Right now I subscribe to Horticulture. I always look for when they have a free subscription add is going on. I also subscribe to Birds and blooms. However I am a garden magazine junky! A few year ago Better Homes and gardens put out a special publication called Roses and Old fashioned flowers. I keep that and some other magazines that are rose oriented. Other than that I just choose magazines from the book store that have something in them that pertains to my liking. I keep rose catalogs too...heirloom, Arena, David Austin, Ashdown, Witherspoons, etc. I have one from either Kordes or Tantau...don't know which since it's not in english. Plus I have a years worth of Roses put out by the rose society. I never throw anything rose related out. Tammy

bboy, I absolutely am not looking to the English gardeners for their plant selections but rather their plant types - just like I wouldn't look to you. hehe. More than that though I want to get their mindset and the whys and wherefores of their design aesthetic. It occurred to me that the parts of my garden that I like the best are those that were packed with plants, i.e., companions around the roses, and that is exactly what I am lacking in my back garden. I'd really like to get immersed in their thinking. For a long time I ignored the English garden style, disliking the unkempt nature of the tall grasses and (forgive me) weedy-looking flowering plants. They just looked like they needed mowing to me, but I think I know enough now to adapt their style with my own Florida-loving plants. In fact, I've fallen in love with Gaura which I think would really appeal to an English cottage gardener. The red stems in the fall are really lovely. Gean and ogrose, I saw the books you mentioned, and their on my wish list. Nancy, garden pics and plans are exactly what I'm looking for but with less emphasis on roses. The roses are where they are. I just want to build around them. Thanks everyone. Sherry

One of my favorite books is 'The Southern Gardener's Book of Lists' by Lois Trigg Chaplin. A great way to find plant ideas based on the conditions you are facing (sunny, shady, wet, dry) or the characteristics you want (evergreen, fragrant, dwarf). Lois was previously a garden editor at Southern Living. I also recommend the gardening books by Southern Living. My favorite magazine is The American Gardener. This is the publication of the American Horticultural Society (AHS). You can only get it by subscription. As a member, you also have the ability to read issues dating back to 2001 in pdf format on their website. Here is a link that might be useful: AHS

Depends on your decor style: But here's my list: Veranda Southern Accents Traditional Home Country Home Country Living House Beautiful Better Homes & Gardens Plus various special publications by Meredith Publications (they publish monthlies and then put special larger "magazine/softcover decor books" together for a specific market -- like French Country or Beautiful Southern Homes etc.) Plus I read the English decor magazines at Borders or Barnes & Noble. Jan