Though there are many excellent books out there on various gardening techniques, such as container gardening, vertical gardening, flower and vegetable gardening; I chose the following gardening books for their uniqueness.

During the winter, these books give food for thought, ideas to incorporate in your garden for the following year. In other words, these books can give you another view on not only how others garden, but why they garden the way they do.

Burpee Complete Flower Gardener (Burpee) This is one of those must have garden books. My copy shows signs of wear as I've spent many hours planning the flowers for the previous years gardens. I've also loaned out to friends and amazingly enough got it back. Most of the time it was after the person ordered their own copy! What I really liked were the photos, but the growing tips were also a big help as well.

The Best Flowers for Midwest Gardens: The Plants You Need to Create Spectacular Low-Maintenance Gardens That Bloom with the Seasons Year After Year This book is an oldie, but definitely good one. I entirely forgot about it, till the people who had bought our former home in Indiana mentioned it in the holiday letter they sent.  The tips included were very helpful. In fact, the gardens were one of the reasons the couple bought the house, especially when we said they were low-maintenance. So we left the book and the gardens as well. I do miss all the lilies in the front beds and the red buds in the back yard in springtime. It's amazing how each part of the country has its special plants, those you like in each garden.

Planthropology: The Myths, Mysteries, and Miracles of My Garden Favorites Though I haven't seen this book yet by Ken Druse, it's on my list of books to get. I first became acquainted with Ken Druse's writing when he wroteThe Passion for Gardening. Druse writes in an entertaining yet informative style. It's like sitting down listening to an old friend who loves gardening. You both share the interest and the conversation is always a good one.

Potted History: The Story of Plants in the Home If you've always wondered why certain houseplants are popular and then go out of style, this unique history of indoor house plants is a good guide. It gives the reader the fashion approach to why certain plants are popular and the reasons why. Truly a different gardening book for the gardener who has everything.

The Water Garden This is one of those beautiful coffee table books with a difference. Leslie Geddes-Brown is a former gardening editor for an architectural magazine. The photos of the gardens clearly show her flair for picking exquisite gardens for illustration. But it is her glossary of plants to choose which make this book a truly unique one. If you are looking for inspiration as to how to incorporate a water feature in your yard, then this book can provide many suggestions.

Art and the Gardener If you are an artist or hope to be one, this book can show you how to transform your like for a particular period in art and translate it into a garden. Through pictures and words Gordon Haywood takes the reader step by step on a plant to translate a period or style  of art feel into a living piece of art.  The illustrations are gorgeous and I guarantee after reading this book, you'll never look at a garden in the same way again.

Enjoy the reading. Let me know your favorite gardening books so I can add some to my list as well. After all, I do need to get some new titles to explore this winter.

All in a gardener's day,

My thanks to jnystrom for the use of the photo.