If you find someone else comparable, please let me know.

I find English books fit our climate very well for the most part but other US gardening books don't.

Our favorite is Ed Hume. His "Gardening with Ed Hume: Northwest Gardening Made Easy" was published in 2003, and we have found it to be an excellent reference for this area.

I'm holding out for Ron to write a book.

Krukeberg and Jacobsen write some very useful books for our region, but they tend to emphasize plants rather than a more general gardening guide. Perhaps well-rounded gardening guides specific to our region remain rare because gardeners here have such diverse interests.

Thanks for the kind remark, Ian. I do have something in the stove, cooking very slowly.

Not sure who here is writing about gardens here with a similar style to A. Lovejoy. Maybe try web sites of local publishers, regional sections at bookstores.

Take a look at Dan Hinkley. He used to run and own Heronswood Nursery in Kingston.

Isn't that the saddest sentence in horticulture history?

jb

I agree that Ann Lovejoy's books are great, especially her first two books which were more real-world gardening rather than her later books.

There are several great books by the folks at the BBC, the folks who bring us BBC's Garden World Magazine (great fun and very timely for our climate even though it's British (available at most larger newsstands and book stores)). Alan Titchmarsh and Monty Don both have great new gardening books out and are perfect for our climate, plus there's The Northwest Cottage Garden book too by Schulman and Koch(link below).

I hope to see some other good suggestions too. I love reading, and reading gardening books is a special treat.

Take care,
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: The Northwest Cottage Garden

Keep reading, the more the better. The tendency to cling to one author as a messiah or one book as a bible is a mistake. You don't get the whole story that way. Some much revered sources aren't all that. And the picture changes as time goes by.

Here's one of the books I mentioned earlier. Its format is of a general garden calendar and is perfectly appropriate to coastal Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. It's fun to read such a large and picture-filled book that is actually tailored to our climate (okay, okay, not to our climate, but to one very, very similar).

I agree with Ron that it's good to get a diverse diet of authors to keep a balanced perspective.

Keep the suggestions coming.
Take care and happy reading,
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: The Gardener's Year (British but great for here)

I'm just concluding my 4th year on my little personal landscape project and in hindsight I suppose I wish I had been a little more well read before beginning. I am an admitted neophyte who has designed, excavated, and placed +/- 1,000,000 lbs of hardscape and thousands of dollars worth of plants. I've had successes and failures that I'm fairly certain could have been better mitigated with prior homework:-) I'm very interested in these suggestions.

I have a small little collection that I use to make my planting decisions but they do not really help me to properly design one way or the other. I rely mainly on Sunset, Flora, Book of Lists, Ed Hume, and the internet to choose the plant for the space I have created. I have 5 totally different type areas that the basic structure is now completed in that I would love to be able to use one or more of these authors to help me to fill in the blanks.

I had a book called something like "Gardening for the lazy gardener" written by a woman from Seattle. It was a super book for busy people and a lot of my friends benefitted from its suggestions. Finally, someone didn't return it to me and I miss it. It's certainly not a book for wonderful gardeners but it has suggestions to let people have a reasonable garden that doesn't run you.

What do you folks think about these two books?

Gardening Month by Month in Washington and Oregon by Alison Beck & Marianne Binetti

Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades: The Complete Guide to Natural Gardening by Steve Solomon

Actually Marianne Binetti is the author of the book I was trying to remember. Unfortunately, the one I like is out of print.

What do you all think of Ketzel Levine? For me, she is up there with Anne Lovejoy, and really has an entertaining way with words, as well as knowing her plants. Is she still on NPR on a regular basis, or can anyone tell me what she is up to these days? In going to her old broadcasts on the web, I didn't notice anything more recent than 2004... I also find another of your local authors, is it George Schenk, and interesting read, although he isn't strictly a PNW author anymore since he splits his gardening time between there, New Zealand and Manilla, which sounds like a story in itself...

Don't care for Hume or Binetti - Hume's a bit too outdated and Binetii too fluffy. Solomon's book is excellent and I consider his "Organic Gardener's Composting" one of the best treatise I've read on soils and composting. I do like Ann Lovejoy, specially her more recent stuff like "Naturalistic Gardening", as it touches a lot on issues of sustainability that I find very appropriate to even the hobby gardener. Kind of taking the right plant, right place concept to a higher level. Didn't realize Schenk was that local but his book on shade gardening is hard to beat.

Glenn, none of the books you list will help you much with design issues - they are more or less encyclopedias/plant lists or references with cultural info. For more design type inspiration check out "Naturalistic Gardening", "The Abundant Garden" by Debra Prinzing or either of Thomas Hobbs' books. Lots of eye candy in the last two, which is always a good source of inspirations, especially for generating some great planting combinations. And of course, there are lots of good how-to design books out there but most are more inclined to a drier, more technique-oriented approach than a truly inspirational one.

Thanks GG, I'll look into those. When I began, I admittedly didn't know the pecking order between a chicken and an egg, so I just shot the fox and jumped right into the coup anyway :-)
Surprisingly enough, I'm not all that disappointed with the bones that are now in place, but I do want a little more insight into filling in between them.

Sorry I missed you the other day, I stopped by to look at some chamaecyparis 'blue surprise'. I'm framing the entrance to a side courtyard and am looking at needing about 6 of them. Them pups are a bit pricey for 1 gallons and momma has intimated she does not want them for Christmas :-)

Just as well momma's exerting some influence on your shopping at the moment - you might want to reconsider that choice. There's a bit of an inside joke with the 'Blue Surprise'......the big surprise is if they're still alive after a year :-) Seems to be an unusually tricky plant to site and grow successfully. Just a word to the wise......

There's a line from an old song by a group called Player that goes....."Good news gets there last, bad news travels fast." I've been "looking" for awhile and have yet to part with any cash because I had heard the rap. I've been to every major retail nursery and many of the wholesale ones as well in search of something that will accomplish the same thing and I've not had too much success.

I read Ann Lovejoy's In Bloom books over and over like novels.

I have Ketzel Levine's Plant This, several books by Barbara Ashmun, Month by Month in Oregon and Washington, Trees and Shrubs for Pacific Northwest Gardens, the List book that the McNeilan's wrote and many, many other gardening books.

I don't sit down and read them cover to cover like I do Ann's.

I love Cass Turnbull's Guide to Pruning. She has a completely different approach than most pruning manuals and keeps you laughing as you read. Proof of her method: I visited a friend in Portland and pruned her Japanese maple. It had never been pruned, only topped for years; I managed to make it look quite acceptable, and I'm not a pruning whiz.

Her presentation may be her own by she incorporates information from others in what she says, as should someone writing on a topic that is not new. Few of us are inventing the wheel, even though some of us seem to think so.

He gardened in D.C.; however, I really like Henry Mitchell's gardening essays. They're applicable most everywhere.

I also enjoy reading Vita Sackville-West. She's an English gardener, and wrote long enough ago that the varieties she mentions are old now; however, she often has ideas that are very nice. You just need to translate to the varieties we have available. She writes for all sorts of gardeners, not just ones who have money, as you might assume.

Since writers not specific to the NW are coming up, I like Michael Pollan (Second Nature) and Cassandra Danz (Mrs. Greenthumbs). More reflections on the act of gardening than advice, but enjoyable reading.

Ohhohhohh La LA!! HOW could you leave out Cicscoe Morris?? Or is it that he is just ALWAYS talking about a book?? Dont forget to eat your BRUSSEL SPROUTS!! ;)

Regards;
bluelytes

Ciscoe actually has published his first book, just out - "Ask Ciscoe"........prompting one horticultural friend to respond "and get the wrong answer!" :-)

Maybe I missed it, but I'm surprised no one has mentioned Valerie Easton. Her book "Plant Life, Growing A Garden In The Pacific Northwest" is a nice month-by-month compendium of articles that appeared in the Seattle Times. I also always enjoy the articles by her and Barbara Ashmun that appear in "Fine Gardening" magazine.

I absolutely love Barbara Ashmun's writings whether in "Fine gardening" or her books.

I actually haven't read all that many gardening books by Northwest authors. I really like Russell Link's books, because wildlife gardening is something I'm really passionate about. I also enjoy Cass Turnbull's pruning book. Her explanations are easy to understand. I have Arthur Kruckeburg's Native Plant book, but it doesn't give much growing advice. WSU's Native Plant guide has a lot more info on growing and propagating natives. Pojar & McKinnon's Plants of the PNW Coast is helpful in identifying plants, and it tells about what the Native Americans used the plants for, which is very interesting.

Not exclusively Northwest but the New Sunset Western Garden Guide is at Costco. I was a couple issues behind and this one is gorgeous. Up to 8000 plants now and in full color.

Fine Gardening is my favorite gardening magazine. I've subscribed for over ten years.

Where did Ciscoe Morris even come from ?? !!

I like that guy.

If any person doesn't seem dangerous, its Ciscoe.

The first time I met him, was after Dinner at Mike Darcy's after a Portland Yard, Garden and Patio Show when the lecturers gathered for a meal.

Ciscoe is as lively in person as on the air.

His show gets aired on cable down here near Jacksonville, Oregon, and I view it from time to time.

I'm looking forward to moving up to north Oregon in 3 years - our goal - to interact with some of those folks again.

The art of gardening and resources are fairly isolated down here. Sure is nice to have good books and good websites. I don't have favorite authors. I like reading anything thats not puffing air.

Ciscoe Morris is very entertaining, no doubt about that! I listen to him occasionally, although most of his topics are things I've already learned about in my studies at South Seattle CC.
I heard him speak at the Lavender Festival in Sequim, in 2005. His stories are often quite amusing!

I found a lot of information on Internet:
http://www.paghat.com/gardenhome.html

I'll have to give Cisco another try. I've turned off his TV show a couple of times...

I sure wish Mike Darcy was still on TV

Cisco's new book is on shelves now.

Re: Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades: The Complete Guide to Natural Gardening by Steve Solomon (2002, ISBN 1570612404)

I tried to order this through Borders here in Oregon a few weeks ago and they have finally told me today that they can't get it because a new version is coming out and this one isn't available anymore. Has anyone heard about that?

It's also not in stock at Amazon or Barnes&Noble. I was down at Powell's last week - should have checked to see if they have it there. No used copies available at Amazon. B&N has used copies of his older books on same topic.

I've recently moved here and have already fallen behind, I think, on getting in some vegetable starts/seeds. I'll be growing in raised beds (once I get them made) similar to square foot gardening, as the best areas for sun in my yard are on gravel and concrete. Plus raised beds are easier on my back and knees!

Any other recommended veggie gardening books? I'm just east of Portland in Troutdale.

Thanks ...

Minet, try the Maritime Northwest Garden Guide by Carl Elliott and Rob Peterson. It's out of print, I think, but I found a used copy on Amazon. It has lots of specifics like when to plant what, varieties of veggies that do well here, etc. It was written for a Seattle readership, but you could probably just modify planting times slightly for your area.