure you have plants adapted to your particular garden conditions. Growing from seeds is also a cheap way to fill a garden. However, ensuring they germinate and survive is another story. Milli provides sowing instructions for 30 cut flowers, as well as clear descriptions of sowing techniques such as cuttings and potting, in a great handbook for anyone wanting to grow large bunches of flowers for home arrangements.
Vanessa Berridge delves into some of the most exquisite National Trust gardens, uncovering their history, the former owners and gardeners who worked so hard, and examining the state of the estates today. A book for every season, but especially summer, when plans and dreams come true.
Frogs often surprise and delight us, and having them in your garden is a sign of a well-functioning ecosystem. Sally Coulthard looks at their characteristics, looks at the world’s diverse frog species and explains how to help protect them at home. As Sally writes: ‘If you don’t love frogs already, you should.’
With their diverse and exotic plant collections, botanical gardens are fascinating and educational places to visit. Ambra Edwards explores the stories of some of the world’s most fascinating gardens, from their origins, often rooted in colonialism, to the important conservation efforts most of these institutions undertake today.
Entomologist George McGavin examines the characteristics of a range of essential insects in this charming little book, illustrated with drawings. Making clear that insects are vital to life on earth – 87% of all plant species depend on animal pollination – he also outlines what we can do to encourage their survival in our own gardens.
romantic, descriptive Written by Susie White, a talented garden writer about building a new garden in the North Pennine valley after leaving Chesters Walled Garden and Nursery of 23 years. Susie is a keen observer of nature and combines what she sees in her valley through the seasons with her own practical gardening experience, in this warm, friendly piece.
