Cultivating Joy: My Top Gardening & Flower Books for Spring 2025!
Spring has sprung, and with it, that undeniable urge to dig in the dirt, nurture new life, and surround ourselves with beauty! This year, I'm more excited than ever to get my hands dirty, and a big part of that excitement comes from the incredible gardening and flower books I've been poring over. Whether you're a seasoned green thumb or just starting your gardening journey, these titles offer a blend of inspiration, practical advice, and sheer botanical delight.
Here are a few books that are truly speaking to my inner gardener this spring:
1. Flower Farmer Garden Planner by Kristen Raney
Finally, a garden planner just for flower farmers! Keep track of your seed inventory, seed starting, budget, events, and weekly sales, all in one place.
Kristen Raney, a former farm kid and musician turned content entrepreneur and flower farmer, is the author of this essential planner. She owns Shifting Roots, a cold climate gardening blog & YouTube channel, and Shifting Blooms, a local flower farm that grows and designs flowers for weddings, events, and pop-up sales. Kristen has also authored 14 different gardening e-books and online courses, designed to be easy to follow for faster growth. Her media appearances include CP24 Toronto Morning Breakfast Show, CBC Sask, Global Sask, and an article on cut flowers in the 2023 West Coast Seeds Catalogue. Kristen lives on an acreage near Clavet, SK, with her husband, four kids, cats, and chickens. You can find her and her adventures on Instagram HERE<<<. Paperback was released on November 19, 2024.
Link: https://amzn.to/43rAU2D
2. The Self-Sufficiency Garden: Feed Your Family and Save Money by Huw Richards and Sam Cooper
Hardcover – May 14, 2024
Dreaming of eating homegrown food all year round and significantly cutting down on your weekly grocery bill? This #1 Sunday Times Bestseller provides a simple, tried-and-tested plan for self-sufficiency, based on Huw Richards and Sam Cooper's two years of planning and training their own self-sufficiency small garden plot.
Inside this book, you'll discover their perfect formula to grow five portions of nutritious vegetables a day for four people. Their realistic and flexible month-by-month growing plan considers cost, space, and time, making it achievable for many.
- Link: https://amzn.to/45tGap4
3. Floret Farms X Chronicle Books (4 books)
by Erin Benzakein (Author), Chris Benzakein (Photographer), and Jill Jorgensen (Writer)
Hardcover
From celebrated flower farmer and leader in the local floral farm-to-centerpiece movement, Erin Benzakein of internationally renowned Floret Flower Farm, comes the first volume in the beloved Floret Farm series! This stunning book is an essential guide to growing, harvesting, and arranging gorgeous blooms year-round.
Equal parts instruction and inspiration, Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden is overflowing with lush photography of magnificent flowers and breathtaking arrangements, organized by season. Erin provides vital tools to nurture a stunning flower garden and use your blossoms to create show-stopping arrangements.
These books are a perfect fit for flower lovers, avid and novice gardeners, floral designers, wedding planners, florists, small farmers, stylists, designers, crafters, home décor aficionados, and anyone passionate about the local floral movement. It makes a beautiful gift for any occasion, pairing well with other titles in the collection like Floret Farm's A Year in Flowers and Floret Farm's Discovering Dahlias.
- 4 book set, Link: https://amzn.to/3SMAUFw
4. The Old Farmer's Almanac Flower Gardener's Handbook
A timeless classic for a reason! The Old Farmer's Almanac consistently delivers reliable, practical advice for gardeners. This particular handbook focuses on flowers, providing a wealth of information on different varieties, planting times, care, and so much more. It's a fantastic all-in-one reference that I find myself returning to season after season.
- Link: https://amzn.to/43toZBo
Also available:
5. An all New Classic!
Square Foot Gardening, 4th Edition:
The World’s Most Popular Growing
Method to Harvest MORE Food from Less Space
Paperback – January 14, 2025
For over 40 years, gardeners worldwide have embraced the Square Foot Gardening (SFG) method for its easy, straightforward approach to growing high-yielding vegetable gardens in minimal space. This fully revised and updated 4th Edition brings the revolutionary technique to today's gardener, whether in urban plots or rural expansive spaces. There is even a group on Reddit/ r/SquareFootGardening
The SFG method takes the guesswork out of planting by dividing a garden bed into a grid and filling it with a fertile growing blend by Mel. This system maximizes productivity, reduces maintenance needs, and makes vegetable gardening accessible for all skill levels. This new edition features:
All New! Square Foot Gardening, 4th Edition empowers you to harvest more food from less space, with less effort, and for less money than traditional row gardens.
- Link: https://amzn.to/4kqhJgE
