Tag: Tovah Martin

January is garden reading month, that blissfully quiet time of year after the busy holidays and before the spring chores beg my attention. It’s a time of catalog browsing, planning and looking forward to the new planting season ahead. As the winter winds blow and snow piles up outside, grab a cozy afghan and comforting cup of tea and go digging through some inspirational books of the garden variety!

While recovering from the flu over Christmas, I had a chance to check out some seriously enjoyable plant and garden-related books which I’m convinced helped me to feel better fast. Apparently, even just reading about gardening is good for one’s health!

My latest plant obsession is the world of succulents and I just finished a few books I’d like to share with you. Succulents are amazingly tough houseplants that store water in their leaves and laugh at the dry winter air in our homes, making them perfect companions for those who frequently travel or just enjoy a busy lifestyle which doesn’t include coddling plants. There are also many hardy varieties of succulents that will easily fill our water-wise outdoor gardens and make colorful, artsy and unique containers! The following are great reads on the subject:

• Designing with Succulents – Debra Lee Baldwin
• Growing Succulents Indoors – Cassidy Tuttle
• Essential Succulents: The Beginners Guide – Ken Shelf

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I’m passionate about my houseplants and have quite a large collection of green friends who share my home and every available ray of sunlight. From begonias and delicate-looking ferns to flowering orchids and amaryllis, they delight me with their beauty all year but most especially during the long winter months. Over the years I’ve read many books on houseplants but those written by Tovah Martin are amongst my favorites and include:

• The Indestructible Houseplant
• The Unexpected Houseplant
• Well-Clad Windowsills

There’s no doubt that gardening enriches our lives in countless ways but there are so many books on the subject that sometimes it’s overwhelming to wade through them all. Whether you’re new to gardening or an old veteran, I suggest looking for a specific topic or garden style that’s dear to your heart such as organic vegetable gardening, xeriscaping, growing herbs, native plants and/or pollinator gardens. If you don’t have access to a garden or perhaps have physical limitations that would make digging in the dirt difficult, how about exploring containers or windowsill gardening? No matter what your situation, there’s a gardening book for everyone, so go ahead and explore something new!

Some excellent general gardening books include:

• Gardening Without Work – Ruth Stout
• The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible – Edward C Smith
• Rodale’s No-Fail Flower Garden – Rodale Press
• Hardy Succulents – Gwen Moore Kelaidis

I hope you’ll take advantage of these peaceful winter days and soak up some good gardening vibes through the pages of a book. There is always something new to learn and winter is the perfect time for reading!