Book bounty: Fall brings time to cultivate new ideas

Before we know it, autumn will turn to winter. We'll be turning too — to planting bulbs for next spring, making plans for next season and snuggling up for the winter we have to get through first. Here are some good books for ideas, information, inspiration and indoor fantasizing about gardens far away.

"The Magic of Monet's Garden"

By Derek Fell

(Firefly Books, 160 pp., 2007; $35)

Garden author and photographer Derek Fell has dissected and analyzed the plantings and especially the colors of Monet's beloved garden at Giverny. He discusses the relationship between Monet's garden and his art and how a gardener might reasonably come close to some of the effects, with planting plans for containers and beds.

Few of Monet's paintings are reproduced here, so a familiarity with the artist's work is helpful.

"Gardening with Children"

(Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guides, 119 pp., $9.95)

Plant a butterfly-attracting window box or a morning glory-swathed hiding place or a terrarium in a jar. Make a salad from all the different parts of plants. Take a flower apart to see how it works. Learn about leaves, birds, sunlight, bugs, rain.

This beautifully illustrated little book full of projects — many good for indoors — is a great way for children and their parents to explore and experience the world of plants and biology, outdoors and in.

"The Elements of Organic Gardening"

By HRH the Prince of Wales with Stephanie Donaldson

(Kales Press, 176 pp., $39.95)

Buy it to gawk at the lovely pictures of the elaborate and elegant estate at Highgrove where Prince Charles has been gardening organically for 26 years. It's a stretch to see Highgrove as an exemplar for an organic garden in Seattle; this estate clearly has a staff that could run The Bite every week. But you might pick up a tip here and there.

"The Timber Press Pocket Guide to Japanese Maples"

By J.D. Vertrees

with Peter Gregory

(Timber Press, 224 pp., $19.95)

Gregory's update of Vertrees' classic guide provides ample information about these trees so beloved for the color, texture and interest they can bring to small and partly shaded gardens.

"The Timber Press Pocket Guide to Hostas"

By Diana Grenfell and

Michael Shadrack

(Timber Press, 212 pp., $19.95)

It seems like everybody already has hostas, and yet there are more kinds all the time. That's because hostas are just about unbeatable as reliable plants for shade. This compact book describes 280 old and new cultivars, with ample advice for selecting and caring for them.