Our top 10 picks of this summer’s must-read plant books

Into Green

by Rose Ray and Caro Langton

The passionate advocates of nurturing better mental health with plants and nature — Rose Ray and Caro Langton — invite us “Into Green” to journey into nature, no matter how urban our environment or green our neighbourhood. The duo explore how being surrounded by green can bring us calm, hope, bravery, wonder and a sense of belonging and help us connect with green so that we can expand and retreat, grow and disappear, and ultimately find and lose ourselves in nature. Into Green is full of simple rituals to incorporate into your everyday life, as well as facts, wonders and science that spark awe, as well as creative projects that build a confident relationship with nature, from creating a wildflower window box to dyeing fabrics with plant materials.

DO Grow

by Alice Holden

Ever wanted to grow your own but didn’t have the time, the space, or even know where to start? Alice Holden, one of Britain’s most pioneering female growers, has spent her life outdoors working on small and large scales — from kitchen gardens to commercial farms. In Do Grow, she’ll help optimise the space and time available to you — even if it’s just a window box and 10 minutes a week.

Grow Fruits and Vegetables in Pots

by Aaron Bertelsen

Lack of space is no barrier to growing what you want to eat, and growing in pots makes it possible to create your edible garden, no matter the surroundings. In this beautifully illustrated book, Aaron Bertelsen provides clear, practical information on growing fruit and vegetables in containers, whether that be a window box or a terracotta pot on a balcony. In this book, Aaron Bertelsen of the acclaimed English garden at Great Dixter will guide you through what to grow and which pots to use and give personal tips on varieties to choose and advice on cultivation and care.

Root, Nurture, Grow: The Essential Guide to Propagating and Sharing Houseplants

by Caro Langton and Rose Ray

In this stylish and practical book, the duo behind “Into Green” and “House of Plants” shows us how to make the most of your favourite house plants through simple, beginner-friendly propagation techniques. Through practical and detailed guides, they show us how to look after and nurture our new plant babies and how to share them with friends by making beautiful gifts and displays.

Shade

by Susanna Grant

We all need some shade during the summer when the sun is pounding. In Bloom Gardener’s Guide “Shade”, Susanna Grant teaches us how to work with the light and grow the right plants to make the most of shady garden spaces and dark corners. Whether your whole garden, courtyard or balcony is cast in shade, or you simply have a window box on a shadowy sill, Shade will inspire you to transform the space with lush and interesting planting that looks good (and is beloved by wildlife) all year round.

Grow and Gather

by Grace Alexander

What makes summer more magical than a garden full of homegrown flowers? You don’t need a flower field in the countryside; a simple patch of earth is plenty. In her latest book “Grow and Gather,” the flower field gardener, psychologist, and writer Grace Alexander guides us through the annual cycle of growing cut flowers, from sowing in spring to seed-collecting in autumn. Through mindful growing, she teaches us not only how we can grow cut flowers and arrange beautiful floral displays but also how we can transform our well-being and find a greater connection to our garden and ourselves.

Wild About Weeds

by Jack Wallington

Facing a biodiversity that is more challenging than ever before, this book is a must-have guide for any modern gardener. In this book, Wallington celebrates the beauty and ecological value of the gorgeous plants that we have been silly enough to overlook. The book profiles over 50 weeds and shows us surprising ways to grow and incorporate them into our garden designs, no matter our garden style.

The Sustainable Home

by Ida Magntorn

This book might not be specifically related to plants, but we couldn’t help putting it on the list as it sure offers inspiration on new ways to think when decorating your home mindfully. Room by room, Ida Magntorn offers us practical and positive advice on everything from going on a plastic diet and eco-boosting the home to her best tips on houseplants and making bouquets with locally sourced flowers.

Plant Therapy

by Dr. Katie Cooper

We all know that being in or surrounded by nature is good for our health, but few of us take the time to understand why. In “Plant Therapy,” Dr. Katie Cooper explores how an indoor green oasis can improve our mental and emotional wellbeing. Through easy-to-digest psychological studies and practical suggestions on how to create a greener home, this book offers hands-on advice on plants that help us to breathe, restore balance, and boost our well-being and explores how we, through a relationship with plants, can readjust the balance in our environment, benefitting our mental, emotional and physical needs.

Planternes Manifest (In Danish)

by Anders Lund Madsen and Michael Broberg Palmgren

Last, but not least, a Danish book for our Danish readers. Danish journalist, comedian, author, and talk-show host Anders Lund Madsen interviews Danish Professor of Plant Physiology Michael ‘Mickey’ Palmgren about the — according to Palmgren — top 40 coolest plant species ever known on this earth. Together they strike a blow to the magnificent plant life on Earth, making us rethink what species we share the planet with. Written with a good amount of Madsen’s characteristic, cheerful humour, this book is both entertaining and an easy summer read.