Home » Plants & Animals » Fruit Gardens » GIFTBOOKS AND SOFTWARE FOR GARDENERS

GIFTBOOKS AND SOFTWARE FOR GARDENERS

© Connie Krochmal

Cold weather and snow can put people in the mood for some holiday shopping.

It isn't hard to shop for gardeners. Books and software are always an excellent choice. Check out all the great titles offered at the Suite. Now the co-op store sells books and magazines. Chances are you'll find ones to meet your needs at the Suite. If not, other titles can ordered through the Suite co-op store.

Look over the titles at John Baer's Sons. In addition to the 2004 Baer's Agricultural Almanac and Gardener's Guide, they have numerous gardening titles and cookbooks along with numerous ones on garden folklore. The newest one is "Charles Demuth and Friends" by Gerald S. Lestz in which the author presents the story of this famous watercolorist, who used his mother's garden as the basis for his art.

All gardeners will be so pleased to receive a copy of the new "Taylor's Encyclopedia of Garden Plants" from Houghton Mifflin. For over a thousand plants, this must-have, authoritative reference provides a description, hardiness, and details on culture and propagation. This accessible, easy to use reference features 1200 color photos and line drawings. It is the only guide to focus exclusively on the best plants for North American gardens. It was edited by Frances Tenenbaum. During the last decade, she has edited the new series of updated Taylor's Guides.

Fruit lovers as well as art lovers will treasure a copy of "Fruit-an Illustrated History" by Peter Blackburne-Maze for years to come. Published by Firefly, this groundbreaking title was released in October. From history and legends to stories of intrepid plant collectors, this engrossing book presents fun facts and botanical knowledge of fruits. There are over 300 exquisite color plates reproduced in incredible color from the archive of the Royal Horticultural Society. The author is a leading expert on history and the cultivation of fruit. Gardening and cooking go hand in hand, so books on food are welcome. "Books & My Food" by Elisabeth Luther Cary et al from the University of Iowa Press is like a Book of Days. For each day, it features original recipes and literary quotations on food. As an example, May 16th features a poem on strawberries, and tips on serving them.

Fruit gardeners are sure to love "Passion Flowers" by John Vanderplank, published by the MIT Press. He is curator of the national collection of passion flowers in the United Kingdom. For this comprehensive guide, he provides up-to-date information on150+ species with descriptions, natural histories, and cultivation tips. It is lushly illustrated with 120 color photos.