When it comes to gifts, gardeners are easy because there are so many things will help them pursue their hobby ranging from $10 or less to as much as your pocketbook will stretch.

Affordable choices include a wonderful house plant, a special tool or a gift certificate from local garden centers or specialty mail order nurseries.

Because there is so much to learn about cultivating plants, most gardeners also love books. But before you buy one that is too general or too complex, you might ask the receiver if there are any gardening books they have wished for but never bought.

To make your task a little easier, I polled some lovers of specific plants to get their recommendations.

Many of the books described can be bought at amazon.com through a click of the mouse at this site.

Recommending a book for cactus lovers is easy for Don Klotwog, president of the Memphis Cactus Society: The Complete Book of Cacti and Succulents, by Terry Hewitt, published by DW ($20)
Klotwog said: It is great.

It’s almost impossible for Chris Spindel to keep her recommendations on fern references to one book. A founding member of the Memphis Fern Society, Spindel is regarded as the area’s most knowledgeable person on all things ferny.

For a general overview of ferns available in nurseries and a guide to selecting and growing them, she likes Ferns for American Gardens, by John Mickel, published by Timber Press.

For the serious fern gardener, she suggests The Fern Grower’s Manual, the revised and expanded edition, by Barbara Joe Hoshizaki (cq) and Robbin C. Moran.

A Natural History of Ferns, by Robbin C. Moran, published by Timber Press ($59.95), is for fern lovers who want cutting edge science so well written that each chapter is like a short story with a fern or ferns as its protagonist, Spindel said.

Mike Chambers, past president of the Mid-South Hosta Society also has a few recommendations.
The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas, by Diana Grenfell and Michael Shadrack (Timber Press $49.95) is his No. 1 choice.

It has wonderful pictures from Mike Shadrack, who was our guest speaker at the Dixie regional meeting in Memphis in 2005, Chambers said. It has hundreds of great photos with comments on each. The forward was written by Prince Charles.

For beginners, he suggests Diana Grenfell’s book Hostas: A Gardener’s Guide to Growing Series, or Paul Aden’s The Hosta Book.

No arms are wide enough to get around all the orchids in the world. With more than 25,000 species and 100,000 hybrids and cultivars, it is the largest and most diverse group of plants.

Fenwick Chappelle, an award winning grower and member of the Memphis Orchid Society, said three inexpensive books distill a lot of information, especially for beginners.

Orchids, A Golden Guide is the least expensive and most geared to beginners. Two others are Simon & Schuster’s Guide to Orchids, by Alberto Fanfani and Taylor’s Guide to Orchids, by Judy White.

All have lots of pictures and general information about taking care of orchids.

Fred Nowak, a member of the Memphis Bonsai Society, has a couple of recommendations for those who want to collect the miniature trees of the Orient.

For beginners, he suggests Bonsai Basics, by Christian Pessy and Remy Samson (Sterling Publishing, $12.95).
For more advanced hobbyists, his nod goes to a two-volume set, Bonsai Techniques I and II, by John Yoshio Naka, published by the Bonsai Institute of California.They are $50 to $60 each from used book dealers at amazon.com.
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For iris lovers, Caroline Nave has a couple of recommendations starting with $1.50 pamphlet, Basic Iris Culture, from the American Iris Society. It can be ordered from AIS website at http://www.irises.org/storefront.htm

The Magic of Irises, by Barbara Perry Lawton, is a book with lots of plant lore and legends and history of irises.

Nave, who is also an accomplished flower arranger, has two book recommendations on that subject:
Creative Floral Design – Step-by-Step, by Carolyn Hawkins and Jeanine Row, published by the Garden Club of Georgia, $35 (http://www.ffgc.org/sales/giftshop.html),
and Basic Floral Design, by the Redbook Floral Service which is now part of Teleflora.

For herb gardeners, Sara Burnette recommends two books: Rodale’s Illustrated Herb Encyclopedia for a comprehensive look at herb plants, and Southern Herb Growing, by Madalene Hill and Gwen Barclay, which addresses the special climatic and soil conditions in the South. It also includes recipes.

My wish list includes two books that I understand are being shipped to our house right now.
Earth on Her Hands: The American Woman in Her Garden, by Starr Ockenga (cq both names) published by Clarkson Potter ($60), was recommended to me by Julie Spear of the Memphis Garden Club.

It features interviews with 18 women and photographs of their unique dream gardens.

The other is The Meaning of Trees: Botany, History, Healing, Lore, by Fred Hageneder and published by Chronicle Books ($19.95).

It describes the botanical qualities, medicinal uses, cultural symbolism and magical associations of 50 different types of trees. Martha Stewart recommended it on a recent program.

If the person you are buying for is new to this area or new to gardening as a hobby, another gift idea is membership in a local plant society. Joining these clubs is the best way to learn about gardening and to meet people who share your interest and passion.

A list of the various societies with meeting times and contact information is in the Plant Societies section of this web site.

Please share the titles of your favorite gardening books with us by clicking on the comment button.