Wicked Bugs
The Louse That Conquered Napoleon’s Army & Other Diabolical Insects
by Amy Stewart
288 pages
Algonquin Books, 2011
List Price: $18.95
In the spirit of the wildly successful Wicked Plants, author …

Virtues: A compact, neat-as-a-pin habit and tiny leaves make this basil resemble a boxwood. A highly ornamental herb with great fragrance and flavor. Cute in a pot or planted as a very low …

This past spring several growers sent me free samples of their 2012 introductions to try out in my garden. Many wholesale growers send their newest plants to garden writers, bloggers and editors for feedback and …

Here’s how to buy fewer pots of groundcover but still cover plenty of ground.

I seem to have a lot of mushrooms popping up in my garden and even in a few containers. Will mushrooms harm my plants?

I’ve named my garden! Maybe it’s because I love Agatha Christie mysteries—where there’s always a gardener or two lurking about, and all the homes have quaint names and gorgeous borders. Or maybe when I spent …

I waited all week to buy plants for The Covert Garden. I hoped to avoid plant shopping in the heat and it also gave me something to look forward to: a little garden reward for …

Here’s a piece of often-repeated advice for planting perennials: Always plant in odd numbers, in groups of at least three. But there are times when you can’t follow this rule.

I’d like to put it an all-white garden near my patio. Do you have any tips for the design?

Yes, You Can! And Freeze and Dry It, Too
The Modern Step-by-Step Guide to Preserving Food
by Daniel Gasteiger
252 pages
Cool Springs Press, 2011
List price: $19.95
With the harvesting season well under way …

A prolific writer and accomplished photographer is the newest recipient of our Best Gardening Blogs 2011 distinction. Nancy Ondra is the author and garden guru behind Hayefield, a blog based in Bucks County Pennsylvania.