Books in The Bungalow!

Instant Container Gardens

New Container Gardening System

Pamela Crawford, author of nine gardening books, is considered one of the most accomplished container garden experts in the country. Her fourth book Instant Container Gardens features her revolutionary Container System, Step by Step Demonstrations, Planting and Maintenance Tips and a list of 34 Foolproof Plants for your container. This book is visually beautiful, inspirational, and contains a wealth of knowledge to help you with design ideas that will transform your garden, patio or balcony.

Available in the Bungalow: $19.95.

A Garden Book for Houston and the Gulf Coast

A Garden Book for Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast, first published in 1929, has been the authoritative go-to book on Houston gardening for over 80 years. This fifth revised edition, written and edited by Lynn M. Herbert, has been entirely updated, expanded, and colorfully redesigned with a new emphasis on organic gardening, native plants, and conservation.

Houston Chronicle Book Review

Olive Oil From Tree To Table

In this photographic journey through the world’s olive groves, acclaimed food writer Peggy Knickerbocker and photographer Laurie Smith trace the origins of the oil of the gods. Traveling to the orchards of Greece, Spain, Italy, North Africa, and California, they explore the process of harvesting the fruit and extracting its essence. Readers will savor the exquisite results through recipes that range from toast with tapenade to a lavish feast fit for kings. A culinary adventure complete with photographs and dozens of spectacular recipes, this new edition of the best-selling Olive Oil: From Tree to Table is a graceful and inspirational homage to a divine elixir.

Empress of the Garden

Mike Shoup’s latest book is a large (12 x 12) coffee table book that addresses the personality of the rose. Interestingly, rose varieties have various personalities or persona that can influence their garden usage. These qualities are a creative tool for the gardener intent on providing the right rose for the right garden setting. This book, as well as addressing the practical nature of their usefulness, delves into this nature.

“Houston Small Plates & Sips”

Erin Hicks brings us a new cookbook that is perfect for informal entertaining or a quiet evening, Houston Small Plates & Sips serves more than 100 small plate and cocktail recipes, along with beer and wine pairing suggestions. Each recipe is accompanied with a stunning photograph and personal tips from chefs, mixologists and sommeliers. It’s a great book for dreaming or designing a spectacular dine-around at home.

“Portrait of Houston”

Join one of Texas’s finest photographers, Kathy Adams Clark, as she turns her lens on Houston, showcasing the diverse and fascinating culture and scenic beauty of this global city and center of industry. Includes communities of Sugar Land, Katy, The Woodlands, and Kingwood.

“Texas Caves”

The stunning beauty of Texas caves can be seen in the book’s many photographs (both color and black & white). The first part of the book gives a brief overview of the geology of Texas caves and cave biology. It provides descriptions of the seven largest “show caves” in the state (including directions, length of tour, camping, facilities, nearby motels, etc). State speleological parks which offer wild cave tours (through undeveloped caves) are also mentioned. The second part of the book includes chapters contributed by well-known Texas cavers.

“Bats of Texas”

This is the new edition of the authoritative guide to bats in Texas – an all-around reference of choice. No other state has a bat fauna more diverse, from the state’s most common species, the Brazilian free-tailed bat, to the rare hairy-legged vampire. Bats of Texas surveys bats in general—their appearance, distribution, classification, evolution, biology, and life history—and discusses public health and bat conservation. Includes an updated account for each species, with pictures by an outstanding nature photographer, distribution maps, and a thorough bibliography. Truly a fabulous (and beautiful) reference guide and on the wish list of every Texas nature lover.

“Houston Atlas of Biodiversity”

Written by a consortium of authors in conjunction with the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) and Houston Wilderness, the Houston Atlas of Biodiversityfocuses on habitats, animal and plant communities, and broad multi-county ecoregions. It demonstrates how local parks and preserves are part of an interconnected, diverse natural world that transcends traditional city or county jurisdictions. The atlas details each of the ten ecoregions in the Houston Wilderness area. This is truly a one-of-a-kind publication that will alert the reader to the magnificent ecological treasures of the Houston Wilderness region.

“Preserve It!”

Covering pickling, jam-making, freezing, bottling, canning, brewing, smoking, salting, drying, curing, sausage-making, and cheese-making, Preserve It! demystifies the processes and shows you how you can, with traditional techniques, preserve fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and dairy without expensive equipment or training. From garden to table, every detail along the way is explained with clear, step-by-step instructions, guiding gardeners and cooks of all levels through the satisfying crafts of bottling jams, syrups, and chutneys, or even making sausage, cheese, butter, cider, and wine.

“Ripe”

Eat fruits and vegetables not because you’re told you should, but because you want them in every sense of the word. Because they are beautiful. And satisfying. And you desire their freshness, flavor, and simplicity. That’s why Ripe is arranged by color, not season. Author and food writer Cheryl Sternman Rule and award-winning food photographer Paulette Phlipot, have teamed up to tempt others to “embrace the vegetable, behold the fruit” because these foods are versatile, gorgeous, and taste terrific.

Cookbooks in the Bungalow

What should you do with all of your harvest from your garden??? The Bungalow has several books to help inspire the chef in you. Browse herb garden cookbooks to pickling and canning books. Featured favorites: Texas Tables is beautifully illustrated and written by the Junior League of North Harris County, and American Grown by Michelle Obama has great summer harvest recipes featuring the White House Kitchen Gardens.

Howard Garrett’s Plants for Texas

Great reference guide, organized alphabetically with lots of pictures. Howard Garrett is a noted expert on organic gardening and author of several books. Easy to navigate and has an abundance of information on Native Texas Plants.

The Best of Texas Landscape Guide

Endorsed and put together by the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, TNLA. This guide features the best plants for landscaping in Texas. Featuring the most recommended trees, shrubs, roses, grasses, tropicals and perennials for the Texas climate. A great quick reference guide for the Best plants in Texas Landscaping. Great gift for a gardening newbie!

How to Grow Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest

A classic. Originally published in 1986, this clearly-written guide fills a large gap in western horticultural literature and serves as a model for other regional guides. Literally, a how-to guide to growing. A great staple for Native Texas Gardeners. This book has a great section of beautiful illustrations!

Texas Gardening the Natural Way

The Dirt Doctor, Howard Garrett’s primer on natural gardening. An easy-to-read handbook for everyone from beginners to masters, full of colorful illustrations and organic gardening techniques. Texas Gardening The Natural Way makes a perfect gift for the new Texas gardener.

Perennial Gardens for Texas

Not for beginners, this book allows experienced gardeners to delve deeper into true native perennial gardening. A comprehensive guide to creating a true Texas garden.