Winter is the time to learn more about gardening by reading about gardening. And if you are new to gardening, a little help sorting through the thousands of titles out there is welcome.
Genevieve Schmidt, the author of the blog North Coast Gardening, offers her list of the best five books for beginning gardeners, and I heartily agree with two of her selections: "From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden," by Amy Stewart and "The Well-Tended Perennial Garden," by Tracy DiSabato-Aust.
Amy's book is utterly charming. And Tracy's thorough list of the proper care and pruning of perennials has been my Bible for a decade -- and she has a new and expanded version.
In addition to her top 5 for beginners, Genevieve has a list of other books she recommends for gardeners - rookies or veterans.
Check out the rest of Genevieve's list and recommend your own go-gardening books for the beginners out there.