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We’re in planning season, and this is when I pull out all my books and start developing ideas for the year ahead. I’m not a coffee table book kind of person. My books are dog-eared, written in, stuffed with pieces of paper. They’re used and loved. Some came from my grandpa’s collection, others I’ve picked up over the years, but if a book stays on my shelf, it’s because I refer to it over and over, or because it’s worth lending out. Today I’m walking through the books that have earned their permanent spot in my garden library, and the new ones I am currently reading through. These are the books that help me think more deeply about plants, connect ideas in the garden, and plan how I actually want to use my space.

In this episode, I cover:

• Why I still choose books over endless internet searches, and what curated knowledge offers that Google can’t
• How I’ve built a working reference library as a gardener and cook, and what makes a book worth keeping
• The different roles books play: broad inspiration, deep plant-specific knowledge, and seasonal living guides
• How plant-obsessed authors give you a window into their passion and help you see familiar plants in completely new ways
• Why seasonal cookbooks aren’t just about food—they’re about understanding what’s happening in the garden and connecting to place
• How regional cooking traditions can mirror your own climate and offer unexpected insight into what grows well where you live

Books Mentioned:

Shop our full list at https://bookshop.org/lists/favorite-books-relish-gardens Every purchase supports independent bookstores.

• Plant Identification and Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary by James G. Harris
• Pacific Northwest Month-by-Month Gardening: What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year by Christina Pfeiffer and Mary Robson
• Tilth Alliance’s Maritime Northwest Garden Guide from Seattle Tilth
• Cass Turnbull’s Guide to Pruning: What, When, Where, and How to Prune for a More Beautiful Garden by Cass Turnbull
• Pansies: How to Grow, Reimagine, and Create Beauty with Pansies and Violas by Brenna Estrada
• Roses in the Garden by Ngoc Minh Ngo
• Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest by Arthur R. Kruckeberg and Linda Chalker-Scott
• The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater
• The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater
• Saving the Season by Kevin West
• Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen
• Eat Weeds: A Field Guide to Foraging: How to Identify, Harvest, Eat and Use Wild Plants by Diego Bonetto

Some of the links are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. We only share things we genuinely love, use, and trust in our day-to-day garden work. 

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If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with a fellow gardener who might be building their own library. And if you have garden books you love and return to, I’d love to hear about them—I’m always looking for new inspiration.

Until next time, I hope you find something in your garden to truly relish.

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