Gift Books for Gardeners

Open this book at random to any page, and you are presented with a beautiful water color by artist Ellen Buchert along with an inspiring garden quote and garden folklore about an individual vegetable variety. Visions of beauty, these varieties are much more than eye candy. So far as flavor is concerned, these are the tastiest you'll find. For each variety, Staub provides intriguing historical highlights, complete growing instructions, and descriptions.

When things go wrong in perennial beds and borders, "Pests and Diseases of Herbaceous Perennials" by Stanton Gill et al from Ball Publishing comes to the rescue with earth-friendly biological control measures. This comprehensive guide makes it easy to diagnose problems and treat the plant with loving care. One quick and easy way to identify the culprit properly is to use the alphabetical plant directory featuring color photos of the plant damage. There are also several reader-friendly charts showing the most common pests that damage perennials, bamboos, and ornamental grasses. For each pest or problem, the authors provide a biological control. This title features over 400 color photos. It is suitable for professionals as well as home gardeners.

Nationwide interest in butterfly gardening shows no sign of waning. A number of books on butterflies are available,including "Butterflies of the Great Lakes Region" by Matthew M. Douglas et al from the University of Michigan Press. This is suitable for much of the East and Midwest as well since many of the species are found outside the Great Lakes region.

This easy to use field guide contains all the details you'll need to identify butterflies. Unlike some guides, this one shows them with their wings expanded and at rest, which is very helpful for ID purposes. For each species, there is a distribution map, complete description, natural history, details on their habitats, behavior and similar looking species. In addition, there is a list of both the larval and adult food plants. The introduction gives an interesting account of the biology of butterflies and the role that geography plays in their evolution and existence. There are also chapters devoted to butterfly gardening and conservation along with information on how to collect them. The appendix contains lots of useful information, such as lists of organizations and publications and an explanation on the classification of butterflies. This outdoor guide is suitable for gardeners and naturalists.

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