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There's a sense among publishers that gardening books are the poor relation in the gardening business these days. "What's interesting is that if you look at the amount of money people are spending on gardens, garden accessories and outdoor furniture, there's no doubt that gardening is a robust area," says Clarkson Potter's editorial director, Doris Cooper. "But books in the category are downtrending." The press is now publishing only one or two carefully selected gardening titles each year.

Firefly publisher and president Lionel Koffler agrees: "The category is struggling now, with retailers despondent that book sales are declining, yet the public pours billions into gardens and garden tools, plants and landscaping." Why the contrast? Koffler attributes it partly to the fact that gardeners are experienced and increasingly sophisticated, and they don't need general introductions any more. He also laments that few bookstores have staff who are knowledgeable about gardening trends. The category's current lack of growth stands in sharp contrast to what Koffler describes as "a wildly successful 20-year ride from 1978 to about 2000."

"The days of the big bestseller in this category seem to be over," agrees Sterling publisher Charles Nurnberg.

Marie Iannotti, who runs the gardening site on About.com, where she regularly reviews books, says that from where she sits, growth in gardening as a hobby has leveled off. Still, she receives many inquiries from new gardeners. "They are interested now in some new things—small gardens, urban gardens and growing vegetables, as opposed to ornamentals," she says. "Designing big gardens seems to have faded, but people with small bits of space still want to utilize it as best they can. Container gardening"—plants in pots rather than in the ground—"is growing rapidly."

Although the National Gardening Association recently reported tersely on the current state of affairs— "For most people today, if an activity doesn't come with a remote control or a keyboard, they're not really interested"—publishers of gardening books remain hopeful, aware that fallow seasons often lead to bountiful ones. The following new titles typify the positive outlook of a number of publishers.

TITLE: 37 Houseplants Even You Can't Kill

AUTHOR: Mary Kate Hogan

PUBLISHER: Sterling (Apr., $9.95)

FIRST PRINTING: 7,500

SOW WHAT? With a petite size and price, this handy, photo-packed paperback aims squarely for a specific niche that is, by definition, underserved by the gardening category: nongardeners. Says publisher Michael Fragnito, "This is the perfect book for anyone pressed for time and pressed for space. Even someone with a black thumb will easily be able to select and care for great-looking houseplants."

TITLE: Crops in Pots: How to Plan, Plant, and Grow Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs in Easy-Care Containers

AUTHOR: Bob Purnell

PUBLISHER: Reader's Digest (Mar., $19.95)

FIRST PRINTING: 20,000

SOW WHAT? It builds on a trend with a proven track record. Executive editor Dolores York explains: "Our readers continue to tell us they love gardening in containers, yet Crops in Pots differs from other container books because it offers planting options grouped around a culinary theme that includes vegetables, fruits and herbs nestled among flowering plants."

TITLE: The Way WeGarden Now: 41 Pick-and-Choose Projects for Planting YourParadise Large or Small

AUTHOR: Katherine Whiteside

PUBLISHER: Clarkson Potter (Feb., $29.95)

FIRST PRINTING: 25,000 (and already gone back to press)

SOW WHAT? The author has star power and a broad platform. "For years Katherine Whiteside wrote House Beautiful's Garden Goddess column," reports editorial director Doris Cooper, "and she forged corporate partnerships with big companies like Land Rover and Smith & Hawken, who put her on the road, giving lectures to gardeners and other outdoorsy types. She has a real following among all types of plant lovers."

TITLE: Small Buildings, Small Gardens:Creating Gardens Around Structures

AUTHOR: Gordon Hayward

PUBLISHER: Gibbs Smith (Mar., $29.95)

FIRST PRINTING: 7,000

SOW WHAT? "Small Buildings, Small Gardens presents a unique approach to blending built structure and greenery," says editorial director Suzanne Taylor. "It goes beyond plantings into architecture as an element. There's a growing trend in the home and garden market to create living spaces outdoors, adding elements that you might expect to find inside the home rather than in the garden."

TITLE: Compost

AUTHOR: Ken Thompson

PUBLISHER: DK (Feb., $18)

FIRST PRINTING: 10,000

SOW WHAT? Therese Burke, senior v-p of sales and marketing, says this hardcover, which comes robed in a cunning corrugated cardboard jacket, has potential appeal far beyond the usual gardening audience. "With the publication of Compost," she says, "we've recognized that the single-subject esoteric garden companion can be a practical guide or a reader for the environmentally conscious and curious."

TITLE: Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem Solver: The Best and Latest Advice for Beating Pests, Diseases, and Weeds and Staying a Step Ahead of Trouble in the Garden

AUTHOR: Fern Marshall Bradley

PUBLISHER: Rodale (Feb., $19.95)

FIRST PRINTING: 20,000

SOW WHAT? This paperback reference presents a copious amount of practical information in orange-and-green text and drawings of everything from cutworm feeding damage to easy blanching techniques for vegetable preserving. Senior editor Karen Bolesta says, "This title addresses the reality that most gardeners face when growing vegetables—not every vegetable crop is a success. The book's problem-solving theme is actually approached from a positive angle."

TITLE: Tending Your Garden: A Year-Round Guide to Garden Maintenance

AUTHORS: Gordon and Mary Hayward

PUBLISHER: Norton (Feb., $39.95)

FIRST PRINTING: 15,000

SOW WHAT? Plenty of gardening books offer suggestions for getting started, but then what? Maintenance takes up an estimated 75% of a gardener's time, but is not nearly as frequently addressed. Prolific author Gordon Hayward (see also Small Buildings, Small Gardens, p. 46) and his wife and fellow gardener, Mary Hayward, answer what Norton editor-in-chief Starling Lawrence terms the "very specific questions" Hayward hears on the lecture circuit about such tasks as pruning, weeding and repairing stone walls.