International Plant Appreciation Day

So, this post is sort of a part one. Today is International Plant Appreciation Day and with it being #TuesdayTales and all, we thought we could recommend a few good books. These will get you started in your own garden, provide some relaxation, and of course we’ve got some books to read with the whole family. Tomorrow happens to be National Garden Day as well as #HumpDayHorticulture (what a nice coincidence, right?), so we’ll be spotlighting the National Colonial Farm’s Kitchen Garden and providing a few recommendations on how you can plant your own with the help of the books here. With that said, let’s get to the books!

Below are links to Bookshop.org if you’re interested in purchasing these titles, but you can find these and lots of similar books at your local library. Ours is the Accokeek branch of Prince George’s County Public Library, but DC, Alexandria, Arlington, and Montgomery counties all have robust collections. If you want your purchase to support us, designate Accokeek Foundation as your charity on Amazon Smile and purchase using smile.amazon.com. Enjoy!

For the adult who wants to get into gardening:

• Heirloom Vegetable Gardening: A Master Gardener's Guide to Planting, Seed Saving, and Cultural History by William Woys Weaver

• The Medicine Wheel Garden: Creating Sacred Space for Healing, Celebration, and Tranquillity by E. Barrie Kavasch

• Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, 2nd Edition (Revised) by Suzzane Ashworth

• Vegetable Gardening for Beginners: A Simple Guide to Growing Vegetables at Home by Jill McSheehy

• The Heirloom Gardener: Traditional Plants and Skills for the Modern World by John Forti

For the adult who just wants a good book:

• American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America by Michelle Obama

• Rooted in the Earth: Reclaiming the African American Environmental Heritage by Dianne D. Glave

• The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate-- Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wolehllben

• The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming by Natasha Bowens

• Recovering Our Ancestors' Gardens : Indigenous Recipes and Guide to Diet and Fitness by Devon A. Mihesuah

• The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities by Will Allen

• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

For the kid who wants to have fun in the dirt:

• Dig In!: 12 Easy Gardening Projects Using Kitchen Scraps by Kari Cornell (as of posting this one is on backorder at Bookshop.org but it is available at multiple library systems!)

• Easy Peasy: Gardening for Kids by Kirsten Bradley

• Gardening Lab For Kids: 52 Fun Experiments to Learn, Grow, Harvest, Make, Play, and Enjoy Your Garden by Renata Brown

• Square Foot Gardening With Kids by Mel Bartholomew

• Kids’ Garden by Whitney Cohen

For families to read together:

• The Secret Life of Trees: Explore the Forests of the World, with Oakheart the Brave by Moira Butterfield

• Up In The Garden and Down In The Dirt by Kate Messner

• Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn

• Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayres

• Plants Can’t Sit Still by Rebecca E. Hirsch

• Dirt: The Scoop on Soil by Natalie M. Rosinsky (English) (spanish audio version here)

• Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Will Allen

• The Night Gardener by Terry and Eric Fan

• Yasmin the Gardener by Saadia Faruqi (great for beginning readers!)

Happy reading, and YAY PLANTS!