Part I - Favorite Garden Books of Jodi DeLong and Carole Browne

Loads of books to read. Photo by maubrowncow on Flickr.


On cold winter days nothing beats the pleasure of curling up with a good book and a hot drink. That's especially true for gardeners ... who must patiently wait until Mother Nature allows them to finally play in the dirt again.

That's why I asked some garden writers and bloggers to share their favorite gardening books.  Here's what they had to say:

Jodi DeLong is a garden writer, who lives on 7 acres (Zone 5b) in a rural site in Nova Scotia, Canada, overlooking the Bay of Fundy. 

With "hundreds of books" in her library, Jodi is often found with a good book in her hand. And soon, she'll have her own book to hold when Plants for Atlantic Gardens (authored by Jodi) comes out in February - March 2011.

Meanwhile, here are two gardening books Jodi highly recommends:

Native Plants for North American Gardens by Allan Armitage

"Any of Armitage's books are excellent," says Jodi. "But I am especially fond of this book because he looks at natives using a North American perspective - as opposed to merely a county/state/province perspective."

As Jodi explains, "A plant may not be native to my area, but I still plant it knowing it is native elsewhere. And given the right growing conditions it will prosper here too. I'm not a natives-only sort of gardener but have always been interested in them. Reading Armitage's book gives me a far wider perspective on great plants from our continent."

Another one of Jodi's favorites?

Designing with Plants by Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury

"Anything that Oudolf writes is worth having," says Jodi. "And Kingsbury is no slouch either. I love this book because it shows how to use certain plants - mostly perennials and some grasses - in wonderful ways, with large drifts focusing on texture, light and foliage color as well as flower or seedhead. They edge into four-season gardening, which I love."

Find Jodi:

http://www.bloomingwriter.blogspot.com/

www.twitter.com/bloomingwriter

Carole Brown gardens in Philadelphia (Zone 6b) in a neighborhood more than 100 years old. The many majestic, old trees in her area can sometimes cause problems with roofs and electric services, but they are home to a large number of birds, especially woodpeckers.

As creator of Ecosystem Gardening, Carole says, "My greatest joy is watching the butterflies, bees and birds who call my garden home. Who needs TV?"

Here are two of her favorite gardening books:

Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East
by Carolyn Summers                                                             

 "Many gardeners are reluctant to use native plants in their gardens because of the stereotype that native plants look wild and messy," explains Carole.

"Carolyn Summers breaks this stereotype down," she says, "by teaching gardeners how to design any style of garden using native plants. She covers formal gardens, cottage gardens, knot gardens and even Japanese style gardens. Summers has included plant lists and resources for each garden style, plus an entire chapter on how to best locate and purchase native plants."

Another favorite book explains how to create meadows in your garden.

Urban and Surburban Meadows: Bringing Meadowscaping to Big and Small Spaces

by Catherine Zimmerman

"A meadow is much more than a collection of wildflowers," says Carole. "It is a living ecosystem which supports butterflies, pollinators, birds and other wildlife. Most books about meadows ignore this fact."

According to Carole, this book does a great job of describing how a meadow community is made when native plants are used correctly to create a garden full of life.

"The book thoroughly describes the process," says Carole. "There are helpful tips for evaluating your site, preparing your space, planting your meadow and maintaining it. Plant lists for every area of the country are featured, as well as a thorough list of local and regional resources to help you make the best plant choices for your areas."

Find Carole:

http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/

www.twitter.com/cb4wildlife

Gardening books galore! Photo by Canton Public Library (MI)

So, as the snowflakes fall and the winter temperatures keep dropping, be sure to pull out a good book to keep you inspired. More great book suggestions are coming soon from your favorite garden writers and bloggers. Stay tuned!

Part II: Favorite Winter Plants (No. Idaho)

In part two of our "Favorite Winter Plants" series, we travel to the frigid region of Northern Idaho to show some of the wonderful winter plants that can add interest to these gardens in colder months.

Dan Eskelson (aka @daneskelson on Twitter) began his horticultural training in the balmy hills of Santa Barbara, California. But these days he gardens and designs landscapes from his company Clearwater Landscapes in Priest River, Idaho. This distinctly four-season climate is a frosty USDA Hardiness Zones 4 and 5. Even in this cold climate, however, there are plenty of interesting winter plants. Here are some of Dan's favorites:

"Rose hips from the native Wood's rose (Rosa woodsii) are plentiful this year in Idaho," reports Dan. "They really provide bright, cheerful color for the fall/early winter landscape."

"Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor) is another native that we encourage and incorporate in the landscape," says Dan. "The seemingly delicate cream-colored flower clusters turn eventually dark brown and persist through much of the winter."

"Oregon Grape (Mahonia repens, M. aquifolium, etc.) is quite common and often used in the landscape," he admits. "Yet, it remains one of my favorite plants for winter interest. Each year seems to bring different combinations of leaf color, including green, purple and scarlet."

"These river birch (Betula nigra 'Heritage') are closely related to the native black birch," adds Dan. "They provide a continuously evolving show of trunk transformation. Their colors range from almost white to pinks and browns."

Learn More: Clearwater Landscapes, Inc.; or on Twitter @daneskelson

More to Come! Don't go away. We're traveling to Canada next, where the winter gardens can be especially beautiful if you just know what to plant. Look for part three, coming soon...

Going Native - North Carolina Style

The North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill knows plenty about going native. In fact, this 600-acre botanical garden is all about helping the public better understand and appreciate native plants. As you can see from the praying mantis above, the beneficial insects feel quite at home here too.

The conservation garden is affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and features 2,500 of the 4,700 native or naturalized plant species known to grow in North and South Carolina. Not to mention herbs and other plants from around the globe.

Recently, I had the good fortune to see several of these native plants myself during the Garden Writers Association 2009 symposium.

The garden's trails travel through various natural habitats. Above Coreopsis gladiata (aka coastal plain tickseed) mingles beautifully with Euonymus americanus to create a stunning late-September scene.

Euonymus americanus can be found in forests throughout the southeastern United States. Other names for this pretty perennial include 'strawberry bush' and 'hearts-bustin'-with-love.' Incidentally, I called upon Helen Yoest of Gardening with Confidence for help in identifying this eyecatching plant.

One of my personal favorites was the American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), which has the most luscious purple berries. The long-lasting berries are an important food source for many birds, as well as foxes, racoons and white-tailed deer. I particularly liked the way the shrub was pruned to grow up this trellace by the lily pond, which is home to colorful Koi fish. It's a great example of how native plants can fit easily into different home garden settings.

More than 40 pieces of sculptures by 24 artists are scattered around as part of the garden's 21st annual Sculpture in the Garden exhibit, on display until Nov. 15.  This spiral sculpture is named "Mandala of the Earth and Sky," and was created by Frank Holder.

Watch out bugs! This pitcherplant has tubular leaves that snatch up insects, making it a very effective bug catcher as well as a lovely addition to your garden. You'll find plenty of unusual plants here. In fact, the North Carolina Botanical Garden has one of the best carnivorous plant collections in the Southeast.

Nestled among the rare plants are a number of stunning cacti, which just happened to be blooming during our visit. Aren't those flowers a heavenly pink?

Sculptures. Native and rare plants. Well-shaded walking trails. The North Carolina Botanical Garden has a little something for everyone and it's definitely worth a visit. Best of all, it's open year round. So, if you're in the Raleigh-Durham area, take some time to go native. You'll be glad you did.

Learn more about the North Carolina Botanical Garden.