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Nature » Plants, Trees & Flowers

Most Recommended Books

The Well-Tempered Garden by Christopher Lloyd

“It is full of information and no waffle. I know for a fact that he used to be holding the flower or plant that he was describing in his hands.”

Helen Dillon, Gardeners & Gardening Expert

Read more

Browse book recommendations:

Nature

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Plants trees and flowers not only pre-date animal life but, through the release of oxygen into the earth’s atmosphere, made it possible.  We have a diverse set of interviews recommending books on plants, trees and flowers, as well as gardening.

David George Haskell, professor of biology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, chooses his best books on trees and talks about their fundamental role in the development and sustenance of human culture.  Jonathan Silvertown, ecologist at the department of life sciences at the Open University, UK, discusses plants trees and flowers and the challenges of feeding a human population that could reach 10 billion.  He explains the vital role of plants in the carbon cycle and discusses why trees came to exist and their very different evolutionary trajectories.

Kenneth Cox, nurseryman and author, chooses his best books about plants and plant hunting and Penelope Hobhouse chooses hers on horticultural inspiration, discussing the history or garden design and the gardens flowers and plants that have captured her imagination.  Richard Reynolds discusses the long history of guerrilla gardens and his campaign to make the pavements and roundabouts of South London bloom with flowers.

Neal Layton chooses his best books on trees for young readers.

    The best books on Trees For Younger Readers, recommended by Neal Layton

  • Read
    The best books on Trees For Younger Readers - The Lorax by Dr Seuss

    1

    The Lorax
    by Dr Seuss

  • Read
    The best books on Trees For Younger Readers - The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

    2

    The Giving Tree
    by Shel Silverstein

  • Read
    The best books on Trees For Younger Readers - The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

    3

    The Magic Faraway Tree
    by Enid Blyton

  • Read
    The best books on Trees For Younger Readers - Le Sapin by Hans Christian Andersen & Marc Boutavant

    4

    Le Sapin
    by Hans Christian Andersen & Marc Boutavant

  • Read
    The best books on Trees For Younger Readers - Stanley's Stick by John Hegley

    5

    Stanley's Stick
    by John Hegley

The best books on Trees For Younger Readers, recommended by Neal Layton

Award-winning author and illustrator Neal Layton is passionate about the natural world—especially trees. Among his five recommendations are trees that provide raw materials for building, food and profit; trees that are perfect for climbing; lofty enchanted trees full of adventure; and small yet perfect Christmas trees. Each has a story to tell.

    The best books on Trees, recommended by David George Haskell

  • Read
    The best books on Trees - Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray

    1

    Ecology of a Cracker Childhood
    by Janisse Ray

  • Read
    The best books on Trees - Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock

    2

    Handbook of Nature Study
    by Anna Botsford Comstock

  • Read
    The best books on Trees - The New Sylva: A Discourse of Forest and Orchard Trees for the Twenty-First Century by Gabriel Hemery & Sarah Simblet

    3

    The New Sylva: A Discourse of Forest and Orchard Trees for the Twenty-First Century
    by Gabriel Hemery & Sarah Simblet

  • Read
    The best books on Trees - Chuang Tzu: The Inner Chapters by Books by Zhuangzi (aka Chuang Tzu) & David Hinton

    4

    Chuang Tzu: The Inner Chapters
    by Books by Zhuangzi (aka Chuang Tzu) & David Hinton

  • Read
    The best books on Trees - The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan

    5

    The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World
    by Michael Pollan

The best books on Trees, recommended by David George Haskell

‘The wood that frames our houses, holds up our furniture, and gives us paper arrives with signs of its ecological history purged.’ We’re a long way from the campfire where our relationship with trees got going. Here, David George Haskell takes us back, deep into the forest.

    The best books on Plants, recommended by Jonathan Silvertown

  • Read
    The best books on Plants - The Emerald Planet by D J Beerling

    1

    The Emerald Planet
    by D J Beerling

  • Read
    The best books on Plants - Eating the Sun by Oliver Morton

    2

    Eating the Sun
    by Oliver Morton

  • Read
    The best books on Plants - The Secret Life of Trees by Colin Tudge

    3

    The Secret Life of Trees
    by Colin Tudge

  • Read
    The best books on Plants - Plant by Janet Marinelli

    4

    Plant
    by Janet Marinelli

  • Read
    The best books on Plants - Feeding the Ten Billion by L T Evans

    5

    Feeding the Ten Billion
    by L T Evans

The best books on Plants, recommended by Jonathan Silvertown

Internationally known ecologist says plants are grievously overlooked, because no life on earth would exist without them – essential reading on plants

    The best books on Plants and Plant Hunting, recommended by Kenneth Cox

  • Read
    The best books on Plants and Plant Hunting - The Well-Tempered Garden by Christopher Lloyd

    1

    The Well-Tempered Garden
    by Christopher Lloyd

  • Read
    The best books on Plants and Plant Hunting - Riddle of the Tsangpo Gorges by Frank Kingdon Ward

    2

    Riddle of the Tsangpo Gorges
    by Frank Kingdon Ward

  • Read
    The best books on Plants and Plant Hunting - The Morville Hours by Katherine Swift

    3

    The Morville Hours
    by Katherine Swift

  • Read
    The best books on Plants and Plant Hunting - The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan

    4

    The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World
    by Michael Pollan

  • Read
    The best books on Plants and Plant Hunting - A Rage for Rock Gardening by Nicola Shulman

    5

    A Rage for Rock Gardening
    by Nicola Shulman

The best books on Plants and Plant Hunting, recommended by Kenneth Cox

The author, plantsman and rhododendron expert selects his favourite books on botanical exploration and explains his passion for plant hunting

    The best books on Horticultural Inspiration, recommended by Penelope Hobhouse

  • Read
    The best books on Horticultural Inspiration - The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs by Hilllier Nurseries

    1

    The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs
    by Hilllier Nurseries

  • Read
    The best books on Horticultural Inspiration - The Education of a Gardener by Russell Page

    2

    The Education of a Gardener
    by Russell Page

  • Read
    The best books on Horticultural Inspiration - Garden Design by Sylvia Crowe

    3

    Garden Design
    by Sylvia Crowe

  • Read
    The best books on Horticultural Inspiration - The Well-Tempered Garden by Christopher Lloyd

    4

    The Well-Tempered Garden
    by Christopher Lloyd

  • Read
    The best books on Horticultural Inspiration - Baburnama by Wheeler M Thackston (translator) & Zahir al-Din Babur

    5

    Baburnama
    by Wheeler M Thackston (translator) & Zahir al-Din Babur

The best books on Horticultural Inspiration, recommended by Penelope Hobhouse

Historian of garden design Penelope Hobhouse says creating a garden is not about pulling out weeds – it’s about fulfilling man’s need for organisation and security

    The best books on Guerrilla Gardening, recommended by Richard Reynolds

  • Read
    The best books on Guerrilla Gardening - The Digger Movement In The Days Of The Commonwealth, As Revealed In The Writings Of Gerrard Winstanley by Lewis H Beren

    1

    The Digger Movement In The Days Of The Commonwealth, As Revealed In The Writings Of Gerrard Winstanley
    by Lewis H Beren

  • Read
    The best books on Guerrilla Gardening - Hungry City by Carolyn Steel

    2

    Hungry City
    by Carolyn Steel

  • Read
    The best books on Guerrilla Gardening - Defiant Gardens by Kenneth I Helphand

    3

    Defiant Gardens
    by Kenneth I Helphand

  • Read
    The best books on Guerrilla Gardening - The Search by John Battelle

    4

    The Search
    by John Battelle

  • Read
    The best books on Guerrilla Gardening - Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

    5

    Miss Rumphius
    by Barbara Cooney

The best books on Guerrilla Gardening, recommended by Richard Reynolds

Discussion of the lesser-known subject of guerilla gardening – the illicit cultivation of someone else’s land. A fascinating and historical topic, and eclectic book selections include a history of Google

About

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand interviews, or five thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

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