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Whether you’re buying a last-minute gift or just want to read ideas for a garden project, a new style, or learn some practical information about planting techniques, there are plenty of new books to fit the bill.
Here are some titles to help you bring joy to your garden in the New Year.
1. The Preserver’s Garden by Stacey and Jeremy Hill (Cool Springs Press, 18 December, £22)
If you are interested in pickling, fermenting, freeze drying, salting, and canning your home produce, this book is for you. The authors explain that when growing for preservation, your efforts need to focus on promoting uniform ripening, high yields, and flavor that remains stable through the preservation process. Also, there is information on how much to plant, the best varieties of fruits and vegetables, and which preservation methods are suitable for particular produce.
2. RHS: The Garden Almanac 2026, illustrated by Anne Souden (Francis Lincoln, £14.99)
Whether you’re an experienced gardener or a budding enthusiast, this colorful collection from the Royal Horticultural Society is an essential companion for 2026. Beautifully illustrated in full colour, it includes artwork, photographs and advice from Anne Souden rhs Experts, including Chief Horticulturist Guy Barter.
It offers monthly seasonal ideas, projects and advice and a detailed to-do list, providing inspiration throughout the year, as well as guidance on sustainable gardening practices and budget-friendly strategies. Learn about the best pruning techniques, new lawn approaches and natural plant protection from RHS Masters.
3. The New Beautiful, foreword by Piet Oudolf (Rizzoli International, £65)
Editor Leading magazine Gardens Illustrated has selected the best new gardens from around the world to showcase unique plants and clever designs, from small town spaces to country estates, with a focus on ecology and sustainability. Explore loose, undulating gardens that support wildlife in small urban backyards, pleated hornbeams that act as a living fence and gardens that showcase the best new ideas for hardscapes, pathways, fountains and pergolas, as well as successful plant combinations and other design elements to consider incorporating into your garden.
4. A Wildflower Year by Francis Tophill (kyle books£18.99)
Wildflower enthusiasts will love this offering from Gardeners’ World presenter Francis Tophill, who has spent a year collecting and documenting 60 beautiful wildflowers, explaining their unique characteristics and habitat and what else you can expect to find nearby. She also explains whether they are edible and what their possible medicinal uses are. This is a month-by-month tribute to wild flowers with illustrations by Julia McKenzie, and a useful tool for identifying and growing your own flowers.
5. A Year of Garden-Inspired Living by Linda Waters (Cool Springs Press, £22)
This highly giftable book from a garden lifestyle expert focuses on seasonal living with a big dose of community spirit, featuring garden-themed ideas to bring joy to your family, friends and neighbors – and, of course, yourself. Ideas include making herbal bouquets for cooking, welcoming friends and neighbors to cut bouquets from your garden, and holding a ‘ladybug party’ for the children in your life.
6. The New Romantic Garden by Jo Thompson (Rizzoli International, £38.95)
Who said romance is dead? Award-winning designer Jo Thompson would disagree, as she reveals 30 exquisitely planted gardens that demonstrate how to adapt traditional garden design elements to today’s more ecologically-based aesthetics. Known for its timeless plantings, with loose formality but equal amounts of romance English Gardens of the Past, Thompson includes case studies of individual gardens designed on a variety of themes, illustrated with hundreds of beautiful color photographs.
7. The Gardener and the Moth, by Susie White (Essay, £8.99)
Anyone who wishes to encourage moths and butterflies in their open spaces both day and night should pick up a copy of naturalist and gardener Susie White’s compact volume, which describes in detail how to create a garden that attracts and retains moths and butterflies both day and night, helping flora and fauna to flourish. Moths are an important but forgotten pollinator, overlooked in favor of their brighter cousin, the butterfly. But, she says, by ignoring moths we are losing gardens that can survive with joy, movement and biodiversity.
8. Color in the Garden by Lucy Bellamy (Michelle Beazley, £22)
Gardening writer Lucy Bellamy offers a thoroughly modern approach to colour, exploring how to choose plants and use them in creative and inventive ways. She wants jam red and acid yellow, violet blue and caterpillar green, cinnamon orange with scorched yellow and a myriad of colors in between. Her new book includes inspirational planting plans and plant lists, ideas for containers, small back gardens and small front gardens to show how even the smallest space can incorporate a big pop of color.
And be careful in 2026…
my gardening life mary berry (DK, 26 February, £25): The Queen of Baking also has a knack for gardening and walks you through her gardening journey from getting started to creating a beautiful garden, and offering lots of top gardening tips along the way… The Money-Saving Gardener Containers by Anya Lautenbach (DK, Jan 29, £16.99):Social media star and garden expert offers more budget-friendly tips on container planting… You’re Overwatering It!: A Plant Guru’s Guide to Houseplants, by Jonny Balchandani (Ebury, Feb 19, £25): Known as @thebeardedplantaholic, the plant enthusiast and expert offers simple secrets to help your houseplants thrive.