Gardening in the South presents unique challenges like heat and humidity. These are some of my favorite books to turn your black thumb green again.
1) Gardening With Native Plants of the South
If you are frustrated with your garden, you should try native plants. They aren't as fussy as some of the imports. This book is informative, easy to read and interesting. It has information about which native plants attract birds and butterflies, why you should go "native" and how to plan and choose plants for your garden. The book has some nice photos too.
2) The Southern Gardener’s Book Of Lists
This book is out of print but if you can find it, I think it's worth looking. It make a great quick reference. Many landscape designers list it as one of their favorite books. This book has lists of plants, shrubs, trees and more and gives the details about them (their design usage, practical consideration, cultivation requirements and more). There are no pictures but you can't beat the info.
3) Gardening in the Humid South
This book is a fun read. It's a funny, light hearted look at gardening way down South. Despite being fun, it's also informative. This book is not so much about plants as it about gardening. There's a monthly calender and information on garden troubleshooting and maintenance.
4) Southeastern Wildflowers
This is a small, pocket-sized book with lots of information. If you want to be able grow and identify wildflowers this book is for you. The author goes over propagation, culture, traditional uses and identification of hundreds of wildflowers.
5) Bulletproof Flowers for the South
Written by former cohost of PBS TV's Victory Garden, this book for those of you who think you have a black thumb. This book is basically about minimizing plant damage due to the extreme heat and humidity we get here. He has some great tips on how to make your garden perk even in sweltering weather. The book has lots of great photos.
6) Passalong Plants
What is a "passalong plant?" It's a plant that's been propagated from neighbor to neighbor, from mother to daughter, from friend to friend. This is a great little book. It's very easy to read and it's has all the info you need to propagate and nurture a passalong plant and maybe make a neighbor smile in the process.
7) Gardening Southern Style
This little book basically tells you what to plant and when to plant it. It has a monthly almanac so you can keep your garden looking great year round. It tells you all about soil preparation, pruning, selecting plants, transplanting, harvesting and more.
8) Southern Lawns:A Step-By-Step Guide to the Perfect Lawn
Grasses are normally skipped by other gardening books. This book, however, gives very detailed information about many of the popular Southern grasses. It has planting instructions, maintenance calenders and buyer's guides.
9) The Southern Living Garden Book
This book has 26 plant selection guides that do an ok job of helping you to pick plants for your needs (drought tolerant plants and things like that) however I think the plant listings are this books best feature. There are over 5,000 plants with propagation and cultivation information. There are lots of photos too.
10) Gardening in the South With Don Hastings : Vegetables and Fruits
This is actually a three volume series, but the one on vegetables is my pick. Don Hastings is from Atlanta and in his book he goes over how to plan a vegetable garden, pick out fruit trees, troubleshoot fruit and vegetable problems and more. It's a great beginners guide (and not to pricey).
