There are two kinds of gardeners on your holiday gift list: (1) the sort who have the gumption to bundle up against winter and head outdoors where trees need pruning and tender plants need burlap blankets; and (2) me.
It is cozy here by the fire. Excuse me while I pour another cup of tea and settle into a good gardening book.
For the armchair gardeners on your holiday gift list, allow me to suggest a few of the books that are vying for my attention this month:
The Hidden Life of Trees
![A hardcover copy of The Hidden Life of Trees is \$\24.95 at Guideboat.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/hidden-life-of-trees-book-cover-guideboat.jpg)
Says our reviewer: “Some of the more surprising newly discovered traits of trees discussed in the book such as the University of Bonn research indicating that trees analyze soil conditions with ‘brain-like’structures in their root tips bear more serious scrutiny,” writes Jeanne Rostaing. “Whether you read this book with a grain of salt or with total acceptance of author Peter Wohlleben’s thesis that new findings prove that undisturbed woodlands are vital to the future of our planet and matter ‘at a more fundamental level than most of us realize’, you are bound to be impressed by his sensitivity to and passion for trees.”
Read the rest of our review: Required Reading: The Hidden Life of Trees.
Natural Selection: A Year in the Garden
![A hardcover copy of Natural Selection: A Year in the Garden is \$\25.80 from Trouva.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/book-cover-natural-selection-by-dan-earson-733x506.png)
See the rest of our review at Natural Selection: A Year in the Garden by Dan Pearson.
The Thoughtful Gardener
![A hardcover copy of The Thoughtful Gardener by Jinny Blom is \$50 at Terrain.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/the-thoughtful-gardener-jinny-blom-book-cover-733x733.jpeg)
Read the rest of the review at Required Reading: The Thoughtful Gardener.
The Humane Gardener
![A hardcover copy of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife is \$\18.88 at Amazon.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/the-humane-gardener-book-cover-733x450.png)
The Japanese Garden
![A hardcover edition of The Japanese Garden is \$\145 NZD at Everyday Needs (also available for \$43.37 on Amazon).](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/book-the-japanese-garden-everyday-needs-733x444.png)
The Problem with My Garden
![](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/the-problem-with-my-garden-book-by-kendra-wilson-733x450.jpg)
10 Classics
![The \10 Books Every Gardener Should Read. Photograph by Clare Coulson.](https://media.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/10-books-every-gardener-should-own-read-733x394.jpg)
“A really great book can help; think of it as a mentor,” writes our reviewer, Clare Coulson. “While it’s impossible to write the definitive list of must-read books for gardeners (I could have easily doubled or tripled this list), I’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.”
For a detailed list of Clare’s 10 class garden books (and links to buy them), see The 10 Books Every Gardener Should Read.
N.B.: More gift ideas for the holidays:
- Gift Guide: For the English Gardener.
- Gift Guide: Cures for a Black Thumb.
- Object of Desire: Botanical Calendars and Cards from Moontree Letterpress.
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