You can always learn from other gardeners. I have one that I have learned from who has been gone a long time, and today more of her gardening books surfaced. And they are two really cool gardening encyclopedias, full of articles and clippings and notes in her own hand.

This gardener was my late mother-in-law.

My late mother-in-law, Kendall, was an amazing gardener. There is no other way to describe it, she just was. I’m a good home gardener, but she had a knowledge base and touch for gardening that few have.

I first consulted with Kendall via her old gardening books when we bought the property where I now garden. There is so much shade and woodlands here, that well, I needed to consult someone who had gardened in similar conditions, and that would’ve been her. I’m someone who wants to do my own gardening whenever possible, I’m not someone who wants to hire someone and point and say “OK make it pretty.” I want to create it myself.

The first book of hers I used was about shade gardening exclusively. In the margins in pencil on many pages were her personal notes. I had done some limited shade gardening before, but not on the scale that I am today. And I had never created a woodland garden.

So Kendall’s books were my first guides. Then I discovered Suzy Bales, David Culp, and Jenny Rose Carey. From there, Monty Don, Helen Dillon, Adam Frost, and Lady Mary Keen.

I had many other gardening books in my personal library, including old and vintage books on roses and peonies and all sorts of things. Why do I also like old and vintage gardening books? In some cases much like the cookbooks I like I prefer them to modern. There are things you just don’t find. And basics people have long forgotten.

But being able to use some of my late mother-in-law’s research is like using a family recipe. It’s really kind of cool.

Today’s gardening book finds are Wyman’s Gardening Encyclopedia and Taylor’s Encyclopedia of Gardening.

Along with these big gardening volumes tucked in amongst the pages are handmade lists in her handwriting, little calendars that I assume are bloom times for all of her plants, but I haven’t looked at everything yet, and articles from various publications and clippings and brochures. It’s a gold mine of gardening information.

I have told people that the winter is my time for daydreaming. Of course, with climate change, I’m also gardening in the winter now.

However, one of the most fascinating things I’ve discovered in these books today is the fact that as of 1971 where I live was not zone 7A it was zone 5! I thought that’s what I remembered but I wasn’t sure and someone asked me recently how could that be? Well, it’s climate change, and I have the proof of old gardening encyclopedias.

Another fun thing I found was a clipping she had about daylilies. I have always been a daylilies fan and I was interested to see the colors and cultivars this little article recommended.

Anyway, I’m going to leave you all now because I actually have to start dinner and then I want to play with my new old gardening books some more! Sure, you can stick things into Google and hit search. Or you can put things on social media and ask for other people to do your homework for you. However, there are few things in this world as fun as discovering things on your own.