The combo of an exceedingly gray winter landscape and also being eyebrow deep in the Greenleaf Garden planting plan means that right now I'm all about books that showcase gorgeous, colorful plant combinations. The three books I'm turning to the most are wonderful references and also great sources for inspiration.
I'm a big fan of West and Rainers philosophy of selecting plan combinations that support and work together as they do in their natural settings. The theoretical parts of this book may be challenging to comprehend unless you are well-versed in plants and gardening. However, there are some extremely helpful and easily-understood guides as well as lovely inspiration images that newer gardeners and enthusiasts can surely benefit from.
This is such a wonderful book for anyone who loves the wild, meadow-inspired plantings of Piet Oudolf and wants to understand how they come together. I was gifted this book during graduate school and still turn to it today. Explanations are very accessible, pictures are large and legible with helpful captions, and Oudolf's planting plans are fun and easy to read.
This one is hot off the press! I've barely had this book for a few weeks but am already loving the way Norris has organized and presented his findings on ecologically-mindful planting. With sections devoted to a myriad of sun and soil conditions this book proves to be a wonderful resource for creating more self-sustaining, bio-diverse and naturalistic home gardens.