A Collection of Books on Gardening
It’s that time of year. Snowdrops and crocuses are blooming. Tulips and daffodils are sending up their leaves. It seems like the land is waking up and it’s time to start thinking about your garden. You’ve been waiting all winter and the time is almost here. As you get ready for planting time, the University of Chicago Press presents a collection of books on gardening.
Are you interested in the science of gardening? Here we have everything from botany, soil science, to Latin!
Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners by James B. Nardi
“A must‑read for anyone who wants a better understanding of this world and how to protect it.”—Washington Post
“Nardi takes us deep into the engine room of soil production, exploring and describing the myriad organisms—amoebae, fungi, bacteria, arthropods, etc—that dwell there. A strange, revealing and captivating book.”—The Guardian
Discoveries in the Garden by James B. Nardi
“This companion guide to garden science is a learned romp through plant biology; solar energy and soil nutrients; the movement of vines; and ‘fellow gardeners,’ from single‑celled protozoans to beetles. Here, too, are experiments on the basics, such as photosynthesis, and a wealth of stunning images.”—Nature
“What a delightful book!”—Biodiversity and Conservation
Practical Botany for Gardeners: Over 3,000 Botanical Terms Explained and Explored by Geoff Hodge
“A gentle guide to the green world . . . organized precisely how a nonbotanist would need it done. Chapters introduce the plant kingdom and how botanists classify it; tackle growth, form, and function; and take you inside a plant to understand how its cells, nutrition, and hormones actually function. It’s a beautiful book.”—Denver Post
Latin for Gardeners: Over 3,000 Plant Names Explained and Explored by Lorraine Harrison
“A treasure.”—New York Times
“I have several books dedicated to Latin plant names but none fall into the category of Lorraine Harrison’s book which is not only informative but entertaining and beautifully illustrated. This is no dull list of Latin plant names—it is a book which begs to be picked up and looked at.”—The Reckless Gardener
Hybrid: The History and Science of Plant Breeding by Noel Kingsbury
“Artfully linking human cultural evolution and the 10,000‑year history of plant breeding, Kingsbury moves fluidly between the art and science of plant breeding and the growth of increasingly complex human society and politics.” —Science
“An evenhanded history of plant breeding.”—Organic Gardening
Do you want some practical advice? Learn from great gardeners, how to identify weeds, and how to plant for winter beauty.
Lessons from the Great Gardeners: Forty Gardening Icons and What They Teach Us by Matthew Biggs
“The book’s quirky capsule histories of forty great gardeners from the past centuries—from Vita Sackville‑West to Claude Monet to Somai—convey amusing facts and practical tips.”—Gardenista
“I love reference books but I also like a book I can cuddle up with and read cover to cover during the long winter days. I also crave information from other gardeners and this certainly fits the bill.”—Impatient Gardener
Richard Dickinson and France Royer
“Weeds of North America is the first to cover weeds at every stage of growth. Five hundred species are included, making this an essential reference for all who wish to understand the science of the all‑powerful weed.”—Better Homes and Gardens
“How can you not be ensnared by a book populated by prostrate pigweed, tansy ragwort and dog‑strangling vine?”—New York Times Book Review
From the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Gardening with Winter Plants by Tony Hall
Kew expert Tony Hall profiles more than two hundred plant species and cultivars of all types that are perfectly suited to perform in the colder months.
Are you a vegetable gardener? Here are some books with advice and recipes.
From the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Botany of the Kitchen Garden: The Science and Horticulture of our Favourite Crops by Hélèna Dove
“A deep dive into the science that underpins your garden from Kew’s head kitchen gardener, explaining why your fruit and vegetables behave the way they do.”—Gardens Illustrated
Vegetables: A Biography by Evelyne Bloch Dano, Translated by Teresa Lavender Fagan
“Quirky . . . entertaining. . . . Bloch Dano’s book confirms that we are what we eat, and that vegetables, like Bloch Dano’s gardens, are firmly rooted in the realm of imagination.”—Times Literary Supplement
“A lovely book that makes you feel at once hungry for these plants and satiated by the knowledge you just reaped about them.”—Audubon
Vegetables for the Gourmet Gardener: A Practical Resource from the Garden to the Table by Simon Akeroyd
A feast for the eyes and the table, this user friendly resource traverses the realms of both the garden and the kitchen, addressing the cultivation, storage, and preparation of nearly seventy useful vegetables. Practical growing tips, fascinating histories, nutritional information, and classic recipes appear alongside botanical illustrations.
Herbs for the Gourmet Gardener: A Practical Resource from the Garden to the Table by Caroline Holmes
“Will keep gardeners and cooks fully engaged through the dark of winter.”—Boston Globe
“Herbs for the Gourmet Gardener is a complete and generously appointed modern herbal offering practical growing tips and tasting notes that will have you planning or expanding your herb garden. and rushing to the kitchen to try recipes like her Peach and Purslane Salad. The book is deliciously, entertainingly educational.”—Pat Crocker, The Healing Herbs Cookbook
Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World by Ben Erik van Wyk
“If you’re ready to go beyond the basics and delve deeply into the herbs and spices that characterize the world’s cuisines, then this reference is for you.”—New York Times
“Outstanding. . . . This is the kind of book to be studied and digested, a kind of encyclopedia to pursue and enjoy in your kitchen.”—Current Books on Gardening and Botany
Or do you want inspiration for your flower beds? Here is a list of books full of beauty and wisdom.
Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition by Robert Pogue Harrison
“This book is about gardens as a metaphor for the human condition.”—Times Higher Education
“Reading Harrison’s book is like strolling down a path through a well‑cultivated, richly sown, light‑dappled woodland. . . . Just as in the making of a garden, there’s no end to the wonder; the journey is everything.”—New York Times Book Review
The Greater Perfection: The Story of the Gardens at Les Quatre Vents by Francis H. Cabot, With Forewords by Marianne Cabot Welch, Laurie Olin, and Penelope Hobhouse
“The evolutions of that land under different hands interest Cabot almost as much as the evolutions he has brought about. Cabot is also delightfully candid about the range of sources that have influenced Les Quatre Vents. He is an unabashed bricoleur.”—New York Times
Extraordinary Orchids by Sandra Knapp, With a Foreword by Mark W. Chase
“Illustrated with rare prints and paintings from archival sources, many known only to collectors, the book, like its subject matter, is elegance incarnate.”—Natural History
“Knapp is an eloquent scientist, and she writes beautifully about the interconnected communities orchids inhabit—along with mosses, lichens, other plants, insects, and arthropods.”—Wall Street Journal
From the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Rankafu: Japanese Masterpiece Orchid Woodblock Prints by Stephen Kirby, Toshikazu Doi, and Toru Otsuka
“Breathtaking.”—The Orchid Review
Wily Violets and Underground Orchids: Revelations of a Botanist by Peter Bernhardt, With a Foreward by Peter Raven
“It’s hard to choose among the riches Bernhardt offers as he weaves his way from grassland to city street, outback to backyard. At every stop, something is pollinating something. . . . Bernhardt’s style is a treat. . . . Read on into the green world of a fine botanist’s telling revelations.”—New York Times Book Review
Bodleian Library Publishing
The Tradescants’ Orchard: The Mystery of a Seventeenth Century Painted Fruit Book by Barrie Juniper and Hanneke Grootenboer
“A fascinating look at plantsman John Tradescant the elder, his son John Tradescant, and their contributions to horticulture and the development of fruit orchards in seventeenth century Europe.”—Art Plantae
“This fascinating new book reproduces a little‑known manuscript that has been buried in the archives of Oxford’s Bodleian Library for more than three hundred years.”—House & Garden
All of these bountiful books are available now from our website. Use the code UCPNEW at checkout to take 30% off when you order directly from us.