Since I’ve primarily become a digital reader, I’ve really enjoyed getting to dig into gardening books, both old favorites and new discoveries, with my Kindle Unlimited subscription. Kindle Unlimited allows you to read a wide selection of books from participating authors and publishers for free, with your subscription price of $9.99 a month. While the vast majority of Kindle Unlimited offerings are self-published, and therefore vary in quality, many great publishers such as Timber Press, Algonquin, etc. have also joined and provided a number of their best-selling books to subscribers.
Just like any Kindle book, you can read your Kindle Unlimited scores on your Kindle, Kindle fire, iPad, iPhone or android phone, or even your desktop with the Kindle software. While there are some types of books that are nice to hold in your hand, after so many years of gardening, my bookshelves are way past full. Besides the lack of clutter, a secondary benefit to reading digitally is how easy it is to search for exactly what you’re looking for, and you can make notes and highlights that are easy to search or refer back to later.
If you’ve been curious about Kindle Unlimited but aren’t sure you’ll find enough to interest you, I wanted to share some of my favorite offerings in the gardening book section. I went through some 50+ pages and 20+ searches to find the best books on offer.
The Timber Press Guide to Gardening in the Pacific Northwest by Carol Hall and Norman Hall
The New American Landscape: Leading Voices on the Future of Sustainable Gardening
The Well Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques by Tracy DiSabato Aust
Water-wise Plants for Sustainable Gardens: 200 Drought Tolerant Choices for All Climates by Scott Ogden and Lauren Springer Ogden
Succulent Container Gardens: Design Eye-Catching Displays with 350 Easy Care Plants by Debra Lee Baldwin
Designing With Conifers: the Best Choices for Year-Round Interest in Your Garden by Richard Bitner
The Naturescaping Workbook: a Step-By-Step Guide for Bringing Nature to Your Backyard by Beth Young
Dirt Cheap Green Thumb: 400 Thrifty Tips for Saving Money, Time, and Resources As You Garden by Rhonda Massingham Hart
Vertical Vegetables and Fruit: Creative Gardening Techniques for Growing Up in Small Spaces by Rhonda Massingham Hart
A Guide to Bearded Irises: Cultivating the Rainbow for Beginners and Enthusiasts by Kelly Norris
The Gardener’s Guide to Cactus: the 100 Best Paddles, Barrels, Columns, and Globes by Scott Calhoun
Hardy Succulents: Tough Plants for Every Climate by Gwen Moore Kelaidis and Saxon Holt
How to Design a Small Garden – Step-By-Step Landscaping Ideas, Pictures and Plans for Planning the Perfect Small Garden by Rachel Mathews (her other books are also listed!)
Fruit Trees in Small Spaces: Abundant Harvest from Your Own Backyard by Colby Eirman
Gardening for Geeks: DIY Tests, Gadgets, and Techniques That Utilize Microbiology, Mathematics, and Ecology by Christy Wilhemi (the Gardenerd)
Handmade Garden Projects: Step-By-Step Instructions for Creative Garden Features, Containers, Lighting and More by Lorene Edwards Forkner
50 Beautiful Deer Resistant Plants by Ruth Rogers Clausen and Alan Detrick
The Complete Book of Potatoes: What Every Grower and Gardener Needs to Know by Hielke de Jong and Walter de Jong
The Kitchen Gardener’s Handbook by Jennifer Bartley
Covering Ground by Barbara Ellis
The Edible Front Yard: The Mow Less, Grow More Plan for a Beautiful Bountiful Garden by Ivette Soler
From the Ground up: the Story of a First Garden by Amy Stewart (Wicked Bugs is also available!)
Starter Vegetable Gardens: 24 No Fail Plans for Small Organic Gardens by Barbara Pleasant
The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener: How to Grow Your Own Food 365 Days a Year, No Matter Where You Live by Niki Jabbour
Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken Friendly Yard by Jessi Bloom and Kate Baldwin
Succulents Simplified: Growing, Designing, and Crafting with 100 Easy Care Varieties by Debra Lee Baldwin
Terrarium Craft: Create 50 Magical, Miniature Worlds by Amy Bryant Aiello and Kate Bryant
Beautiful No Mow Yards: 50 Amazing Lawn Alternatives by Evelyn Hadden
The Layered Garden: Design Lessons for Year-Round Beauty from Brandywine Cottage by David Culp and Adam Levine
Concrete Garden Projects: Easy and Inexpensive Containers, Furniture, Water Features and More by Camilla Arvidsson and Malin Nilsson
The Organic Backyard Vineyard: a Step-By-Step Guide to Growing Your Own Grapes by Tom Powers
The Homebrewers Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Malts, Brewing Herbs by Dennis Fisher and Joe Fisher
The Flower Gardener’s Bible: the Complete Guide to Colorful Blooms All Season Long; 10th Anniversary Edition by Lewis Hill and Nancy Hill
The Findhorn Garden Story: Inspired Color Photos Reveal the Magic by the Findhorn Community
Planting the Dry Shade Garden: the Best Plants for the Toughest Spot in Your Garden by Graham Rice
Rodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: Indispensable Green Resource for Every Gardener by Fern Marshall Bradley and Barbara Ellis
The Lavender Lovers Handbook: the 100 Most Beautiful and Fragrant Varieties for Growing, Crafting, and Cooking by Sarah Bader and Janet Loughrey
Everyday Feng Shui: a Plant Lover’s Guide to Garden Design by Susan Morrison
The Perennial Care Manual: a Plant by Plant Guide: What to Do and When to Do It by Nancy J Ondra and Rob Cardillo (Ondra’s books on Foliage and Fallscaping are also available here)
Designing with Succulents by Debra Lee Baldwin
Pat Welsh’s Southern California Organic Gardening: Month by Month by Pat Welsh
Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening by Louise Riotte
The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible, and the Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible by Edward Smith
Small Space Container Gardens: Transform Your Balcony, Porch, or Patio with Fruits, Flowers, Foliage, and Herbs by Fern Richardson
Landscaping for Privacy: Innovative Ways to Turn Your Outdoor Space into a Peaceful Retreat by Marty Wingate
Think you can find something in the above that will interest you? Yeah, I thought so. With such a diverse mix of classics, specialty books, and popular new releases, I’m guessing most gardeners could stay busy and informed for years.
Found any great gardening reads on Kindle Unlimited? Let me know in the comments below.
7 responses to “Gardening Books on Kindle Unlimited: My Top Picks”
Are you sure you’re not my long-lost daughter from another life?
I’ve been anguishing in recent years over having too many gardening books and having too large a desire for more! I have only been buying e-books for some years now, and I have been contemplating the Kindle Unlimited subscription. Now you post this tantalizing article showing me that perhaps I can have my cake and eat it too! I haven’t taken the time to explore the Unlimited selections as you have, but I can see that there is more here than I could read (or ever afford to purchase at full, paper book prices).
You may have tipped me over the edge. Thanks!
Ed-
Ed, seriously! And did you see that lovely conifer book by Bittner? I thought of you! 🙂
I most certainly did! :^D
Thank you for the amazing list! I have some of these, would love most all of them. Just have two questions that I hope you can help with:
1. if you download them using “Kindle Unlimited” are they yours forever, or only for as long as you continue paying the $9.99 every month?
2. Is there a limit to the number of books you can download each month?
Thanks again – I love your posts!
Cheers,
Joyce
Hi Joyce,
To my understanding it’s kind of like the library – you can have as many as ten books “checked out” at once, but you can check out and return as many as you like over the course of any month. They are still “owned” by the library, in this case Amazon, so if you stopped subscribing you would no longer have access to any books you had on loan.
I hope that helps! 🙂
I enjoyed browsing your web site! My mom lives and gardens in Fort Bragg,just south of you. She has an amazing garden for a 70-something years young gardener.
Thanks for sharing all the great book recommendations.
My best to you!
Sally
I am not normally a kindle person, but this looks like a great list of books! I didn’t even know about kindle unlimited, and didn’t even think about it for gardening books. This looks like a great, low cost way to get started.