Snow is falling. The wind is blowing outside. And the temperature is cold enough to freeze the water in your dog’s bowl. It’s too miserable to be outside. Now is the perfect time to curl up with an inspiring book.
A great garden book can inspire you in so many ways. It can help you get started learning a new skill. Or motivate you to add in new garden features. A garden book can give you new ideas on how to plan, plant, and maintain your beds. And if you’re just starting out, it can teach you so much about the gardening journey.
Sometimes, winter can seem so long, but wonderful books can help you endure the downtime. This year I’ve been pouring over books that focus on growing flowers in the garden. Even though I’ve been planting flowers in my garden for over 25 years, there’s always more to learn.
You might be interested in growing vegetables. There’s a book for that. Or maybe you need tips on building a garden shed. You’ll find a book for that. Maybe you want ideas on how to decorate your porch. There are lots of books about that.
Whatever you’re in the mood to learn about, you’ll find helpful books to explore.
Read: 10 Simple Activities Every Gardener Should Do This Winter
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Here are some of my favorite flower gardening books that have inspired me. Many of these books include how to grow flowers and vegetables in your garden. Some include ideas for displaying your beautiful blooms. And a few of them are just for fun.
Although we still have months before we’ll actually see our gardens blooming, there are many projects that we can plan for now. These lovely books can help motivate you to…
- Design your flower beds and cutting garden
- Order your seeds for the upcoming season
- Review your flowers from last year
- Learn a new growing technique
- Inspire you to start seeds indoors
- Create a garden journal to track your plants
- Develop new skills for arranging your blooms
- Explore new techniques for growing your flowers, vegetables, and herbs
- Help you organize your supplies
- Find fresh ways to decorate your garden spaces
So come along with me as we explore some of my current favorite books about flower gardening. Whether you want to grow flowers for cutting or to beautify your garden beds, these books can inspire you to grow amazing blooms.
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12 Best Flower Gardening Books to Read This Year…
General
The Flower Gardener’s Bible by Lewis and Nancy Hill
This is a great all-around book for growing flowers. It includes sections on designing your beds, how to plant, ways to increase plants and pest control. You’ll find inspirational gardens to give you ideas for your own backyard. It also includes a section on the individual flowers to consider for your garden.
Vegetables Love Flowers: Companion Planting for Beauty and Bounty by Lisa Mason Ziegler
If you love to grow flowers and vegetables in your garden, this book will give you the how-tos of companion planting. There are so many benefits of growing flowers in your vegetable patch, and this book shares many of them. You’ll find sections on increasing natural predators, growing without chemicals and succession planting.
Cutting Garden
This is a wonderful book to inspire you to grow a cutting garden. It covers the basics of how to plan and grow flowers for cutting… from small to large gardens. It details a large selection of flowers and plants to use in creating bouquets throughout the seasons. It also includes some fun projects for each season that anyone can create.
The Cut Flower Patch by Louise Curley
If you’ve always thought about growing flowers for cutting but haven’t taken the plunge, this book can inspire you to get growing. Learn what makes a good cutting garden flower and how to care for them. This book is filled with so many great ideas for how to grow and enjoy your cutting garden all year long.
Perennials
The Well Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust
This is a very detailed book about growing perennial flowers in your garden. Perennials are the backbone of a great garden… giving you beauty year after year. This book covers the basics of getting started and how to maintain your perennials. Also included is an A-Z guide on different perennials.
The Perennial Care Manual by Nancy Ondra
This is another wonderful choice for understanding how to plant and care for perennials. This book focuses on what to do each season in your garden to plant and maintain healthy perennials. Includes a plant-by-plant guide.
Arranging/Decorating with Flowers
Floret Farm’s A Year in Flowers: Designing Gorgeous Arrangements for Every Season by Erin Benzakein
If you want ideas on how to craft your lovely flowers into beautiful bouquets, this book will give you the tools you need. You don’t have to be a professional florist to learn how to create lovely bouquets. This book walks you through the steps to use your beautiful blooms.
This is a combination book that includes how to grow lovely flowers in your garden and how to arrange them. It includes information on a variety of flowers to grow and how to prepare them for use.
Plant Care
If you struggle with pests and diseases in your garden, you know how difficult it can be to get control of the problem. This book looks at common problems and gives helpful, organic suggestions to control them.
Annuals, Perennials, and Bulbs by Editors of Creative Homeowner
An all-season garden contains more than just flowers for cutting. To enjoy blooms in every season, you’ll want annuals, perennials, and bulbs in your garden. This book includes information on how to plant and care for each category. It includes individual plant species to choose from in each group.
Just Because
Gifts From The Garden by Debora Robertson
Your garden not only provides beauty and enjoyment for you, but it’s a wealth of materials for giving as gifts. This lovely book is such an inspiration for ways that you can bless others from your garden. It includes gift ideas for food, personal care, home decor and so much more.
Selina Lake: Garden Style: Inspirational Styling for your Outside Spaceby Selina Lake
This book will have you longing to get back out into the garden. It contains so many lovely garden images… things that you can do in your own garden. Use what you have to decorate your outdoor spaces. This book will inspire you to get started.
Pick any of these books to get inspired to grow more flowers, vegetables, and herbs in your garden this year. Your garden starts long before you actually plant outdoors. It starts with inspiration and motivation.
So grab a cup of tea and settle in front of the fire with a great new gardening book. Yes, the wind might be blowing and the snow is falling. But you can get lost in your garden and the year that’s ahead. All it takes is an inspiring book.