Gardening books written by Michael King
Every book I have written has been an invaluable learning experience. Those listed below are currently in print. In addition I have written other books on garden design and annual flowers, however these were only availble in the Dutch language and are now only available second hand. If you are interested try searching for Prachtig Gras, Nieuwe Bloemen, Nieuwe Tuinen and Verrassende Eenjarigen.
In the US purchase from Amazon.com by clicking the images below. For the UK and Europe use the links at the very bottom of the page for Amazon.co.uk
Gardening with Grasses
by Michael King and Piet Oudolf
Our aim was to show how to design with and use grasses effectively. We deliberately concentrated on the best species and cultivars for growing in gardens in our cool climate (Zone 7/8).
Many books on ornamental grasses have appeared since that list many more grasses, but the question you need to have in mind is whether they are all appropriate for your garden. Many grasses are notorious weeds flinging their seeds far and wide or spreading quickly by underground root systems; these are definitely to be avoided. Also, some of the encyclopedias of grasses list species of limited ornamental value or those that will only survive in warm climates.
The next challenge in using grasses in gardens is finding suitable partners for them. Cultural as well as aesthetic considerations play their part and much of the advise in Gardening with Grasses explains how to combine different plants together to create evocative, naturalistic planting schemes. Learn more about the book here.
Gardening with Tulips
by Michael King
This site is concerned with perennial meadows and the plants that make up these planting schemes fall into two groups. The main theme plants create the overall image of the meadow; they dominate the area and supply a coordinated sequence of flower colour and foliage textures. Additionally, complementary plants are needed to not only to add extra diversity to the schemes but also to extend their season of interest, especially when perennials which flower later in the growing season make up the bulk of the theme plants used.
Spring flowering bulbs are essential complementary plants in my perennial meadows and none more so than tulips.
Gardening with Tulips is the ultimate guide to these exciting flowers. Every type of tulip is covered in detail together with an introduction to their history and development as indispensable garden flowers. As with all of my books the emphasis is upon making the best use of these plants in our gardens.
The book uses twenty classic tulips to serve as guides to the enormous diversity of types, from the small growing wild species through to mid season species and cultivars familiar to us all and on to the tall spectacular late-season varieties. No other group of bulbs is capable of bringing your garden alive with such excitement and drama than colorful tulips. Read more about the book here.
Perennial Garden Design
by Michael King
This book aims to put perennials into context within garden design; these plants may well be my passion, but they are not the whole story.
From formal to romantic, to inspirational and naturalistic, every conceivable way of using perennials in gardens is covered and analysed. However, Perennial Garden Design (entitled The Perennial Garden in the UK) looks at these plants in design terms and is filled with information of which plants will create the most effective display in different situations and in the different seasons of the year.
All of the photographs were taken especially for the book and do, I think, illustrate the text well. Read more about the book here.
In the UK and Europe purchase from Amazon.co.uk by clicking on the images below:
Note – some of the books have different covers and or titles in the UK!
Gardening with Grasses
Gardening with Tulips
The Perennial Garden