Like so many, I have a fondness for plants. From growing food & herbs, collecting houseplants, to outdoor flower gardens; it was a hobby now turned passion. Personally, I love having all types of plants in and around my home. They provide sanctuary and comfort through nurturing that has been known to help with mental health.
Books that revolve around plant life are always great to have on hand. Not only do hobbyist books make great design pieces in your home, but they act as functional décor since they are reference books. Personally, I enjoy collecting plant books. I love all the inspiration and information they provide. Here are some great books every plant lover should own.
The Houseplant Collector
‘PLANT‘ by Gynelle Leon is a beautiful yet practical guide about houseplants. Personally, as a houseplant collector, I was excited to get my hands on this book. The author, Gynelle Leon is a trailblazer in the houseplant community. She is not only an expert, but owns the world’s first shop dedicated to cacti and succulents called PRICK.
Since we are right in the middle of a houseplant boom, ‘PLANT‘ would make an ideal gift for the houseplant enthusiast in your life. ‘PLANT‘ is filled with inspirational photos of styled rooms that help take the stress off of decorating your home with plants. Whether you love eclectic, mid-century or even bo-ho; there is something for everyone.
The author, Gynelle Leon, draws you in by describing where her love of plants began which was relatable on many levels. The ‘Plant Gallery & Directory‘ is ‘eye-candy’ for any plant lover. Countless pages (100 houseplants to be exact) of gorgeous houseplants, their history, plant profiles and care. The houseplants are in alphabetical order, so it’s easy to find what you need. I found myself tagging pages and creating a whole new plant wish list that I can not wait to get my hands on.
The ‘Care Guide & Propagation‘ in ‘PLANT‘ contains great advice for beginners and experienced collectors. The diagrams were a huge help, especially about lighting. The descriptions are very thorough and helpful in order to give your houseplant the best care possible in your home. Overall there is so much great information that I love having access to at anytime. ‘PLANT‘ has inspirited me to not only expand my collection, but take on new décor projects in my home.
The Herbalist The simple design of the cover makes ‘Healing With Plants‘ a beautiful coffee table book. The pages have a nice matte finish and the illustrations remind me of the highly sought after botany images that make for great home design.
‘Healing With Plants‘ is more than a coffee table book; it’s a reference for beginner and avid herbal gardeners. It dives into one of the oldest botanic gardens in the world, the Chelsea Physic Garden in London, and uses it as a foundation to showcase how truly incredible herbs are. The garden itself houses approximately 5,000 different medicinal, herbal, and edible plants. ‘Healing With Plants‘ features 140 of these plants. It was fascinating to learn about the layout, the purpose and importance of the garden and even about the caretakers.
‘Healing With Plants‘ is an ideal book for anyone, regardless of skill, who has an interest in herbs for health and wellness. After discovering what a magical place the Chelsea Physic Garden is, you are able to discover and learn about herbal medicines, traditions and overall how therapeutic herbal gardening is.
If you are a beginner, there are great tips on how to design your garden layout, planting seeds, harvesting and everything in between. ‘Healing With Plants‘ is very thorough, especially the featured ‘Herbal Guide‘. I was not only able to learn about the purpose of specific herbs, but also the history, traditions, and even recipes. I have been inspired by ‘Healing With Plants‘, and I can not wait to grow my herbal garden beyond just cooking herbs.
Growing Edibles
‘Eat What You Grow‘ by Alys Fowler really opened my eyes to a new way of outdoor gardening. I have always planted my flowers and edibles by species. I kept my rose garden in one spot, my vegetable in another and my flowers and shrubs acted as my yard’s ‘décor’.
Fowler provided a guide, a ‘bible’ of sorts, to achieve a garden that nature intended. ‘Eat What You Grow‘ teaches you how to achieve ‘polyculture‘ which is simply following what nature does. To be honest, I had no idea what polyculture was, but I love the idea that it’s not your basic cookie-cutter garden. Instead you are creating a thriving ecosystem of plants and trees that not only thrive off each other but create balance for other living things as well as provide food.
‘Eat What You Grow‘ reviews important growing habits and root systems to better understand polyculture. It then helps you begin choosing what would be ideal for your garden starting with which trees to plant, shrubs to choose, all the way down to ornamental edibles, ground covers and fillers.
The plant and tree profiles are a great help when caring and positioning your plant or tree in the most optimal spot in your polyculture garden. The in depth descriptions from pruning, dealing with pests & diseases, and how to cook & use the plants and trees make ‘Eat What You Grow‘ an excellent guide to creating a productive and beautiful edible garden.
Flower Power
‘The Flower Yard‘ by Arthur Parkinson is a visually stunning book that is meant to inspire anyone to create a flower jungle in a small space. Creating a floral jungle right in the middle of an urban city may seem impossible, but Arthur Parkinson’s advice through experience proves otherwise. He was able to create a flower garden fantasy using containers, allowing his garden to be mobile and interchangeable.
Parkinson discusses everything from what type of pots to use, dealing with common pests, to an depth discussion on planting and growing seeds and bulbs. My favorite part of ‘The Flower Yard‘ is the planning section, which is filled with many great ideas of how to layout your garden. The floral curtains are absolutely beautiful, and something I would love to re-create in my yard. I learned so much about how the colors play off of each other and even how to properly companion my flowers.
Not everything in the ‘The Flower Yard‘ is strictly about the containers and their flowers, but also about the beautiful birds and insects that visit and the benefits of having ‘garden chickens‘. Parkinson even gives great tips on arranging your cut flowers and making décor for your home. ‘The Flower Yard‘ has helped me set the tone for this summers flower beds and I can not wait to get started!
Which of these books are your favorite?
These all look like great additions to my library and/or my to-be-read list. As a suggestion, it is a different kind of read, but I recommend The Plant Messiah by Carlos Magdelena as a book for all plant lovers too!