Books for Gardeners & Readers


If you’re not gardening, you could be reading about gardening. Luckily every year, we read and donate the best books available. In fact, we’ve been donating gardening and conservation books to the Belfast Free Library for more than two decades. In 2023, we broadened our efforts to include other Waldo County libraries. Suggestions for these titles came from members. 

Belfast Free Public Library:

For Children:

My First Outdoor Garden  by Phillippe Asseray

Let’s Get Gardening by DK

Ten Hungry Rabbits  by Anita Lobel

Grow: A Family Guide to Plants and How to Grow Them by Riz Reyes

Keeper of Wild Words by Brooke Smith

The World of Plants: An Illustrated Guide to the Wonders of the Wild  by Michael Leach

The No Dig Gardening Book: Easy and Fun Family Gardening by Charles Dowding

For Adults:

Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming by Liz Carlisle

Garden of Your Dreams by Jenny Rose Carey

Thicker Than Water by Erica Cirino

Seed Money: Monsanto’s Past and Our Food Future by Bartow J. Elmore

Native Plants for Your Maine Garden by Maureen Heffernan

Strawbale Gardens by Joel Karston

The Ultimate Flower Gardener’s Guide: How to Combine Shape, Color, and Texture to Create the American Roots: Lessons and Inspiration from the Designers Reimagining Our Home Gardens by Nick McCullough and Allison McCullough

The Healthy Vegetable Garden by Sally Morgan

Plants are My Favorite People: A Relationship Guide for Plants and their Parents by Alessia Resta

The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees by Douglas W. Tallamy

Stockton Springs Community Library

The New Shade Garden: Creating a Lush Oasis in the Age of Climate Change, Ken Druse

Flower Flash by Monacelli, Lewis Miller

The American Horticultural Society: Propagating Plants, Alan Toogood, ed.

Searsmont Town Library in Memory of Sally Shure

The Northeast Native Plant Primer: 235 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden, Uli Lomar, Native Plant Trust

Carver Memorial Library, Searsport

Deer Resistant Native Plants for the Northeast by Ruth Closen

A Maine Garden Almanac: Seasonal Wisdom for Making the Most of Your Garden Space by Martha Fenn King

The Northeast Native Plant Primer: 235 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden, Uli Lomar, Native Plant Trust

For Children:

Nature’s Best Hope (Young Readers’ Edition) How You Can Save the World in Your Own Yard by Douglas Tallamy