Garden Detective

I've read a lot of gardening books in 2006, reviewing several of them in Newsday. Here's a list of some of my favorites for those of you looking for the perfect gift for a gardener friend -- or yourself.

I'd like to make this nice and tidy, and call this my "Top 10 list," but really, I can only wholeheartedly recommend 9. So, here's my "Top 9" list, in alphabetical order:

"A Year of Roses", by Stephen Scanniello

"American Tomato: The Complete Guide to Growing and Using Tomatoes," by Robert Hendrickson

"Gardening on Pavement, Tables, and Hard Surfaces," by George Schenk

"The Glory of Gardens: 2,000 Years of Writings on Garden Design," edited by Scott J. Tilden

"Peonies," by Pamela McGeorge, with photographs by Russell McGeorge

"Radical Prunings: A Novel of Officious Advice from the Contessa of Compost," by Bonnie Thomas Abbott

"Seascape Gardening", by Anne Halpin, with photos by Roger Foley

"The Sun King's Garden," by Ian Thompson

"The Well-Tended Perennial Garden," by Tracy DiSabato-Aust