Great Garden Books for Summer

Pull out your sun hat and fix a drink. We’ve rounded up some brilliant garden books for summer to read from the comfort of your favourite spot in the garden.

From gardening for wildlife, to choosing which new rose to buy, these great garden books for summer cover the gamut of horticultural topics. There is something for every gardener, whether you’re an old hand or just starting out.

Great garden books for summer:

A Cornucopia of Fruit & Vegetables by Caroline Ball (Bodleian Library, £15)

Based on material published in Depicted here are the forerunners of the food we grow today, lost but for the old varieties tracked down and nurtured by specialist seed companies. As Caroline Ball writes: “The purple, yellow and white carrots that have much more recently arrived in our shops and seed catalogues are not a new trend but the past rediscovered.”
Good for: vegetable gardeners and history buffs

A Year Full of Flowers: Gardening for all Seasons by Sarah Raven (Bloomsbury, £25)

From the doyenne of cut-flower growing, a handbook for vase-worthy blooms all year round. Sarah shares 25 years of cutting-garden experience here, making this a must for those who aspire to bringing in armfuls of flowers into the house. June is the month for sowing biennials, she says, as well as brewing up comfrey, nettle and chive tonics.
Good for: everyone with an interest in growing cut flowers

Bloom. Art, Flowers and Emotion by Rachel Giles (Tate Publishing, £25)

This collection of paintings from the Tate Galleries is inspired by the wonder of the garden at various stages of life is grouped by emotions such as joy and wonder, grief and loss, calm, hope, and love and affection. Highlights include Ursula Tyrwhitt’s Flowers from 1912, Cedric Morris’s Iris Seedlings from 1943, and Edward Bawden’s Roses and Rue from 1986.
Good for: artists, collectors, dreamers

Drawn From the Land by Tom Stuart-Smith and Tim Richardson
(Thames and Hudson, £49.95)

Sumptuous hardback spanning the past 25 years’ work of star designer Tom Stuart-Smith. There are 24 gardens here and although they are in diverse parts of the world, ranging from Kerala to Massachusetts, all possess the expansive Stuart-Smith signature. Some of Tom’s work, such as at Trentham, RHS Wisely and brand-new RHS Bridgewater, is on public view.
Good for: lovers of grasses and the New Perennial style

Eat What You Grow by Alys Fowler (Kyle, £22)

Polyculture is at the heart of Alys’s message here as she explores ways to have a beautiful, productive but ultimately undemanding vegetable garden. Composting, covering bare ground with mulch or plants, saving seeds and achieving a balance of annual and perennial edibles are at the heart of her strategy, which aims to maintain a closed feedback loop.
Good for: grow-your-own enthusiasts looking for something new

The Ecological Gardener by Matt Rees-Warren (Chelsea Green, £20)

Formerly a gardener for the National Trust and now a garden designer and writer, Matt takes a broad look at garden eco-systems and how they can be managed to work in harmony with nature. Chapters covering theory, natural history, his own experiences and our current circumstances are enhanced with sound, achievable ways to contribute to positive change.
Good for: gardeners who want to do their bit

Florapedia by Carol Grace, illustrations Amy Jean Porter
(Princeton University Press, £9.99)

Botanical art, history, medicine and exploration are covered in this pocket-size book of horticultural miscellany. Carol writes from a US perspective, but topics are international and wide-ranging. Her tone is engaging and lighthearted, making this book ideal for dipping in and out of.
Good for: quiz lovers and crossword buffs

Gardens in My Life by Arabella Lennox-Boyd (Head of Zeus, £40)

Lavish retrospective from one of the country’s most influential garden designers, whose commissions include the Serpentine Sackler Gallery and projects for Sting and Sir Terence Conran. Arabella imparts planting wisdom and offers practical advice on design gathered over her long career. Pages are awash for with the glorious herbaceous borders for which the designer is renowned.
Good for: dreamers and schemers

Herb: A Cook’s Companion by Mark Diacono (Quadrille, £26)

Marc Diacono offers a fresh, contemporary take on herbs in his latest title. While you’ll find the usual suspects such as parsley and rosemary here, Marc has slipped in a few wildcards that will make you think again – why not infuse homemade ice cream with toasted fig leaves for a sweet, nutty flavour. There is plenty of growing advice and recipes are diverse and inspiring.
Good for: foodie gardeners

Gardening for Bumblebees by Dave Goulson (Vintage, £16.98)

Dave Goulson is professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Sussex and has spent 20 years studying bumblebees, publishing over 250 academic papers on their biology. Here he shares some of his knowledge in an insightful, practical exploration of these charming insects, of which there are some 26 species in the UK. What is good for bumblebees is also good for many other insects, a point well made in this useful title. You’ll find plenty of stimulating research and practical advice to mull over and implement.
Good for: gardeners of all persuasions

The Flower Yard by Arthur Parkinson (Kyle Books, £22)

There isn’t much that’s low-key about Arthur Parkinson’s planting choices but that’s the point. With an eye on how best to grow a garden with limited means in a rented property, Arthur offers how-tos on sowing seeds, achieving prolonged bulb displays, and thoughts on florals by fabric house Osborne and Little. Glamorous jewel-toned tulips, flamboyant dahlias and scented sweetpeas feature strongly.
Good for: those who rent, container gardeners, colour-seekers

Islamic Art Meets British Flowers by Hadil Tamim and Adrian Lawson
(Two Rivers Press, £15.99)

Artist Hadil Tamim was born in Al-Yarmouk Refugee Camp, south of Damascus, Syria, with her family heritage rooted in occupied Palestine. For the past 20 years she’s lived in Reading and in 2011 obtained an art foundation degree. Having met through Reading Refugee Support Group, she and Adrian Lawson, a gardener and naturalist, reflect on the botanical elements of their shared home city with an Islamic style.
Good for: art and architecture enthusiasts, wildflower lovers

The Kew Gardener’s Guide To Growing Roses by Tony Hall
(Frances Lincoln, £12.99)

Tony Hall has grouped 78 good roses by function or location and notes their idiosyncrasies. The selection is strung together with the sort of sound advice to be expected from a Kew horticulturalist and established writer. He also explains definitively the differences between roses types, clearing up any debate over floribundas, grandifloras, climbers and ramblers.
Good for: rose-lovers of all stages

My Real Garden edited by Anne-Marie Powell and Tamsin Westhorpe (Candide, British Garden Centres Group, £25)

The lockdowns over the past year have meant that many people have spent much more time in their gardens than they would have ordinarily. RHS Chelsea award-winner and celebrity designer Anne-Marie Powell was no exception and with characteristic warmth and enthusiasm revealed her own modest garden on the account @myrealgarden. Drawn to her friendly, positive advice, the community that developed around the account grew and grew, resulting in a book, My Real Garden, written and photographed by over 100 gardeners. Find inspirational stories, advice and make-do-and-mend ideas. Some profits of this crowdfunded title will be given to Greenfingers, the gardening charity. Visit My Real Garden to buy.
Good for: feel-good gardening stories and advice

The National Trust School of Gardening by Rebecca Bevan
(National Trust, £20)

The National Trust has an enormous resource in its gardens and those who care for them. Using examples from some of its great properties, this book offers an inspiring, practical look at such diverse topics as rose care, lawns and meadows, cut flowers, vegetable growing and sustainable gardening. Advice comes from some of the most knowledgeable gardeners in the business.
Good for: beginners as well as experienced hands

The Naturally Beautiful Garden by Kathryn Bradley-Hole (Rizzoli, £45)

Horticultural journalist and author Kathryn Bradley-Hole has seen and written about some of the world’s most beautiful gardens. Here, she trains her well-honed eye on contemporary spaces with a mind for wildlife and nature. The point she makes is that gardens do not need to sacrifice visual impact for green credentials.
Good for: travellers and design buffs

Peonies by Claire Austin (White Hopton Publications, £15)

An authoritative text from one of the country’s foremost plantswomen, Claire Austin, about one of our most beloved summer flowers. Claire presents the provenance of popular cultivars and offers thoughts on new cultivars and growing techniques, but it’s a directory of lactifloras, hybrids, intersectional and tree peonies that makes this book worthwhile. Notes are thoughtful and comprehensive.
Good for: Peony-lovers and would-be collectors

Plant, House Plants: Choosing, Styling, Caring by Gynelle Leon
(Mitchell Beazley, £15)

The demand for houseplants continues unabated. In Plant, Gynelle shares knowledge on choosing, styling and caring for leafy specimens, offering achievable projects and helpful advice. There are 100 types noted here and what stands out is their diversity: from broad-leaved Ficus elastica, to filigree Tillandsia usneoides, a world awaits the attentive grower.
Good for: fashionable urbanistas

RHS How to Garden the Low Carbon Way by Sally Nex (DK, £12.99)

Sally’s hopeful, proactive approach to climate change is to offer a range of practical ways to make a difference in your garden. Find good ideas on raising seeds, managing soil, controlling pests and even making sundries such as sweet pea supports. This is a super handbook drawn from vast experience and thorough research.
Good for: thoughtful gardeners

Shakespeare’s Gardens by Jackie Bennett and Andrew Lawson
(Frances Lincoln, £25)

Trace the life of Stratford on Avon’s most famous son through the plants and gardens he encountered and referenced in his plays and sonnets. Archive images, illustrations ad commissioned photography combine in this thorough work from a veteran horticultural journalist.
Good for: scholars and history buffs