Favourite Gardening Book

For up to date references I like Dr D.G. Hessayon 'Expert' series. The Flower Expert cost £9.99 last published edition 2008. My family get me his latest for birthdays. together with the internet I find its great.
I too have a very heavy Botanica with over 10,000 plants and the information is great so although it is heavy its about the only old garden referance book I will not part with.

My first port of call is the RHS A-Z as above (it has now been split into two volumes but each is still very heavy). Remembering that my specific interest in plants is alpines and bulbs, my next visit will be the Alpine Garden Society's 'Encylopedia of Alpines' in two volumes and very expensive. After that I go to our extensive home library of books on specific genra and topics.

I have FAR too many gardening books, to be honest - but The RHS ones are definitely the best - especially the A-Z.

I do own the Reader's Digest one - and the old RD Encyclopaedia of plants as well - that is very well thumbed!

Beth Chatto books are all very readable - she does know her plants so well! Then there's Christopher Lloyd - I have a couple or three of his, too, and one by Roy Lancaster which is very good.

Gardening books are almost as addictive as plants. Fortuantely/unfortuantely they are much more expensive so we tend to think twice before buying - then buy anyway! We have too many really but occaisionaly look at all of them.

I refer to that big RHS A-Z one as my bible

I have an RHS Encyclopedia aswell. Yes it's heavy ! I tend to browse through books more in the winter. Don't think I have a favourite though.

I, too, have the RHS ones but I find them bulky, heavy and space-consuming! My all-time favourite, had it around 30 years, is the Reader's Digest one, bound in hessian! Almost no colour pics, but what a lovely resource, and a very old friend.

I wish they would up-date it Bscott. I gave mine away a few years ago:-(

Christopher lloyd Spritz.....I remember reading his columns in I think the Guardian or poss Observer I really liked him and Beth Chatto, I've seen her gardens, lovely. Anyone read any Carol Klein? I assume she's written some, I love her enthusiam. I'm hoping someone will ask me what I would like for C********s I believe it's a forbidden word on this site :-)

I've just ordered a Carol Klein and a Christopher Lloyd from Amazon, Beth chatto next I think:-)

Ooooh! I shall have to look for the Carol Klein one! Beth Chatto books are so useful - she describes each plant and their needs.

I definitely need her then Spritz;-)

I have one on dry gardening, one on damp, and one on shade...they are paperbacks, so very reasonably priced. Worth every penny!

I also have a 'chatty' book of letters between her and Christopher Lloyd, which is lovely, but not quite what you are thinking of.

Bet it's warm and interesting Though:-)

I recycled my copy of Chatto and Lloyd, sorry to say. I found him a bit of an old snob, to be honest....though his perception of colour combinations was pretty interesting!

Have you ever been to Great Dixter, Brian? It's...fabulous! I saw the great man himself at a distance...:-))

Just thought, he must have developed my favourite reddish euphorbia :-) It was probably his up-bringing Bscott and his generation, he must have been a nice man... he was a gardener:-)

Have got more gardening books than I have room for Ba, and since I took a college course on garden design, I've got dozens on that subject too! Am threatening to move the husband down to the shed so can use his side of the room for, you guessed it, even more books tee hee hee! As to proper botanical plant names, well let's just say I'm working on it, once I get the knots out of my tongue!

Wow, you've done garden design, I wish you lived around here:-) I'm having a back garden makeover and I'm trying to persuade my husband that we need to get rid of the lawn (small) and have some sort of paving. I've been looking at Louis pics (have you seen them) for some inspiration as his is all paved and rather gorgeous. I'm a bit worried about Rosie and Megs response to a paved toilet, though they don't like the grass when it's a bit boggy. Don't forget me if you want rid of your handyman husband to make way for books... :-)

It's getting him away from his shed, that's the problem Ba ha ha! Men and sheds have a very strange affinity to each other, I think it's somekind of umbilical cord that ties them together lol! Redesigning a garden area can be a lot of fun, and as you said, there are some fantastic ideas on here which you can borrow and adapt to your own garden space, they can be positively inspirational! I am still at the early stages of learning how to design, but my college course taught me a lot, which I hope will prove beneficial in the long run :o)) As to sending my other half over to you, well..............:-) lol X

:-)