For Beginners
Ten steps
Beck, A. (2023, April 9). Follow these 10 steps to create a successful first garden. Better Homes & Gardens. https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/garden-care/ten-steps-to-beginning-a-garden/
Steps a new gardener must take for first-garden success – from picking your spot to clearing the ground to garden maintenance. Gardening can seem like an overwhelming number of tasks and it's hard to know where to start. This "quick-read" article breaks it down into 10 short steps, and will help a new gardener get started. But you'll want to dive deeper into other resources for substantive information and guidance on taking those steps.
Creating habitats
Johnson, L., & Colla, S. (2023). A Northern gardener’s guide to native plants and pollinators: Creating habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press.
This book is irresistible to page through -- it's full of beautiful illustrations and photos with informative sidebars and one-page profiles of plants. The first chapter is all about bees (there are more than 4,000 different species in the U.S.), and it explains why and how the pollination of flowering plants is fundamental to sustainable gardening. There are more than 200 plant "profiles" that include botanical and common names, best conditions, and "specialist relationships" (that is, which bees, butterflies and moths depend on a particular plant's pollen). At the same time, there's much here for the beginner, like a checklist for creating a pollinator-friendly yard, suggestions for combinations of native perennials, and a short FAQ on "Concerns ... and Reassurances" (for questions like "Won't caterpillars eat all my plants?"). There are also sample garden designs for balconies, public spaces and high-density residential areas. Find a copy in your library via WorldCat.
Gardening on a budget
Gilmer, M. (1996). The budget gardener: Twice the garden for half the price. Penguin Books
This book offers advice and useful information for anyone aiming to garden on a shoestring. Topics include economical soil improvement, ways to save water and energy dollars, and where to get free or low-cost services. Chapter 7 -- "Recycling Waste from House and Garden" -- recommends creative ways to reuse obvious and not-so-obvious materials -- sticks, stones, and even household disposables and scrap metal -- to fashion trellises, archways, seedling containers, and even garden furniture. The final chapter on free or low-cost services is well worth a read; although some of the resources may be outdated, it offers ideas that a frugal gardener can pursue. Find a copy in your library via WorldCat.
Six to start
Lorimer, U. (2022, May 25). Native wildflowers that will attract pollinators and praise. Boston.com. https://www.boston.com/real-estate/real-estate-news/2022/05/25/perennial-favorites-wildflowers-will-attract-pollinators-praise/
This article suggests six wildflowers to start your garden under different conditions -- from Symphyotrichum laeve (smooth aster) which thrives in sun and well-drained soil to Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine), often found growing in rocky soil to Opuntia humifusa (eastern prickly pear cactus) for the hottest, driest spot in the garden. You can use this to get started with some plant ideas, then go to Lorimer's Primer on 235 native plants for lots more. (Pictured here: Smooth aster. Uli Lorimer/Native Plant Trust)
Gardeners' world
BBC Gardeners' World. (2020-2023). Gardeners' world [audio podcast]. Immediate media. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bbc-gardeners-world-magazine-podcast/id1540573682
In the BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Podcast, U.K. experts talk about all things gardening. There are 188 episodes, and the topics range widely. Not all will be relevant to native planting and pollinator gardens, but they all address interesting gardening topics. For example, episodes include discussions of changing weather (Season 11, ep. 1), why gardening is so beneficial for our wellbeing (Season 9, ep. 2), and great British gardens to visit (Season 10, ep. 11).
Good habits
Alexander, R. (2006). The essential garden maintenance workbook. Timber Press.
Everything you need to know about nurturing and maintaining a garden across the seasons. The book is based on the author's renovation of her own property, and addresses frequent maintenance tasks as well as huge projects like removing tree stumps. At almost 400 pages, this reference source is exhaustive and a reader will want to find topics of most interest such as:
- Making a plan of the garden
- Understanding plant names
- The potting shed
- Growing plants in containers
Each chapter concludes with a worksheet to help readers use what they've learned in their own gardens. Alexander encourages gardeners to cultivate good gardening habits like keeping a log, maintaining a plant portfolio, and using a monthly maintenance checklist -- practices that will pay off over years. Find a copy at the library via WorldCat.