We get lots of questions about the best books for native plants. Here are some of our favorites. We’ll add more as we discover them and as time allows.

• Native Plants of the Northeast:
  A Guide for Gardening and Conservation
  by Donald J. Leopold
  Color photos and entries on a good selection of ferns, grasses, perennials, trees and shrubs. A nice overall guide to native plants.
• The American Woodland Garden:
  Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest
  by Rick Darke
  Entries on various plants highlighting their ornamental value and their natural habitats. Outstanding photographs.
• Trees Of Pennsylvania: A Complete Reference Guide
  by Ann F. Rhoads and Timothy A. Block
  A field guide and natural history of all the native and naturalized trees that grow in Pennsylvania. Maps of their geographic distribution; Information on native American uses of trees as well as wildlife value.
• Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines: A Guide to Using, Growing, and Propagating
  North American Woody Plants
  by William Cullina
  Full color photographs of many woody plants; text includes cultural information as well as editorial comments.
• Manual of Woody Landscape Plants
  by Michael Dirr
  The ‘bible’ of woody plants. Line drawings, no color photos. Information on culture, cultivars, diseases and insects, landscape value, and Dirr’s inimitable editorial comments.
• Landscaping With Native Trees
  by Guy Sternberg and Jim Wilson
  Color photographs and information on seasons of interest, problems, related species and culture. The front of the book contains an index with tree silhouettes, so if you have a general idea what shape of tree you want, you can zero right in on it.
• Landscaping Revolution: Garden With Mother Nature, Not Against Her
  by Andy Wasowski
  Everything from alternative lawns and weed laws, to invasive plants, and information on specific plant species. Photos and cartoons, and enticing chapter titles such as “Homogenize Milk, Not Landscapes,” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Creeper?”
• The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual
  by Ann Rhoads and Timothy A. Block
  A thorough listing of all the plant species known to grow in PA. Indicates endangered and threatened species, typical habitat, with some line drawing to aid in species identification.
• Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens
  by Doug Tallamy
  Easy to read explanation of ecological interactions between plants and wildlife, from insects on up.
• Armitage’s Native Plants for North American Gardens
  by Allan Armitage
  A concise listing of native species and their garden uses and requirements.
• Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guide)
  Color photos, description of invasive plant and the problems it creates, and suggested native alternatives.
• Other Native Plant Books