Our Favourite Gardening & Floristry Books
Growing your Bookshelf
Our relationship with gardening goes way beyond the seeds we sow. Gardening nurtures our mind, our bodies, and our communities. It impacts so many aspects of our life, not to mention our outlook on it, so it’s no surprise that people love to write about it, too.
You could fill a whole library (or perhaps a greenhouse) with books on gardening and floristry. Since we don’t quite have the blog space to list them all, we’ve selected five very different books to share instead.
Whether you’re looking to grow your own garden, create a living room jungle, or simply while away an afternoon in the sun, you’re sure to find something for the green thumb (and bookworm) within.
A Sustainable How-To - Grow Green by Jen Chillingsworth
Grow Green is a beautiful guide to gardening with intention. It’s loaded with tips and tricks on how to be a conscious gardener – even if all you have to work with is a humble windowsill of herbs.
Starting with the essentials, Chillingsworth takes readers through the core components of a successful, sustainable garden. Her to-the-point instructions are easy to follow, and you’ll never feel bogged down by overcomplicated step-by-steps. It has chapters on how to grow edible, flower, and indoor gardens, so readers can zone in on one area, or dabble in them all.
Accompanied by vibrant illustrations from the aptly named Amelia Flower, Grow Green is the perfect combo of handy how-to and cosy afternoon read. It’s a must-buy for any budding beginners.
Mindful Gardening - The Well-Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart-Smith
Written by prominent psychotherapist Sue Stuart-Smith, The Well-Gardened Mind perfectly echoes Bloom’s commitment to the healing effects of horticulture.
Blending scientific research and engaging storytelling, it provides a comprehensive insight into the positive interactions between mind and garden. Stuart-Smith’s writing is not only wise, but it’s warm and approachable, making this book a wonderfully accessible read. The author themselves is an avid gardener, so no matter the mentions of Freud and Kant, you’ll always feel like you’re in good company. Be sure to read her chapter on “Flower Power,” as it shares the psychology behind why blooms help us bloom!
A Personal Touch - In the Garden: Essays on Nature and Growing
Explore not only the emotional, but the historical and cultural significance of gardening in this 14-essay collection. In the Garden encounters green spaces in their many forms: from suburbia to the city, public parks to back gardens, and country acres to London window boxes.
Central to this collection is the idea that the garden, and our relationship to it, is ever-evolving and ever-changing. This may be because of the gardener’s endless curiosity, as Penelope Lively discusses in her essay, “The Gardening Eye.” Or, perhaps, the change comes from necessity, like in Nigel Slater’s “Coming of Age,” where he recalls his own garden being invaded by a pesky family of foxes…
This book provides readers with something that’s a little more personal than practical. It’s perfect for those sunny days to come, and would be best enjoyed with a side of tea and biscuits.
Indoor Sanctuaries - The Little Book of House Plants by Emma Sibley
Bloom prides itself on providing a space to those who don’t have gardens of their own. While it’ll always offer an oasis to whoever needs it, there are ways to take the spirit of Bloom home with you, too. One of these is to create a green sanctuary of your own using indoor plants.
Emma Sibley’s essential guide has all the information you need to keep your houseplants happy and thriving. For those starting from scratch, this guide will help you pick the right plants for your space and style. Sibley shares the exact amount of sun, hydration, and humidity each plant needs, so even those of us (like myself) who are a) forgetful and b) live in dingy flats can be top-tier plant parents.
Bountiful Bouquets - In Bloom by Clare Nolan
Last but not least, In Bloom is a guide to growing, harvesting, and arranging cut flowers (one that comes highly recommended by Bloom’s founder, Kendall.) Packed with gorgeous photography, this book will inspire you to “trust your instincts” and create bouquets you can be proud of.
The author, Clare Nolan, considers flowers to be an “emotional marker through our lives” and is attentive and thoughtful in her styling of them. One of her core concepts is to view an arrangement in terms of its “ingredients.” The heroes of the recipe are the flowers themselves, while the fillers and foliage are those extra finishing touches. Read this, and you’ll be looking around Bloom’s gardens with a whole new perspective on colour, texture, and fragrance. You may even start wondering whether those leaves over there would pair well with some dahlias.
These are just a few books to get your library started, but if you’re ever in the market for more recommendations, be sure to ask the Bloom team and our volunteers for their favourites.
Happy reading!
This blog post was kindly written for us by one of our volunteers - Emily. Emily is a freelance writer and editor from Sheffield. Though her own “garden” is mainly made up of succulents, she’s a sucker for pale pink peonies. You can find her at proofofthepud.co.uk