Ben Page, Nashville landscape designer

1. Education of a Gardener
by Russell Page
I reread this book every three years. It explores both the mechanic and aesthetic side of gardening, while also including solid information for an academic balance.

2. Two Gardeners: Katharine S. White and Elizabeth Lawrence: A Friendship in Letters
edited by Emily Herring Wilson
This sweet and wonderful book is on my nightstand right now. It is the written correspondence between New York Times editor White and North Carolina gardener Lawrence. It is a highly entertaining, humorous, and poignantly read.

3. Social gardens: Outdoor Spaces for Living and Entertaining
by Charlotte M. Frieze
A truly beautiful book. A must-have for any Southern gardener.

4. The Exuberant Garden and the Controlling Hand: Plant Combinations for North American Gardens
by William H. Frederick
A great "how-to" with pretty pictures. Every time I pick it up I think, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Chip Callaway, North Carolina landscape designer

1. Through the Garden Gate by Elizabeth Lawrence
Edited by Bill Neal
A month-by-month treatise on gardening in the South. Indispensable reading, invaluable information from my garden hero. I have seven plants in my garden from Elizabeth's Charlotte, N.C. garden and I cherish each and every one and make it my duty to share them, as she did her plants with me. Actually, everything she wrote, particularly A Southern Garden, is essential.

2. The Year in Trees
by J. C. Raulston and Kim E. Tripp
This book is a splendid study of trees and their cultivation, written by my horticultural guru, the late J. C. Raulston, who served on my graduate committee when I was in graduate school. I adored him as I do this book.

3. Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs and the companion book The Manual of Woody Landscape Plants
by Michael A. Dirr of the University of Georgia
I use these books so often that I have literally destroyed two copies and am working hard on my third. I use these authoritative books daily to second-guess myself when I am designing planting plans. Authoritative, comprehensive and humorous.

4. Manual of Annuals, Biennials, and Half-Hardy Perennials
by Allan M. Armitage of the University of Georgia
Armitage is, in my opinion, the undisputed expert on his topics and this book is a wonderful encyclopedia of horticultural knowledge.

Jorge Sanchez, Palm Beach landscape designer

1. Gardens by the Sea: Creating a Tropical Paradise
by The Garden Club of Palm Beach
This is a great resource for plant notations and placement. We frequently give this book as gifts to our clients.

2. Anything by Penelope Hobhouse.
Her picture books are amazing and full of detail. We're great believers of acquiring books for ideas, and Hobhouse's consistently inspires us.

Mary Palmer Dargan, Atlanta landscape designer

1. Education of a Gardner
by Russell Page
Not only lets readers see design through a designer's eye, but also motivates projects and creates context. Also, this book is universally applicable.

2. The Art of Garden Design by Hugh Johnson
Combines both art elements and design principles. Inspired me to read the land with a new vocabulary.

3. Garden Style by Penelope Hobhouse
Hobhouse grounds her contemporary approach in history and explains how to create spaces using good bones. Extremely perceptive.

4. The Garden in Winter by Rosemary Verey
This book stretches the imagination and allows readers to look at the landscape in all four seasons.