I so look forward to having a little patch of land someday, but in the meantime I'll try to learn as much as I can about gardening and farming from fabulous and fascinating books..

• Hortus Miscellaneous- A Gardener's Hodgepodge of Information and Instruction by Lorene Edwards Forkner & Linda Plato is one of those useful and completely unnecessary books that I crave. Since I love lists but tend to store information in my brain in more of a hodgepodge formation, I think this would be perfect for me. Helpful tidbits include how to candy violets, what plants make excellent tisanes, which plants are deer-resistant, how famous plant collectors died, and so much more.
• One of the many perks of housesitting is having access to someone else's library, and I spend a very happy weekend walking the dogs & reading Wild Garlic, Gooseberries, and Me by Denis Cotter. It primarily covers vegetable gardening and foraging, but every page, every word, every photo will get you so excited to stick your hands in some dirt, any dirt. Denis loves plants, and life, and is hilarious to boot.
• I've read nothing but rave reviews about Garden Anywhere by Alys Fowler. As Chronicle Books says, "Garden Anywhere shows how anyone can create an oasis in the smallest of spaces." I've got the smallest-of-spaces part taken care of!
• I've told you before what an amazing book Native Ferns, Mosses, and Grasses by William Cullina is, but I don't actually own it! I borrowed it from a friend, and took extensive notes, but definitely need my own copy someday. \
• After receiving an issue of Garden Design Magazine as a gift, I faithfully read their website for months before treating myself to a subscription yesterday. Come on, first issue! So exciting.
• At the end of a hard or even frustrating day of gardening, a relaxing glance through Plants and Their Application To Ornament by Eugene Grasset can help you remember why you started growing things in the first place. And if you've got a yard full of dandelions, the gorgeous renderings of dandelions might help you see them a bit differently.
• And finally, I don't know anything about Gardener's Nightcap by Muriel Stuart, but I have absolute faith in anything Persephone Books publishes, and hope to someday be given a Persephone Book Subscription. In case you were wondering what to get me.. I love this short and sharp description of Gardener's Nightcap from Ancient Industries: "This book is meant to be read in bed, and in one's dreams one can hope to be bossed about by Muriel Stuart, who is very bossy indeed."

I'm sure there are many, many more gardening books I should be coveting, right? Tell me all about them!

Images: Hortus from Planted At Home, Wild Garlic from Matt Bites, Garden Anywhere from Chronicle Books, Native Ferns by Tess Wilson, Garden Design from Garden Design Magazine, Plants from Cohabitaire, Gardener's Nightcap from Ancient Industries.