Books

The following list of books is a work in progress. Some of the books span multiple categories, but are placed in just one.

General Books on the Value of Native Plants in Supporting Biodiversity

  • Tallamy, Douglas W. Bringing Nature Home. Timber Press, 2007.
  • Wilson, Edward O. Half-Earth. Liveright Publishing, 2016.
  • Tallamy, Douglas W. Nature’s Best Hope. Timber Press, 2019.
  • Tallamy, Douglas W. The Nature of Oaks. Timber Press, 2021.

ID Books

Wildflowers

  • Midgley, Jan W. All About Tennessee Wildflowers. Sweetwater Press, 1999.
  • Carman, Jack B.  Wildflowers of Tennessee.  Highland Rim Press, 2001.
  • Horn, Dennis, et al. Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians. Lone Pine Publishing, 2018.

Woody Plants

  • Jones, Ronald L., and Wofford, B. Eugene. Woody Plants of Kentucky and Tennessee: The Complete Winter Guide to Their Identification and Use. University Press of Kentucky, 2013.
  • Lance, Ron. Woody Plants of the Southeastern United States. The University of Georgia Press. 2004.
  • Williams, Michael D. Identifying Trees of the East: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America. Stackpole Books, 2017.

All Vascular Plants

  • Tennessee Flora Committee.  Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, 2015.

Bees

  • Holm, Heather. Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide. Pollination Press LLC, 2017

Butterflies

  • Venable, Rita. Butterflies of Tennessee. Maywood Publishing, 2014.

Wasps

  • Holm, Heather. Wasps. Pollinator Press, 2021.

Garden Design and Reference Books

Attracting Pollinators and Birds to the Garden

  • Holm, Heather.  Pollinators of Native Plants. Pollinator Press LLC, 2014.
  • The Xerces Society.  Attracting Native Pollinators, Storey Publishing, 2011.
  • The Xerces Society.  Gardening for Butterflies, Timber Press, 2016.
  • Sorenson, Sharon. Planting Native to Attract Birds to Your Yard. Stackpole Books, 2018.

Gardening and Landscape Design

  • Christopher, Thomas, and Weaner, Larry. Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change. Timber Press, 2016.
  • Darke, Rick, and Tallamy, Douglas W. The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden. Timber Press, 2016.
  • Dove, Tony, and Woolridge, Ginger. Essential Native Trees and Shrubs for the Eastern United States. Charlesbridge, 2018.
  • Hunter, Margie.  Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee.  The University of Tennessee Press, 2002.
  • Mellichamp, Larry, and Gross, Paula. The Southeast Native Plant Primer: 225 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden.  Timber Press, 2020.
  • Rainer, Thomas, and West, Claudia. Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes. Timber Press, 2016.
  • Reed, Sue and Stibolt, Ginny. Climate-wise Landscaping. New Society Publishers. 2018.

Comprehensive Tree Landscaping (including exotics)

The title of the section really should have been “Tree Books that are Almost 1,000 Pages Long and Weigh over 7 Pounds.”

  • Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Stipes Publishing, 2009.
  • Dirr, Michael A. Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs. Timber Press, 2016.
  • Dirr, Michael A., and Warren, Keith S.. The Tree Book: Superior Selections for Landscapes, Streetscapes, and Gardens. Timber Press, 2019.
  • Vogt, Benjamin. Prairie up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design. 3 Fields Books, 2023.

Beneficial Insects

  • Walliser, Jessica. Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control. Cool Springs Press, 2nd edition, 2022.

Native Plant Propagation

  • Baskin, Carol C., and Baskin, Jerry M. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, 2nd Edition.  Elsevier, 2014. [1,586 pages, 8 pounds, and a 3-figure price]
  • Bir, Richard E.  Growing & Propagating Showy Native Woody Plants.  The University of North Carolina Press, 1992.
  • Cullina, William. The New England Wild Flower Society Guide to Growing and Propagating Wildflowers of the United States and Canada. United States, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.
  • Dino, Norman C. Seed Germination, Theory, and Practice, 2nd Edition. Self-published, 1993.
  • Dirr, Michal A. and Heuser, Jr., Charles W.  The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation.  Varsity Press, Athens, GA, 1987.
  • Midgley, Jan A. W. Native Plant Propagation. Fifth Edition. Jan A. W. Midgley, 2020.
  • Woody Plant Seed Manual, USDA FS Agriculture Handbook 727, April 2008.