Build your library — and your gardening skills — with these inspiring books that double as perfect, practical gifts

TENDING A PLOT of land is a constant education, and a library of garden resources is an indispensable tool. Just in time for the gift season, the following titles are filled with practical advice and inspiring purpose.

“Garden Allies: The Insects, Birds & Other Animals That Keep Your Garden Beautiful and Thriving,” by Frédérique Lavoipierre (Timber Press, 2021). Lavoipierre is a gifted storyteller with a love for the natural world, including the birds, mammals, reptiles and insects that coexist with us in the garden. Her fascinating profiles of these sometimes-misunderstood creatures reveal the beauty and balance present in a lively landscape humming with life. Remarkable pen and ink drawings by illustrator/plantsman Craig Latker invite readers to take a closer look.

“The Heirloom Gardener: Traditional Plants & Skills for the Modern World,” by John Forti (Timber Press, 2021). Gardening has been around for a good long while. Heirlooms, those fragments of the past deemed worth preserving, can tell us a great deal about the practices, seeds and traditions that delighted and sustained previous generations. More importantly, they show us a way forward. In this alphabetical collection of brief essays, Forti, a garden historian looking to foster a sustainable future, depicts an “heirloom gardening lifestyle” informed by today’s science and technology. From applecart and biodiversity to xeriscaping and zucchini, this delightfully readable resource is filled with hope.

“Ground Rules: 100 Easy Lessons for Growing a More Glorious Garden,” by Kate Frey (Timber Press, 2018). A world-renowned garden designer known for creating flower-filled landscapes teeming with life, Frey distills her vast experience into bite-size chunks of expert information and inspiring ideas. From “Planning your Paradise” to “The Joy of Plants, and Birds, Bees, and Butterflies,” “Ground Rules” is a go-to guide for gardeners of all experience levels looking to cultivate a beautiful, nature-friendly landscape.

“The Beginner’s Guide to Growing Great Vegetables,” by Lorene Edwards Forkner (Timber Press, 2021). Everyone needs hand-holding at times. My 2021 growing season was far from ideal — just as my latest book made its debut. Awkward! I’ve decided to embrace my perpetual beginner. There’s always next year.

“Grow More Food: a Vegetable Gardener’s Guide to getting the biggest harvest possible from a space of any size,” by Colin McCrate and Brad Halm (Storey Publishing, 2022). Co-authors and founders of the Seattle Urban Farm Company, McCrate (my fellow GROW contributor) and Halm have gathered their years of experience working with backyard gardeners and small-space farmers into five informative chapters packed with growing tips and strategies for gardening with purpose and an eye on increasing production. This one’s on my preorder list.

But at the end of the day, if birds got the berries and if drought devastated the shrubbery, sometimes all we can do is laugh. Thank goodness for the wry wit and spot-on perspective of local author Luke Ruggenberg, a working horticulturist who writes telling essays about the lesser-told side of gardening life. His self-published titles include “Twenty Reasons Not to Garden (And Why I Ignore Them All),” “Plants are Terrible People” and the newly released “(L)eavesdropping.” Pick up autographed copies at Ravenna Gardens, or purchase online at lukeruggenberg.com.