Resources:   Basic Gardening Books

 GENERAL GARDENING & DESIGN:

 The AHS Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, Christopher Brickell & Judith Zuk, Eds., DK Publishing, Inc., New York, 1996

Excellent resource from the American Horticultural Society, with descriptions, cultural requirements, & propagation techniques for over 12,000 plants, with 6,000 photos.  Use this to see what recommended plants look like, before going to the nursery.

 Ann Lovejoy’s Organic Garden Design School, Ann Lovejoy, Rodale Organic Gardening Books, Emmaus, 2001

Written by Bainbridge Island author Ann Lovejoy in her enthusiastic, approachable style, this has practical advice about design, from an organic gardening (no pesticide or chemical use) perspective.  The first to recommend organic gardening principles for ornamental gardening.

 The Northwest Gardeners’ Resource Directory, ed. Debra Prinzing, Sasquatch Books, Seattle, 2002

Created by Stephanie Feeney, a Bellingham gardener who died in 2000, this book will tell you where to find nurseries, supplies, organizations, help, and gardens to visit throughout the Pacific Northwest. 

 Right Plant, Right Place, Nicola Ferguson, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1984

An extremely useful resource listing plants appropriate for many specific garden situations.  Use this to narrow the plant choice for your particular garden conditions.

 Sunset Western Garden Book, Kathleen Norris Brenzel, Ed., Sunset Publishing Corp., Menlo Park, 2001

Used by master gardeners, nurseries, and landscaping professionals, but written for the lay public, this is THE gardeners’ bible for the Western U.S.  If you only have one gardening book, this should be it!

 

Books:  Vegetable & Herb Gardening& Design

 Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades, Steve Solomon, Sasquatch Books, Seattle, 2000

This is the 2^nd edition of this excellent resource for growing vegetables in the Pacific Northwest.  Includes organic fertilizer recipes, when to sow seeds, soil preparation techniques.  Written by the founder of Territorial Seeds, the supplier of seeds for vegetables proven to grow well in PNW cool summers.

 The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide, Carl Elliott & Rob Peterson, Seattle Tilth, Seattle, 1998

Month-by-month advice about what to do in the vegetable garden, with practical information about a variety of topics of special interest to Puget Sound gardeners (slugs, season extending techniques, etc.)

 The Northwest Herb Lover’s Handbook, Mary Preus, Sasquatch Books, Seattle, 2000

Written by the former owner of Silverbay Herb Farm, this provides practical advice for growing herbs in the unique growing conditions of the Pacific Northwest.  If you have only one herb book, this should be it!

 Rodale’s All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, Fern Marshall Bradley & Barbara W. Ellis, Eds., Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA, 1992

 "A to Z encyclopedia of accurate, practical information about organic gardening, from Animal Pests and Annual Plants to Zeriscaping and Zucchini."

 Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest, Binda Colebrook, Sasquatch Books, Seattle, 1989

The classic book describing in detail how to grow food throughout the year in the Pacific Northwest.