As gardeners we are all learners, always endeavoring to improve what we love to do, enjoying the richness of gardening. Now with our gardens settled for the winter, awaiting the renewal of spring, we, too, are eagerly planning.

One of the great joys of winter, I find, is reading the writings of expert plants-persons. It lets me link last year’s gardens to an improved knowledge that will benefit this year’s dream.

The Liberty Hyde Bailey Gardener’s Companion is a quaint and interesting book that covers a broad range of garden topics as he presented them to a popular audience in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Liberty Hyde Bailey (1858-1954) is credited by many as the father of horticulture. This compilation of his writings was edited by John A. Stempien and John Linstrom (Cornell University Press, 2019). It includes some of his talks, articles, poetry, and essays. The writing is beautifully done and conjures up vivid pictures of gardening in the idyllic past before the world got so crowded and commercial. But don’t be fooled. There is a fantastic amount of information that will help any gardener, no matter how experienced.

You may have already heard of the next book. It is a best seller called Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Milkweed Editions, 2013). Her credentials as professor of Environmental Biology are impressive. Her cultural experience as a member of the Potawatomi Nation brings an entirely unexpected area of knowledge of the land and its plants to gardeners. This is a most welcome eye-opening addition to garden literature.

She approaches the interconnectedness of all of nature from the dual perspective of the university-trained biologist who shares the knowledge of the indigenous people. I was impressed with the insistence on gratitude toward all creation that many tribes in the U.S as well as in other parts of the world have. The earth gives its gifts to us. In return we owe a debt of gratitude that we show by respecting the earth’s gifts and not taking everything offered. Always leave some so that the crops, fish, game, etc. will thrive.

As gardeners we can readily appreciate the importance of this message. Our activity depends on the generosity of Nature. We reciprocate when we replenish the richness of the soil and recycle the materials in our gardens.

Another book that has been at the top of the list for weeks is Suzanne Simard’s Finding the Mother Tree (Alfred A. Knopf, 2021). Like Kimmerer, Simard from childhood has deep roots in Canada’s logging history. There is a wealth of information on the logging industry’s past, as well as on some of the problems faced today. The author’s career in forestry led her to get a doctorate. We get a first-hand look at the struggle to work, raise a family and investigate the contribution of fungi to the growth of trees and other forest plants while dealing with the constraints of industry practices.

She mixes her own personal memories and adventures in with the meaty forestry matter so that the narrative doesn’t bog down. The reader also gets an inside look at what goes into an in-depth field study of trees and their relation to the soil and other plants.

We learn that older trees do indeed protect their offspring and help them survive the travails of youth. And when they pass on, they continue to contribute to the life of the forest as their wood contributes its elements to the soil, making it richer for the next generation. We learn about the complex relations our home and garden plants have with the soil and the fungal life that lives there.

If you have followed my articles on composting, it won’t surprise you that I cannot turn down a new book on the subject. And do I have a good one! Snappy and up-to-date with lots of beautiful photos illustrating every facet of recycling organic material, this offering is a must-have for the gardener who wants to get the most out of the garden. Composting For a New Generation: Latest Techniques for the Bin and Beyond (Cool Springs Press, 2018), by Michelle Balz is a must. Read it. Follow it. Relax.

This is a manual for every gardener. Every step is well-illustrated, with clear explanation, from how to compost and why, to constructing a bin and creating a pile, to how to use the product. Exotic new composting methods from Africa to Japan are also featured. These are for the out-there gardener, the intrepid spirit. Go for it! Read this. You won’t be disappointed.

Of course, don’t forget the numerous gardening magazines on the market and internet. Whether your interest is garden design, stately gardens, vegetables, perennials, or specific kinds of plants, there is something for you. And the photography is well worth the price.

There are also many fine gardening societies whose work helps us all. Membership often includes their publications and may offer discounts when you visit public gardens, of which there are many in the mid-Atlantic region.

If you curl up with a relaxing read by the fire this winter, take a stroll through the garden. You’ll love it.