1. Beutler, Linda. Gardening with Clematis: Design and Cultivation. Portland: Timber Press, 2004.

Linda lives in Portland, Oregon, and is a former president of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon. Her specialty is clematis, and if there is a tip or trick she doesn't know about these vines, I can't image what it is. I've followed many of her suggestions with my own clematis with great success. Her pruning tips are worth the price of the book alone.

2. Beutler, Linda. Garden To Vase: Growing and using your own cut flowers. Portland: Timber Press, 2007.

This is Linda's take on cut flowers. She has worked as a floral designer for many years, and shares all the tricks of the trade so that your homegrown flowers can look like professionally designed arrangements from the florist. Very helpful is a detailed directory of plants suitable for the cutting garden, as well as tips for purchasing cut flowers.

3. Brickell, Christopher and David Joyce. Pruning & Training: A Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual. New York: DK Publishing, 1996.

This is my favorite book on pruning and training plants. If you are into espalier of mini dwarf fruit trees, you really should get this book, because it has the clearest and most concise illustrations and directions for training fruit trees that I have seen. Plus it has wonderful, plant-specific information about pruning shrubs and roses. A wonderful reference book that you will turn to time and again.

4. Burrell, C. Colston with Lucy Hardiman. Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guides: Intimate Gardens. New York: Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Inc., 2005.

This short little book offers suggestions for gardening in small spaces, often an issue for those with urban city gardens. Included are chapters on designing and furnishing an intimate garden, along with a listing of plants suitable to this type of garden. Lucy is a former president of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon, and often gives garden talks around Portland, Oregon and nationwide.

5. Carter, Mary Randolph. Garden Junk . New York: Penguin Putnam., 1997.

An interesting book if you like going to yard sales and then decorating your garden with your second-hand treasurers. Full of pictures of her own garden with many examples that will give you ideas for your garden.

6. Danz, Cassandra. Mrs. Greenthumbs: How I turned a Boring Yard into a Glorious Garden and How You Can, Too. New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1993.

Absolutely the funniest gardening book you will read. Her tips are both frugal and functional.

7.  Denk, Barbara J. and Debra Prinzing.  The Abundant Garden:  A Celebration of Color, Texture, and Blooms.  Nashville:  Cool Springs Press, 2005.

Lovely photographs give many ideas for landscape ideas in your own garden.  Many quirky gardeners who have put their own unique twist to their garden designs.

7. Denver Water American Water Works Association. Xeriscape Plant Guide. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Publishing, 1996.

If you're tired of spending a fortune on your water bill each summer, try some of the drought-tolerant plants listed in this book. Companion plants are listed for each plant described, and, in all honesty, disadvantages to each plant.

8. Evelegh, Tessa. The Decorated Garden Room.  Lorenz Books, 1996.

This book will give you much inspiration and motivation to get decorating your outdoor garden rooms. Delightful pictures help set the mood.

9. Hobbs, Thomas . The Jewel Box Garden. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2004 .

Another wonderful book by Hobbs, with lovely photography. He offers excellent suggestions for combining plants effectively both in containers as well as in garden beds.

10. Hobbs, Thomas . Shocking Beauty . Boston: Periplus Editions, 1999 .

If you are looking for something new and different in terms of garden design, Thomas Hobbs is your man. The photos of his home and garden are exquisite. He owns a gardening nursery, and he really knows his plants and how to combine them. His home definitely looks like it could be the set for Sunset Boulevard, even though it is located in Vancouver, BC. He is in gardening zone 8, but pushes the temperature envelope with the addition of tropicals, and plants that look tropical but can survive the winter cold. Very engaging writing style as well.

11. Lovejoy, Ann. Handbook of Northwest Gardening: Natural, Sustainable, Organic. Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2003.

This is probably my favorite gardening book, at least for the moment. It takes you step-by-step through how to create borders that work, and even more, borders that work together to create stunning landscapes. Especially helpful are specific plant picks for certain, often problem, situations, such as "Columnar Plants for Entryways."

12. Lovejoy, Ann. American Mixed Border: Gardens for All Seasons. New York: Macmillian Publishing Company, 1993.

Another fantastic book which shows the reader how to design mixed borders with year-round interest.

13. Lovejoy, Ann. Organic Garden Design School. Emmaus, PA: Rodale, 2001.

A book, including worksheets to help you with every step, that will enable you to create "your own beautiful, easy-care garden." Included are chapters on water-saving gardens, and making beautiful dirt, with tips for making your own organic fertilizers.

14. Meadows, Keeyla. Making Gardens Works of Art.  Seattle:  Sasquatch Books, 2002.

A book that will inspire you to examine your use of color in your own flower beds. Lovely photos of her handmade pots and tiles are just the beginning of the creative uses of color in her garden.

15. Proctor, Rob. Gardening on a Shoestring. Boulder, CO: Johnson Books, 2006.

This is a delightful book that offers a lot of tips about how to garden without breaking the bank. Many pictures and examples from his own lovely garden are included. Especially nice are his multitude of container plantings that he uses grouped on his patio. Rob is a Master Gardener who was the Director of Horticulture and Artistic Director during the renovation of the Denver Botanic Gardens. He has a very personable writing style, making this book both informative and fun to read.

16. Rhatigan, Joe, with Dana Irwin. Salvage Style: 45 Home and Garden Projects Using Reclaimed Architectural Details. New York: Lark Books, 2001.

This book will cause you to think twice before putting "garbage" items into a landfill. Gorgeous benches, especially, but many lovely projects for garden rooms both in the home and outside.

17. Solomon, Steve. Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times . Gabriola Island, BC, Canada: New Society Publishers, 2005.

18. Toogood, Alan, ed. Plant Propagation. New York: DK Publishing, 1999.

A comprehensive yet accessible work on making more plants. A "fully illustrated, plant-by-plant manual."

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