An (Updated) Guide to My Gardening Book shelves

I first wrote this blog in autumn 2015, nearly 10 years ago! We’ve moved house another twice since then, finally settling in our own wee cottage here in the borders. I decided to update this blog as it’s a perfect read at this time of year when we can’t get out because its too cold or its raining. I also finally have all my gardening books unpacked and on their new shelves, which reminded me I should write an updated garden bookshelf blog. 

Gardeners have their plants, their trusty tools and their books, a gardener must have books. It would be unusual to find one who doesn't. They are somewhere we go to in winter, when we can't get out in the garden, to gather ideas, plan our next border or to escape into those pages of colour and greenery. My gardening book collection, like all my books, started as a child, in a family of readers. There were always books about, both fiction and reference books and for me it was also escapism into happier and more exciting places. Once my interests began to evolve and shape there were history books (a lot of these), wildlife books and then gardening books and then every other subject that drew me in and an awful lot of fiction. 

In autumn 2023 we got our spare bedroom / office/ library room decorated and built a wall of shelves and were finally able to unpack all of our books. Some had been packed away for 10 years since we moved from my house and then had to rent. It was great to see all the books out and sort them onto the shelves we built, all 30 odd boxes!!!

Five shelves of garden books

Most of my books have been Christmas or birthday presents: I always have an extensive list of books I'd like. I try to put them in subject order (loosely) but this didn't work out as easily as it may seem!

There is my collection of herb books including the Scots Herbal, an excellent book on native Scots plants and their uses. There are a whole mixture of books that didn't fit into one subject or another, some are about specific genera, gardens in other countries through to books on specific garden areas such as greenhouses, ponds and water gardens and so on. Books on garden design and garden styles. The book Waterpower is a lovely book on how to construct all types of water features, beautifully illustrated, with easy to understand blueprints.

Big books, plant reference books, garden history books and more design books. I can't help but like Martyn Rix and Roger Phillips' series of books with their clear photographs on every group of plants, they are great reference books, handy for general identification and just nice to look through. The wee set of shears are for clipping box hedges, given to me by an old gardener I used to work with in Aberdour.

I also have two shelves of books in the office at the nursery and all my Gardens Illustrated magazines, which I've been subscribed to since it came out in the early 1990's!!!

Antique garden books

Antique nature books

My garden diaries from our years at Easter Mosshat

There are miscellaneous small books, some books of gardeners' memoirs and all my wildlife and wild flower books, including the book I received as a prize whilst on the National Trust for Scotland Training Scheme. A prize for a written project, all those years ago! 

I love Piet Oudolf's designs and use of plants, these are two
of my favourite books

Of course back in the day (1980's) you have to have a Hilliers Manual of Trees and Shrubs and Graham Stuart Thomas' book on Perennial Garden Plants. This book was another prize, believe it or not, won for speechmaking! Little quiet me got up and did a talk on the history of Linlithgow and won a prize!

A must have book in a gardener's
library

It was my prize for speechmaking
at Threave School of Gardening

A collection of leaflets for gardens I have visited here in Britain and Europe

Lastly, my own book! Written about the garden I
worked in and did the planting designs and research
for at Annet House Museum in Linlithgow

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