With new gardening books coming out every season, we decided to corral a handful of must-haves, some dating back 100 years but still relevant. We asked some of the garden design professionals working on the East End to tell us about their favorite titles.
The Education of a Gardener by Russell Page is a classic from 1962. Page, who designed the garden at The Frick Collection, due to reopen this fall, was an Englishman who humbly described himself as a gardener—yet he designed gardens around the world for the rich and famous.
Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs by Michael Dirr is for anyone who is as in love with specimen trees and unique shrubs as I am, and this is the number one resource of its kind. It has a fully pictorial review of nearly every tree or shrub you could consider. —Roxine Brown, Founder, Creative Director, Harmonia, Inc.
The Art of Making Gardens by Luciano Giubbilei Giubbilei really inspires me to learn and grow with my own designs because of the evolution I’ve seen in his work since his time at Great Dixter learning plants. His earlier work, with beautifully detailed spaces using simple plantings, has changed to embrace the use of much more variety, color and texture of plant material that improves the experience of the garden, and I’m working to do the same. —Jonathan Paetzel, RLA, Principal, Marshall Paetzel Landscape Architecture
Garden: Exploring the Horticultural World, by the Editors at Phaidon, is a photo-driven, deep dive into the ways artists have found inspiration from gardens throughout history. Wonderful images and very informative—it’s a great summer read, initiating creative thought. —Dennis Schrader, Co-Founder Landcraft Environments Ltd., and President, Landcraft Garden Foundation
Second Nature by Michael Pollan. This is the first book that felt like it related directly to me. I am thinking I should read it again. —Edwina von Gal, Founder and Chair, Perfect Earth Project
Books that I always enjoy looking through are the ones that Gertrude Jeykll wrote 100 years ago, including Gardens for Small Country Houses and Color Schemes for Gardens. They are wonderful, and cover all the world of garden design. —Eric Groft, FASLA | Director/CEO, Oehme van Sweden Landscape Architecture
Planting the Natural Garden by Piet Oudolf and Henk Gerristsen is a handy book that promotes pesticide-free gardening, plus it includes plant descriptions, best practices and lets me ‘dream’ of someday having an Oudolf-designed garden. —Beverly Kazickas, Zone III Chair of Clubs for New York State, Garden Club of America
Vita Sackville-West’s Garden Book is not about how to garden or where plants go, but a love letter written by an artist and poet about gardens and plants. —Paige Patterson, Plant Ambassador, Marders
Planting: A New Perspective by Piet Oudolf & Noel Kingsbury has really expanded my thinking on the characteristics gardeners must familiarize themselves with for each plant, which is especially critical when interplanting species together in the more naturalistic style. —Stacy Paetzel, RLA, Founder and Principal, Marshall Paetzel Landscape Architecture
The Gardening Book by Monty Don is so helpful with gardening tips, instructions and inspiration. I find it a very unpretentious guide to gardening. —Michael Gianelli, Founder and Owner, East Hampton Gardens