Great garden books for winter reading

Winter's a great time to catch up on your reading. Here are nine recommendation's of great garden books

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"Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture" second edition, by Toby Hemenway (Chelsea Green, 2009). This book explores ways to create energy-efficient designs by making good use of sun, wind, vegetation and land contours in urban and country settings. The term permaculture refers to creating sustainable landscapes, homes and workplaces based on ecological principles. It clearly and concisely covers most aspects of environmentally friendly horticultural design, including energy analyses, design process, water use, wildlife and plant use. Paperback, 313 pages. $29.95

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"Waking Up in Eden" by Lucinda Fleeson (Algonquin, 2009) is the biographical story of Fleeson's adventure living on the edge of a threatened natural environment in rural Kauai, Hawaii. After 20 years as a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, she sold her home and left her job to work at the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Fleeson takes readers on her explorations of the island, especially its plant life, as she learns that native plants are rapidly disappearing and invasive species are taking over. Paperback, 320 pages. $23.95

"Wicked Plants" by Amy Stewart (Algonquin, 2009) is a fascinating, albeit morbid, nonfiction account of the dangers of poisonous plants. This easy-to-read book can fit in your pocket and provides a trove of information that could save your life. Hardcover, 235 pages. $18.95

"Birds of Eastern North America: A Photographic Guide" by Paul Sterry & Brian E. Small (Princeton University Press, 2009) is the ultimate handbook to accompany you in the field or while bird watching at home. Paperback, 336 pages. $18.95

Joel M. Lerner is president of Environmental Design in Capitol View Park, Md., and author of "Anyone Can Landscape"(Ball 2001). Contact him through his Web site, www.gardenlerner.com.

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