Favorite Gardening Magazines and Books
Below are a few of my favorite gardening magazines including Hosta and perennial publications. These are the magazines I currently subscribe to as they are suitable for zone 4 gardening.
If you are like me, you probably subscribe to more than a few plant magazines in order to get ideas for your landscaping and perennial beds.
I have subscribed to many over the years, but found I needed to cull the list down in order to be able to keep up with the reading.
Below are my favorite plant and gardening magazines that I look forward to reading each time they show up in my mailbox. Of course, I am always on the lookout for new ones too!
Hosta Journal Magazine
Each time I receive a new issue of the Hosta Journal it definitely puts me in the gardening mood! It is a wonderful publication that the American Hosta Society publishes 2 times a year with very superior articles on Hosta, and new registrations of Hostas. And, now the AHS Hosta News is on line also.
The magazine has articles written by well known Hosta breeders going into detail on many subjects about everything and anything that is happening in the Hosta world.
Oh, did I mention the best pictures ever? Pictures of display gardens, close up pictures of new Hostas as well as “old” hostas and many of the display gardens at the Convention each year.
Other articles too on the miniatures. I have always had a love for the tiny teeny Hostas, and now it seems they are more popular than ever!
The cost is minimal at $30.00 a year for a membership to the American Hosta Society. Visit the website,
American Hosta Society and see what is offered. The Journals are well worth the membership price weather you are a new or old Hosta buff.
Northern Gardener Magazine
A VERY FAVORITE Garden Magazine of mine is Northern Gardener.
It is published in Minnesota and is a publication of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. It is an excellent magazine to say the least.
The articles are written by Zone 4 gardeners, some very big names that write for Northern Gardener each month. I have heard some of the contributors speak locally at Master Gardener Seminars and that makes each article even better.
The articles are longer than most magazines and go into depth about each subject telling the what to do and what not to do with the subject at hand. They will also deal with why the author likes or does not like how a plant performs and gets into specific varieties that do best for this area.
Other magazines print way too many articles on plants that only have two or three paragraphs talking about the subject.
Articles in the magazine will be about new varieties of vegetables, flowers, shrubs, trees and what makes these varieties better for Northern Gardens.
There are articles on Volunteers and Children’s Gardens, and composting, organic gardening, and design of course. Landscaping is a favorite and anything that sends out blooms too! Water Fountains and Rain Gardens are a new favorite of many people.Of course, the subjects are endless.
You can subscribe to this magazine by going to Northern Gardener Magazine. You don’t have to be a member of MSHS to order the magazine.
The cost of the magazine is $34.00 per year and it is worth every cent!
B & D Lilies
This is not a magazine as such, but a catalog from B & D Lilies in Port Townsend, WA.
I purchase many of the Hardy Lily Bulbs from them that are in my gardens and they are some gorgeous specimens when they come into bloom. The bulbs from them are very large and high quality. You can go online to see more and can sign up for their e-mails also to get notices when they have sales, as well as tips on growing Hardy Lilies.
Field Guide to Hostas Book by Mark Zilis
