Unless you’re lucky enough to be surrounded by knowledgeable gardeners—whether they are parents, friends, or neighbors—you can often find yourself with your very first garden and very little idea of how to care for it (let alone how to design it, replant it, or start entirely from scratch).
A really great book can help; think of it as a mentor. While it’s impossible to write the definitive list of must-read books for gardeners (we could have easily doubled or tripled this list), we’ve rounded up the books we return to for gardening wisdom and inspiration. Some of these books are many decades old, but their advice still holds true.
Here are 10 books every gardener should read (and own, so you can dog-ear them):
Photography by Clare Coulson, except where noted.
1. The Well-Tempered Garden
![The Well-Tempered Garden by Christopher Lloyd is available in paperback on Amazon.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/the-well-tempered-gardener-book-clare-coulson-733x450.jpg)
2. The Dry Garden
![The Dry Garden by Beth Chatto is available in paperback on Amazon.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/the-dry-garden-book-beth-chatto-by-clare-coulson-733x450.jpg)
3. Planting: A New Perspective
![Planting: A New Perspective by Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury is \$\23.99 from Amazon. Photograph via Timber Press.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/planting-a-new-perspective-book-timber-press-733x450.jpg)
4. We Made a Garden
![A copy of We Made a Garden by Margery Fish is available in hardcover for \$\14.95 from Amazon.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/we-made-a-garden-book-margery-fish-clare-coulson-733x450.jpg)
5. Down the Garden Path
![A copy of Down the Garden Path by Beverley Nichols is available on Amazon.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/down-the-garden-path-book-beverley-nichols-photo-clare-coulson-733x450.jpg)
6. Home Ground: Sanctuary in the City
![Home Ground: Sanctuary in the City is available for \$\24.97 from Amazon.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/home-ground-by-dan-pearson-book-photo-clare-coulson-733x450.jpg)
7. A Garden from a Hundred Packets of Seeds
![A paperback copy of A Garden from a Hundred Packets of Seeds by James Fenton is \$\1\1 from Amazon.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/a-garden-from-100-packets-of-seeds-james-fenton-photo-clare-coulson-733x450.jpg)
8. Vita Sackville-West’s Sissinghurst
![A hardcover copy of Vita Sackville-West\2\17;s Sissinghurst is \$\23.70 from Amazon.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/vita-sackville-wests-sissinghurst-book-733x450.jpg)
9. A Gentle Plea for Chaos
![A paperback copy of A Gentle Plea for Chaos by Mirabel Osler is available on Amazon.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/a-plea-for-gentle-chaos-mirabel-osler-amazon-733x450.jpg)
10. The Education of a Gardener
![The Education Of A Gardener by Russell Page is \$\14.83 for a paperback copy from Amazon.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/the-education-of-a-gardener-russell-page-733x450.jpg)
![Here\2\17;s our stack of \10 must-read books for gardeners.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/10-books-every-gardener-should-own-read-733x394.jpg)
Ready to read more? Browse all our Required Reading posts or skip straight to Alexa’s Library: 9 Favorite Classic Garden Books.
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