When Cool Springs Press was founded by Roger Waynick in Brentwood, Tenn., in 1996, it was dedicated to publishing state-focused garden guides for the local area. Since then, the company has grown into a publisher of bestselling gardening books by well-known authors, including Mel Bartholomew, Joel Karsten, Jessica Sowards, and Tyler Baras, who this year is publishing Home Hydroponics with Cool Springs.
The Quarto Group expanded the imprint’s offerings to include not only the guides and DIY titles the publisher was known for but also visually captivating illustrated books on garden design and flowering plants, attracting a large international audience.
“The Quarto Group is proud to continue building on the very solid foundation we acquired a decade ago by bringing a catalog of exciting
new titles to book buyers around the globe,” says Jessica Walliser, editorial director for gardening at Cool Springs Press. “Our primary focus now is to publish a wealth of new titles focused on modern gardening techniques, houseplant cultivation, boutique plant groups, and more.”
This year, the imprint will publish such diverse titles as The Modern Homestead Garden: Growing Self-Sufficiency in Any Size Backyard by veteran gardener Gary Pilarchik, which reveals how easy it is to start growing healthy food, and A Woman’s Garden: Grow Beautiful Plants and Make Useful Things by organic gardener, soap maker, beekeeper, and beauty producer Tanya Anderson of Lovely Greens.
As the imprint celebrates its 25th anniversary, Cool Springs Press is well positioned in a market that continues to grow. Industry research indicates that 16 to 20 million people began gardening for the first time last year while quarantining during the pandemic. With 80% of those planning to continue in 2021, readers of Cool Springs Press books now have a variety of new titles from which to choose.
New books include two titles in The First-Time Gardener series, Growing Vegetables and Growing Plants and Flowers, as well as titles for more experienced gardeners, such as New Naturalism: Designing and Planting a Resilient, Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden by horticulturist Kelly D. Norris.
“Our 2021 and 2022 lists include books from some of the most passionate and recognizable voices in the garden influencer community,” Walliser says. “In addition, Cool Springs Press has a rich history that includes titles from professional horticulturists, botanists, and academics.”
Popular Cool Springs titles include Houseplants: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Growing, and Caring for Indoor Plants by Lisa Eldred Steinkopf, as well as The Field Guide to Urban Gardening by Kevin Espiritu of epicgardening.com, who this month is publishing Grow Bag Gardening: The Revolutionary Way to Grow Bountiful Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Flowers in Lightweight, Eco-friendly Fabric Pots.
Cool Springs Press and its authors are also proud to be celebrating National Gardening Day on April 14 of this year. Created by Cool Springs Press in 2018, the now annual event encourages home gardeners to learn more about how to garden and broadly communicates the benefits of gardening, including growing healthy food, enjoying a rewarding pastime, and creating bountiful beauty.
Look to your local media and garden centers or go to quartoknows.com for more information on National Gardening Day.
