Still time to order or purchase any of these for your gardening friends and family members:
It's one thing to design and plant a natural garden, but then ... how to maintain so it looks great all the time? From the master -- author and plantsman Kelly D. Norris -- we now have all the answers. In his new book, Your Natural Garden (Cool Springs Press, 2025), he calls the book "a primer for cultivating an ecological garden .... While the objective of this book is ostensibly about caring for a natural garden, it's equally about thinking of the garden as an environment in which you live."
Norris explains how to plant a natural garden; how to garden in a warming world; how to attract beneficial wildlife and insects; when to weed (or not) and cut back your plants; and much, much more.
Photos throughout will offer inspiration to begin gardening, as Norris says, for "a daily cascade of pleasure, satisfaction, motivation, and reward for being consciously part of something, whether you can name every creature who walks through your garden or not."
This book will acquaint you with some of the most promising and prominent practitioners of floraculture today -and all of them hail from the Black community. Black Flora (Timber Press, 2024), by author and gardener Teresa Speight, is the first book to explore the new experts in the world of flowers.
In the foreword to the book, horticulturist and historian Abra Lee notes that Black people have been passionate about flowers for generations. When the Civil War was over, she says, and plantations in the South were burned to the ground, "our formerly enslaved ancestors went back to the ruined gardens. From this land, nurtured by their educated hands, they took cuttings and roots of flowers and planted them in plots around their homes, preserving magnificent heirlooms we still enjoy to this day."
You'll meet entrepreneurs from botanical artists to designers and growers, and even a therapist, who are working in all parts of the United States. And as author Teresa Speight says, "My ancestors' hands have helped build and feed our family for generations. To not honor this Earth would disrespect my heritage. I am passionate about sharing the stories of Black voices in the green world."
With climate change upon us, water-wise gardening is growing in influence all across the country. You don't have to forgo gardening if you experience water shortages, you simply have to learn which plants require less moisture and how to improve the techniques for saving and distributing water.
In The Water-Smart Garden. (Cool Springs Press, 2025), author and horticulturist Joelle Johnson (azplantlady.com) explains everything you need to know to garden beautifully and productively in low-water situations. She tells you which plants require less water, explains how and why to plant drought-resistant cultivars, and how to use xeriscaping techniques almost anywhere. Wildfires are spreading across the country due to lack of water -- so be sure to read this book for the tips you need for gardening success.
If your plant budget is limited, then you'll surely want a copy of "The Ultimate Guide to Houseplant Propagation " (Cool Springs Press, 2025) by author, hybridizer, and plant shop owner Lindsay Sisti (@alltheplantbabies). Using her techniques, even I (a houseplant destroyer) have some little babies growing near my windows. LIndsey has bred more than a dozen anthurium hybrids and she's received a patent for Alocasia 'Green Unicorn'. In this beautifully illustrated book, you'll learn easy and not-so-easy techniques for making more succulents, tropicals, aroids, and more. She explains which technique to use for which plant, along with all the tools and other items you'll need for success. Can't wait until my Christmas cacti are big enough to give away as gifts!
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