Here are some recently published books related to gardening. If you'd like to get free seeds from Madison Public Library, check out our Seed Library, which is available at Lakeview and Goodman South Madison libraries. We've also got printable gardening book lists for kids and adults to use alongside their seeds!
This practical, inspiring guide shows how individuals can help support the endangered North American monarch butterfly, with information on creating monarch-friendly landscapes using plants that feed and sustain the butterfly through the different stages of its life. Available to download: eBook
Embrace your inner rebel and create the garden you want--even if it breaks the rules. Loree Bohl, the voice behind the popular blog The Danger Garden, shows how it's done in Fearless Gardening, with zone-busting ideas and success stories. Bohl's own gorgeous home garden inspires, with agaves that shrug off ice storms, palms that thrive in the rain, and planting risks that are beautifully rewarded. Available to download: eBook
Grow oodles of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers with no heavy lifting or digging required! Grow bag gardening utilizes lightweight, eco-friendly, fabric planter bags to grow great plants with minimal space and care. Get all the know-how you need to successfully grow a hearty homegrown harvest in Grow Bag Gardening. Grow bags are perfect for urban, container, rooftop, balcony, and patio gardeners—but those with lots of property will find them useful, too. Grow bags fold flat for easy storage and are 100% frost-proof, so there’s no lugging heavy pots indoors for the winter. They can be used for many seasons and their mobility means you can easily move these pots around to maximize sunlight. Fabric grow bags offer gardeners a great way to grow that's cost effective, simple, and beneficial to plants. Available to download: eBook
You can grow beautiful, healthy, delicious veggies and herbs right from the start—just follow the trustworthy advice found in The Beginner’s Guide to Growing Great Vegetables. Expert gardener Lorene Edwards Forkner shares all the information you need to create a thriving garden, from facts about soil and sun to tips on fertilizing, mulching, and watering. Regional planting charts show what to plant when, and a month-by-month planner takes you from January through December. Profiles of popular edibles explain exactly how to plant, care for, and harvest your bounty. Whether your garden grows in the ground, on a balcony, or in containers on a sunny patio, this is your guide to grow-your-own success. Available to download: eBook
Capitalizing on the popular trends of edible, container, and small-space gardening, Complete Container Herb Gardening offers all the info needed to grow fresh herbs on balconies, patios, rooftops, decks, and even on the kitchen counter
A stunning guide for gardeners keen to transform small and awkward outdoor spaces into beautiful and practical escapes. From courtyards to rooftops, Kate Gould draws on her experience as an award-winning garden designer to provide tailored solutions and inspirational ideas.Covering topics such as how to design and measure the perfect garden, choose and use the best materials and maintain a lush garden all year round, Small Garden Design includes detailed advice for gardeners undeterred by limited space.
Grow Your Own Spices shows gardeners of all skill levels how to grow their own spices, including ginger, turmeric, saffron, cumin, and many more. Available to download: eBook
Niki Jabbour shows how to use row covers, shade cloth, low tunnels, cold frames, hoophouses, and other protective structures to create controlled growing spaces for vegetables to thrive. Available to download: eBook
Create a flower haven with help from a veteran garden designer and floral expert. Floratopia showcases beautiful flower varieties, ideas for designing a gorgeous flower space, and instructions for planting and maintaining flowers that are ideal for your zone, climate, and garden layout. With 110 illustrated ideas replete with expert tips and stunning photography, this book is for gardeners of all experience levels who will be drawn in by Jan Johnsen's encouraging voice, experience, and contagious passion for garden design. Johnsen encourages you to see the potential for flowers in any outdoor area you might have. Available to download: eBook
Loades presents a fusion of classic cottage style and the new perennial movement, and teaches gardeners how to combine the best of both styles. Big, colorful blooms and striking grasses and native plants can be fitted into one beautiful space that requires little maintenance and has a long season of interest. He offers fresh planting ideas for containers, small gardens, and diverse climates, creating an exciting style that can shine anywhere. Available to download: eBook
As more of us live in cities with restricted outside spaces, growing food becomes all the more important, not just for the delicious results, but as a mindful way to connect us to the seasons and to nature. Full of tried-and-tested, fool-proof crop ideas exclusively tailored for containers, raised beds and small gardens, Crops in Tight Spots guarantees vegetable growing success for even the most newbie of gardeners and limited of spaces.
The Complete Guide to No-Dig Gardening is a warm and friendly, yet science-based, guide where readers learn how to grow a healthy, productive garden without ever turning over the soil. Available to download: eBook
The co-founder of The Cook's Gardenseed catalog inspires gardeners to plant their own heirloom gardens through twelve themed designs and offers 55 recipes for delicious entrees, sides, drinks and desserts that can be made from the items grown. Available to download: eBook
This book covers all the essentials of growing a range of edible plants in pots, and meeting each crop's specific needs. Ratinon generates enthusiasm about raising vegetables, edible flowers, mushrooms, and microgreens, either indoors or on balconies and windowsill in this useful resource for gardeners wishing to explore growing food within a restricted space.
A gardening guide, in the form of a graphic novel, that walks beginners through the steps of planning, planting, caring for and harvesting their first vegetable garden, along with "cheat sheets" of key facts and techniques. Kozik takes loving care with the bright visual details of the flora and fauna, drawing vegetables, weeds, and insects with specificity such that readers should be able to recognize them in their own backyards. Her art takes the book up a notch, filling what could be a dry instructional manual with verdant leafy spreads and cute cartoony details.
GrowVeg offers simple recipes for gardening projects that are both attainable and beautiful.
Plant Partners delivers a research-based rationale for companion planting, offering gardeners dozens of ways they can use scientifically tested plant partnerships to benefit the garden as a whole. Available to download: eBook