Unless you’re lucky enough to be surrounded by knowledgeable gardeners—whether they are parents, friends, or neighbors—you can often find yourself with your very first garden and very little idea of how to care for it (let alone how to design it, replant it, or start entirely from scratch).

A really great book can help; think of it as a mentor. While it’s impossible to write the definitive list of must-read books for gardeners (we could have easily doubled or tripled this list), we’ve rounded up the books we return to for gardening wisdom and inspiration. Some of these books are many decades old, but their advice still holds true.

Here are 10 books every gardener should read (and own, so you can dog-ear them):

Photography by Clare Coulson, except where noted.

1. The Well-Tempered Garden

Above: The Well-Tempered Garden by Christopher Lloyd is available in paperback on Amazon. If you read one gardening book, then this should probably be it. Christopher Lloyd is best known as the creator of the mesmerizing gardens at Great Dixter,where he was born in 1921, but he was a prolific writer too. Originally published in 1970, The Well-Tempered Garden draws together his incredible depth of knowledge and experience. There is all the nitty gritty of gardening you could wish for here, but it’s thoroughly entertaining too. Lloyd’s characterful writing style laces intricate details with his famously dry asides. Dip in and out of it; it’s a great bedside book.

2. The Dry Garden