There have been some crackers this year, from "how to" manuals to coffee table tomes, books on individual species and profiles of favourite plants. If you are looking for a last-minute stocking filler or even just want a new book to help you with planning or designing, organic methods or easy-to-use guides, this year has seen a plethora of new publications that won't disappoint. Here's my choice for the year: :: HOW TO: For any gardening beginners who have been mesmerised by the many gardening makeover shows but need the know-how, Dig, by Meredith Kirton (Murdoch, £20) is a great way to find your way around. It offers solid horticultural information in a relaxed, magazine style and is filled with design and planting ideas. Another good choice is The Easy Garden, by Joanna Smith (Hamlyn, £9.99), which is ideal for people who don't have much time but want to make a garden that can be maintained with only one hour's work a week. For those who have been gardening a while but want to go one step further, the best choices include The Essential Guide to Gardening Techniques, by Susan Berry (Murdoch, £24.99), which features a wealth of gardening practices old and new, including the principles of propagating, establishing a kitchen garden and keeping lawns at their best, backed up by simple step-by-step projects and photographs. Another one to consider is Monty Don's The Complete Gardener (Dorling Kindersley, £25), in which the Gardeners' World presenter offers us practical advice on all things horticultural, from fruit and vegetables to flowers and herbs. :: GARDEN HISTORY: Look no further than Alan Titchmarsh's latest offering, Royal Gardeners (BBC, £25), a lavishly illustrated history of royal gardens that accompanies the recent TV series. You can see how gardens have changed over the centuries as different royals came to power and their own personal tastes became the trends of their day. From Hampton Court to Kew, Buckingham Palace to Highgrove and everything in between, no stone is left unturned. Other good bets include Modern Garden Design: Innovation Since 1900, by Jane Waymark (Thames & Hudson, £24.95), which examines the history of gardens since the First World War, and The Story of Gardening, by Penelope Hobhouse (Dorling Kindersley, £25), which looks at everything from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the modern designs of today and is beautifully illustrated. :: CONTAINERS: One of the most colourful offerings is Cool Containers, by Adam Caplin (Jacqui Small, £18.99), which not only gives us some innovative ideas for container plantings but also shows how understanding a location's particular set of constraints will enable you to choose the perfect container and plant species that thrive in it. Anyone interested in making uniform shapes from container plantings should look at Container Topiary by Susan Berry (New Holland, £14.99), which is ideal for the smaller garden and focuses less on huge hedges and more on green sculpture in containers, covering everything from simple to fancy shapes, topiary standards and quick fixes. :: DESIGN AND MAKEOVER: Garden Ornament by Jenny Hendy (Lorenz, £6.99) is a good stocking-filler for anyone interested in little bits and pieces that complete the look of a garden, from historic statues and sundials to more contemporary rustic wind chimes, tin can mobiles and other up-to-date devices. As trends continue towards more natural plantings, Pam Lewis's Making Wildflower Meadows (Frances Lincoln, £16.99) is a good choice. In it, she explains not only how to plant but also how to maintain a meadow garden in a book that is ideal for promoting nature conservation. And if you are a fan of Diarmuid Gavin, take a look at some of his weird and wonderful designs in Outer Space (Dorling Kindersley, £25), in which he shows how to achieve amazing effects from use of innovative materials, dramatic plantings and a lot of imagination. PLANTS: Gardens Illustrated Plant Profiles, edited by Rosie Atkins (BBC, £25) devotes each chapter to different plants, from their origins to the different types, plantings and a host of other information about them. This book is for really keen gardeners who already know the basics but want to find out more about the species they love. There have also been a number of books on individual plants, but two of the best are the Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Roses (Dorling Kindersley, £25), which offers a wealth of advice and information on almost 2,000 varieties. Another good companion is Lilies, by Michael Jefferson Brown (Quadrille, £20), which again is beautifully illustrated and packed full of helpful information. Happy reading! | 
