With any luck, we’ve moved from the snowy part of winter to the rainy part, and spring is on the horizon. The PNW boasts some glorious gardens, many of which are just a short drive away. In Portland, we have the Portland Japanese Garden and the Lan Su Chinese Gardens, as well as the International Rose Test Garden, the Hoyt Arboretum, and Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens. Check the websites of these beautiful gardens for admission costs and open hours. Multnomah County Library and FVRLibraries both offer guest passes to some of these attractions, to reserve and check out with your library card.
If you just want to look at beautiful gardens, feast your eyes on these: Gardenlust: A Botanical Tour of the World’s Best New Gardens by Christopher Woods (2018) and Private Gardens of the Pacific Northwest by Brian D. Coleman (2021).
If you’re itching to get outside and dig into your own garden, I can help with planning. (But not digging. Sorry. Knees, you know.) Below are several short lists of gardening books for different interests.
Native Plants and Pollinators
- The Ultimate Wildlife Habitat Garden: Attract and Support Birds, Bees and Butterflies by Stacy Tornio (2024)
- Bird-Friendly Gardening: Guidance and Projects for Supporting Birds in Your Landscape by Jen McGuinness (2024)
- How to Attract Wildlife to Your Garden by Dan Rouse (2023)
- Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest by Arthur R. Kruckeberg (2019, 3rd ed.)
Gardening for Small Spaces
- Small Gardens: Essential Know-How and Expert Advice for Gardening Success by Zia Allaway (2023)
- The Herb Book: The Stories, Science and History of Herbs by DK Publishing (2023)
- Edible Houseplants: Grow Your Own Citrus, Coffee, Vanilla, and 43 Other Tasty Tropical Plants by Laurelynn G. Martin (2023)
- The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City by Kathy Jentz (2022)
Growing Food
- Growing an Edible Landscape: How to Transform Your Outdoor Space into a Food Garden by Gary Pilarchik (2024)
- The Backyard Homestead Guide to Growing Organic Food: A Crop-by-Crop Reference for 62 Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, and Herbs by Tanya Denckla Cobb
- Simplify Vegetable Gardening: All the Botanical Know-How You Need to Grow More Food and Healthier Edible Plants by Tony O’Neill
- Veg Out: A Stress-Free Guide to Creating Your First Vegetable Garden by Heather Rodino (2023)
Gardening Off the Beaten Path
- Gardening Can Be Murder: How Poisonous Poppies, Sinister Shovels, and Grim Gardens Have Inspired Mystery Writers by Marta McDowell (2023)
- Hello Tiny World: An Enchanting Journey into the World of Creating Terrariums by Ben Newell (2024)
- Weird Plants by Chris Thorogood (2018)
New at the Library
Fiction
- Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb
- The Queens of Crime: A Novel by Marie Benedict
- Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
Nonfiction
- The World After Gaza: A History by Pankaj Mishra
- Reading the Waves: A Memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch
- A Century of Poetry in the New Yorker: 1925-2025 by Kevin Young, ed.
Children
- Me and Other Bunnies by Mo Willems
- The ABCs of Women’s History by Rio Cortez
- Old School by Gordon Korman
