Top Gardening Books I Love: A Cottage on Bunker Hill Review

A Beautiful & Easy-Care Flower Garden by Stacy Ling

My friend Stacy Ling has written a fantastic resource for flower gardeners. Her book, “The Bricks ‘n Blooms Guide to a Beautiful and Easy-Care Flower Garden“, is packed with practical advice and focuses on low-maintenance gardening – a lifesaver for those of you who struggle to keep plants alive!

The Bricks ‘n Blooms Guide to a Beautiful and Easy-Care Flower Garden is a must-have for gardening enthusiasts of all levels. This book covers all aspects of flower gardening from perennials to shrubs.

The beautifully photographed guide emphasizes low-maintenance plants and straightforward techniques and advice (plus I love the easy-to-read font size!). Stacy’s goal is to eliminate the intimidation factor associated with flower gardening, she encourages readers to achieve beautiful blooms with minimal frustration.

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener looking to simplify or a complete newbie you will learn something with this book.

Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden

Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms by Erin Benzakein is an absolute dream for anyone who loves filling vases with fresh flowers. Benzakein’s photography is as breathtaking as her floral designs, and the book is packed with pro tips for growing an abundance of blooms in any sized plot.

This is a thick book, over 300 pages and covers everything from the basics/getting started, seed starting, varieties of cut flowers to grow along with beautiful photos, seasonal tasks, and tips for a successful flower garden.

I have the Kindle version because at the time I couldn’t wait the 2 days to get the book! But I would recommend getting the physical book to appreciate all of the gorgeous photos.

From Seed To Bloom by Milli Proust

From Seed to Bloom by Milli Proust is a must-have book for any flower lover or aspiring gardener! It’s a beautiful and practical guide packed with helpful advice on everything from starting a flower bed from scratch to creating stunning floral arrangements. You’ll find step-by-step instructions on sowing seeds, pinching, composting, and growing 24 different cut flower staples throughout the seasons. It’s my new gardening bible! I love the engaging writing style, inspiring floral designs, and detailed instructions on sustainable design techniques.

Whether you’re primarily interested in flower growing or arrangement design, this unique book has something for you

The photography in the book is gorgeous and I love the style Milli Proust uses to capture her flowers! I find myself picking this book up all the time to look at the pictures (this one is on my coffee table).

Floret Farm’s A Year in Flowers

Floret Farm’s A Year in Flowers: Designing Gorgeous Arrangements for Every Season is another book written by Erin Benzakein. This book is aimed at teaching you various flowers to grow to use in arrangements along with beautiful images of the flowers and how long the vase life is.

There are step-by-step tutorials for putting together gorgeous flower arrangements and other flower project ideas. This hardcover book also has over 300 pages.

French Blooms by Sandra Sigman

In her book French Blooms, Sandra Sigman, an award-winning floral designer, shares her passion for the French approach to flowers. Sigman believes that flower arrangements are art. They should be bursting with color, texture, and a touch of the unexpected. Inspired by her time in Paris, Sigman provides easy-to-follow instructions for creating these beautiful arrangements for any room in your house. The book includes ideas for mantels, dining tables, bathrooms, and even hand-tied bouquets.

French Blooms goes beyond just flowers. Sigman also offers advice on choosing vases and containers, from classic ceramic pieces to vintage finds. She even includes tips on caring for your flowers and the tools you’ll need. With beautiful photos taken throughout France, the book is a visual delight and a guide to bringing French floral style into your home.

Check it out!

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The Old Farmer’s Almanac: Timeless Gardening Advice

For generations, New England gardeners have relied on the wisdom of the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Their flower and vegetable gardening guides offer time-tested advice, planting charts, and regional insights perfect for cultivating success in New England’s unique climate.

If you are looking for basic books that not only have photos but also teach you the basics of gardening you can’t beat these books! Plus they are usually between $12-$14 each on Amazon. They are paperbacks. Both books also have journaling pages in them to keep track of different gardening tasks.

I’ve loved flipping through the almanac since I was little, I loved (and still do) the poems written on the side of each month. The annual Almanac itself is a treasure trove of weather predictions, folklore, and practical tips – a true New England classic for anyone who loves to dig in the dirt.

• Vegetable Gardner’s Handbook
• Flower Gardener’s Handbook
• Old Farmer’s Almanac

Growing with Matt Mattus

I first came across Matt Mattus on Instagram and then discovered he is across the border from me in Massachusetts! His books aren’t just for New Englanders though.

In Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening, Matt Mattus shares expert tips on growing annuals and biennials based from his own gardening experience. The book provides detailed instructions, lush photos, and goes beyond basic seed packet info. You’ll learn about starting seeds, transplanting, growing a variety of flowers (including lilacs, wisteria, and many bulbs), and even forcing winter blooms. Whether you want a cut-flower garden, a beautiful border, or simply enjoy flowers, Mattus offers valuable guidance.

Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening is your advanced guide to exciting, unusual produce. Discover new varieties of common vegetables, their histories, and how to grow them! This book offers beautiful photos, insider knowledge, and over 200 detailed profiles of vegetables and herbs. Learn about unique varieties of different common vegetables. If you’re ready to take your vegetable garden to the next level, this is the resource for you.

The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible

Want to grow delicious, organic vegetables like a pro? The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible by Ed Smith has been a bestseller for years, His W-O-R-D system takes the guesswork out of gardening (wide rows, organic methods, raised beds, deep soil). Learn about vegetable garden basics like succession planting, conquer even the fussiest plants, expand your harvest with extended-season solutions, and discover exciting new vegetable varieties.

I bought this book over 10 years ago and have used it as a resource since. It’s a non-nonsense book with photos and easy to read text for the beginner gardener.

The Elegant & Edible Garden by Linda Vater

Forget boring veggie patches! The Elegant and Edible Garden shows you how to create a potager, a gorgeous garden bursting with flowers, veggies, fruits, and herbs. It’ll be beautiful to look at and yummy to harvest.

Linda Vater, the gardening guru behind The Potager Blog Instagram and website, spills the beans on making your potager a perfect hangout for friends and family. There are some more formal garden ideas but also easy-breezy design tips that fit your style. Plus all the info you need on organic growing, cool focal points, and how to place everything just right.

The Vegetable Gardening Book by Joe Lamp’l

Think you know everything about vegetable gardening? Joe Lamp’l’s got news for you! His book, The Vegetable Gardening Book, is overflowing with expert knowledge he’s gathered from years of experience and interviews with seasoned growers.

Get ready to learn everything from seed starting to building tomato cages, attracting pollinators, and creating healthy organic soil. You’ll discover smart design ideas for maximum yield, strategies for a low-maintenance garden, profiles of 40 popular crops, a handy crop rotation plan, and tips on season extension, raised beds, tool selection, and growing food in any space.

He also has a great podcast! The Joe Gardener Show

The Complete Gardener by Monty Don

If you are not familiar with Monty Don, he is a renowned British horticulturist who achieved widespread fame as the lead presenter of the BBC gardening program Gardeners’ World since 2003. He’s authored numerous books, making him the UK’s leading garden writer. I first came across him on YouTube a few years ago.

Monty Don’s “The Complete Gardener” is an extensive and practical guide designed to help gardeners of all experience levels. This updated contemporary classic emphasizes organic gardening practices and creating a wildlife-friendly haven. It’s a thick book, 440 pages! It’s usually around $20 on Amazon.

The book covers the essentials of garden design, planning, and plant care, with detailed advice on growing flowers, vegetables, and fruit. It also gives you a tour of all of his gardens.

He also has his own website: Monty Don

The New Seed-Starters Handbook

When I wanted to learn more about starting seeds indoors I grabbed The New Seed-Starters Handbook from Amazon because it was highly rated.

It taught me everything I needed to know about starting seeds and goes over transplanting into your garden and growing them too.

I love all the advice on each seed (covers vegetables and flowers). It’s written in a no non-sense but easy-to-read way.

It’s another book that I refer back to all the time.