Three Must-have Books

There’s a reason that “rainforest” is one of the settings on sleep-assisting sound machines. The sound of moving water in its natural habitat has a relaxing, soothing effect. But you don’t have to travel to Brazil to experience this beauty firsthand. Better Homes & Gardens Water Gardening is a comprehensive, expert guide to how to start, maintain and enjoy a water garden. Whether you have acres to plan, or a small rooftop green space, this book offers step-by-step instructions, design ideas and product and material recommendations.

Although owning a water garden may seem like a landscaping project for homeowners with large green spaces, the Better Homes & Gardens staff proves that a water garden can truly be achieved in any amount of outdoor space. This book’s valuable advice can be tailored to every gardener’s individual resources. Each chapter features aerial-view design maps that are extremely helpful for deciding which water source and plant orientation would be best for use.

Only interested in a simple pond project? Better Homes & Gardens Water Gardening is perfect for all levels of project planning. From water lilies to winter protection and pond-stocking to plumbing, each chapter covers the joys and challenges of creating a water garden.

For the landscape architect, or the backyard planning enthusiast, this book is a smart resource to have on hand. With more than 325 beautiful color photographs, this guide isn’t short on inspiration and motivating themes. We give it a 5-star rating.

Orchids require a lot of attention to detail, especially when potting for the first time or re-potting, and this guide gives advice that can’t be found from a simple Google search. Better Homes & Gardens interviewed orchid experts for the book, and these growers’ tips and tricks will supply insight for healthy and beautiful orchids.

For designers, florists, or those who use orchids in arrangements, the book’s Special Displays chapter features creative and fresh ideas to display or gift an orchid. The galleries toward the back caught our eye. They provide sharp, glossy photos of an expansive variety of orchids. Whether you’re garden writer, garden center retailer or other plant lover, Better Homes & Gardens Orchid Gardening is a great reference book for instruction and enjoyment.

Better Homes & Gardens Herb Gardening

A good cook never lacks friends. But, to be a good cook, fresh herbs are a must. What better way to keep them on-hand than to have an herb garden? Better Homes & Gardens Herb Gardening encourages homeowners to consider replacing typical backyard gardening plants with herbs; not only are they dually purposed, but many herbs are long-lasting perennials. This unique book also features a helpful section on how to bring an herb garden indoors, a great option for homeowners with little green space. Growing plants indoors can be a temperamental and challenging process, but this guide features several ideas and tips to keep the process headache-free.

And what about the colder months, when it’s near-impossible to have fresh herbs for cooking? This book has a freezing guide to use your herbs year round. Because the Better Homes & Gardens staff is also rife with cooking and kitchen connoisseurs, they couldn’t produce an herb book without including a few recipes: Lemon-Thyme Ice Cream, Fresh Mint, Onion and Apple Chutney, to name just two.

The back of the book features some D.I.Y. project ideas that the homeopathic homeowner will absolutely like. This gardening book is ideal for any homeowner or chef. Often the freshest ingredients produce the best cuisine, and Better Homes & Gardens Herb Gardening is the perfect preface to any cookbook.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., these and other books from the experts at Better Homes & Gardens can be found where great books are sold. You can also click the above title links to find these books on Amazon.com.

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