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Martha Stewart's Gardening Handbook: The Essential Guide to Designing, Planting, and Growing―Martha Stewart's Handbook For Growing Beautiful Plants and Vegetables
The first fully comprehensive gardening guide from the legendary Martha Stewart in more than 30 years, with everything you need to know to curate a beautiful, thriving garden
Master the art of gardening with Martha Stewart's Gardening an in-depth guide that will teach you the knowledge and skills to cultivate a flourishing garden. From understanding soil composition to learning about different types of plants and gardening methods, you’ll discover the secrets to creating a stunning outdoor oasis.
Martha
the nuances of careful planningsoil testingdrainagewatering and rainfallunderstanding plant hardiness zonesthe art of choosing the healthiest plants for your specific climatePlus, all different kinds of plants
annuals, perennials, and bulbssucculents and cactivegetable and herb gardenstrees and shrubsFrom designing your garden to selecting the right varieties for your region, this manual has every detail covered. Whether you’re a green thumb or a gardening novice, this gorgeous book, filled with practical tips, stunning images (many from Martha’s personal gardens), and detailed explanations, will arm you with the knowledge to help your garden thrive. As Martha likes to say, gardening is a never-ending opportunity for growth.
Master the art of gardening with Martha Stewart's Gardening an in-depth guide that will teach you the knowledge and skills to cultivate a flourishing garden. From understanding soil composition to learning about different types of plants and gardening methods, you’ll discover the secrets to creating a stunning outdoor oasis.
Martha
the nuances of careful planningsoil testingdrainagewatering and rainfallunderstanding plant hardiness zonesthe art of choosing the healthiest plants for your specific climatePlus, all different kinds of plants
annuals, perennials, and bulbssucculents and cactivegetable and herb gardenstrees and shrubsFrom designing your garden to selecting the right varieties for your region, this manual has every detail covered. Whether you’re a green thumb or a gardening novice, this gorgeous book, filled with practical tips, stunning images (many from Martha’s personal gardens), and detailed explanations, will arm you with the knowledge to help your garden thrive. As Martha likes to say, gardening is a never-ending opportunity for growth.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published March 18, 2025
109 people are currently reading
343 people want to read
About the author
Martha Stewart
459 books581 followersMartha Helen Stewart is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, focusing on home and hospitality, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, merchandising and e-commerce. She has written numerous bestselling books, was the publisher of Martha Stewart Living magazine and hosted two syndicated television programs: Martha Stewart Living, which ran from 1993 to 2004, and The Martha Stewart Show, which ran from 2005 to 2012.
In 2004, Stewart was convicted of felony charges related to the ImClone stock trading case; she served five months in federal prison for fraud and was released in March 2005. There was speculation that the incident would effectively end her media empire, but in 2005 Stewart began a comeback campaign and her company returned to profitability in 2006. Stewart rejoined the board of directors of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2011 and became chairwoman of her namesake company again in 2012. The company was acquired by Sequential Brands in 2015. Sequential Brands Group agreed in April 2019 to sell Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, including the Emeril brand, to Marquee Brands for $175 million with benchmarked additional payments.
In 2004, Stewart was convicted of felony charges related to the ImClone stock trading case; she served five months in federal prison for fraud and was released in March 2005. There was speculation that the incident would effectively end her media empire, but in 2005 Stewart began a comeback campaign and her company returned to profitability in 2006. Stewart rejoined the board of directors of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2011 and became chairwoman of her namesake company again in 2012. The company was acquired by Sequential Brands in 2015. Sequential Brands Group agreed in April 2019 to sell Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, including the Emeril brand, to Marquee Brands for $175 million with benchmarked additional payments.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 23, 2025
I am newer to gardening and trying to develop a green thumb--this has lots of excellent and practical advice and I know I will come back to this book again and again.
April 14, 2025
Classic Martha vs New Martha.
Martha Stewart's Gardening: Month by Month is old favorite of mine. Yes it's a bit dated, but I'm always inspired by it. I usually flip through whatever month we are in. Plus it has seasonal recipes.
I was excited to get my hands the first new Martha gardening book in 30 years - Martha Stewart's Gardening Handbook. It's a beautiful book. Garden photography has come a long way. I appreciated the graphics of things like Companion Planting. My favorite part was the Monthly Calendars at the end.
While it's very informative, it feels geared more towards the newer gardener. Would be a perfect gift for someone who's just starting to garden. I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I got a copy from my Library rather than purchasing. I'm sticking with Classic Martha in my Gardening Library. 👩🏻🌾
Martha Stewart's Gardening: Month by Month is old favorite of mine. Yes it's a bit dated, but I'm always inspired by it. I usually flip through whatever month we are in. Plus it has seasonal recipes.
I was excited to get my hands the first new Martha gardening book in 30 years - Martha Stewart's Gardening Handbook. It's a beautiful book. Garden photography has come a long way. I appreciated the graphics of things like Companion Planting. My favorite part was the Monthly Calendars at the end.
While it's very informative, it feels geared more towards the newer gardener. Would be a perfect gift for someone who's just starting to garden. I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I got a copy from my Library rather than purchasing. I'm sticking with Classic Martha in my Gardening Library. 👩🏻🌾
December 30, 2025
How is 2025’s Martha Stewart’s Gardening Handbook: The Essential Guide to Designing, Planting and Growing different from 1991’s Martha Stewart’s Gardening Month by Month? The blurb on that one told us she has been gardening since she was 3 years old. She’s 84 now.
There have been shorter illustrated Do-It-Yourself step-by-step guides in the form of 1999’s Gardening from Seed (112 pages), 2000’s Gardening 101: Learn How to Plan, Plant, and Maintain a Garden (144 pages) and 2018’s Martha's Flowers: A Practical Guide to Growing, Gathering, and Enjoying (288 pages). At 368 pages, the 2025 tome is as long as the 1991 version. Both have been released in coffee-table-sized format hardcover. So what is new? The new book has been released as an audiobook with Stewart and Gabra Zackman as narrators.
In 1991, her advice came from her trial and error over the course of 20 years on the six acre land located in Westport Connecticut (called the Turkey Hill farmstead). She sold that place by 2007. The 2025 book features lessons she’s learnt in her 153-acre Bedford estate in Katonah, New York. Both farms fall in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6.
Btw, in the good old days a dedicated spread on gardening was published every March in Martha Stewart Living Magazine.
Unlike others, who think they can wing it, by selling dried flower sprinkles because some marketing guy told them they could make money this way, Martha gets her hands dirty. This snippet is of her handmade dried flower potpourri for guests from the 1991 book.
Martha Stewart is probably the original influencer, instragrammable before there ever was an instagram. The pictures and illustrations in her books are always gorgeous, detailed and authentic. Her keen eye, strong aesthetic and hard work is supplanted by an army of helpers, landscape designers, plantsmen, caretakers and botanical experts. She thanks all of them. She thanked all of them in the 1991 handbook which took 4 years to produce. Since she grows everything from the ground up, i.e. from seed, i.e. various flowers (annuals, perennials and bulbs), succulents and cacti, shrubs and trees, grasses, fruits and vegetables and herbs, her latest is good for beginners as well as established gardeners and for cooks looking for fresh seasonal meals. You can either try a new thing or re-do something old or remove what’s not working. She is a teacher and this is a tutorial. The longest chapter is on specialty gardens such as rose garden, water-wise garden (i.e. a garden that incorporates water conservation principles) and habitat garden (i.e. a garden that nurtures birds, bees and animals for a healthy ecosystem). She is into informal, idiosyncratic, wild-looking low-maintenance cottage gardens and fields which reminded me of the beautiful English country side and Miss Marple’s St. Mary Mead. The 1991 guide had recipes and there are none here. But of course, you can get them in most of her 100 previous books (this is her 101st), from Martha Stewart wesbite and the Martha Stewart blog. I’ll recommend checking out her favorite gardening books as well, which are given on her website. She has an entire library on gardening, of course:
There’s instruction and vanity-laced joy and then there’s dedication, evolution, sentiment, satisfaction and gratitude in the act of gardening itself and incorporating it in cooking, entertaining, crafting. That’s timeless inspiration right there to get something going. This is a way to be food sovereign and combat climate change. This is a way of life. The great outdoors that start one big adventure.
“If you want to be happy for a year, get married. If you want to be happy for a decade, get a dog. And if you want to be happy for the rest of your life, make a garden.”
—Martha Stewart, Martha Netflix Documentary
The big takeaway from this book (which is a lush collector's item) and Martha's life is to take a leap of faith and take a risk and just do it. You can read a hundred books on gardening but you'll never get it unless you get the actual experience.
Review on Youtube: https://youtu.be/qCAJAgKvRbg
There have been shorter illustrated Do-It-Yourself step-by-step guides in the form of 1999’s Gardening from Seed (112 pages), 2000’s Gardening 101: Learn How to Plan, Plant, and Maintain a Garden (144 pages) and 2018’s Martha's Flowers: A Practical Guide to Growing, Gathering, and Enjoying (288 pages). At 368 pages, the 2025 tome is as long as the 1991 version. Both have been released in coffee-table-sized format hardcover. So what is new? The new book has been released as an audiobook with Stewart and Gabra Zackman as narrators.
In 1991, her advice came from her trial and error over the course of 20 years on the six acre land located in Westport Connecticut (called the Turkey Hill farmstead). She sold that place by 2007. The 2025 book features lessons she’s learnt in her 153-acre Bedford estate in Katonah, New York. Both farms fall in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6.
Btw, in the good old days a dedicated spread on gardening was published every March in Martha Stewart Living Magazine.
Unlike others, who think they can wing it, by selling dried flower sprinkles because some marketing guy told them they could make money this way, Martha gets her hands dirty. This snippet is of her handmade dried flower potpourri for guests from the 1991 book.
Martha Stewart is probably the original influencer, instragrammable before there ever was an instagram. The pictures and illustrations in her books are always gorgeous, detailed and authentic. Her keen eye, strong aesthetic and hard work is supplanted by an army of helpers, landscape designers, plantsmen, caretakers and botanical experts. She thanks all of them. She thanked all of them in the 1991 handbook which took 4 years to produce. Since she grows everything from the ground up, i.e. from seed, i.e. various flowers (annuals, perennials and bulbs), succulents and cacti, shrubs and trees, grasses, fruits and vegetables and herbs, her latest is good for beginners as well as established gardeners and for cooks looking for fresh seasonal meals. You can either try a new thing or re-do something old or remove what’s not working. She is a teacher and this is a tutorial. The longest chapter is on specialty gardens such as rose garden, water-wise garden (i.e. a garden that incorporates water conservation principles) and habitat garden (i.e. a garden that nurtures birds, bees and animals for a healthy ecosystem). She is into informal, idiosyncratic, wild-looking low-maintenance cottage gardens and fields which reminded me of the beautiful English country side and Miss Marple’s St. Mary Mead. The 1991 guide had recipes and there are none here. But of course, you can get them in most of her 100 previous books (this is her 101st), from Martha Stewart wesbite and the Martha Stewart blog. I’ll recommend checking out her favorite gardening books as well, which are given on her website. She has an entire library on gardening, of course:
There’s instruction and vanity-laced joy and then there’s dedication, evolution, sentiment, satisfaction and gratitude in the act of gardening itself and incorporating it in cooking, entertaining, crafting. That’s timeless inspiration right there to get something going. This is a way to be food sovereign and combat climate change. This is a way of life. The great outdoors that start one big adventure.
“If you want to be happy for a year, get married. If you want to be happy for a decade, get a dog. And if you want to be happy for the rest of your life, make a garden.”
—Martha Stewart, Martha Netflix Documentary
The big takeaway from this book (which is a lush collector's item) and Martha's life is to take a leap of faith and take a risk and just do it. You can read a hundred books on gardening but you'll never get it unless you get the actual experience.
Review on Youtube: https://youtu.be/qCAJAgKvRbg
January 9, 2026
I enjoyed reading this book this winter while waiting for warmer weather to play outside again.
As a beginner gardener (less than one year experience), the part I gained the most information from was about fertilizing. I’ve always thought fertilizer was for people who are on their A+ game, but now I know it’s plant FOOD (duh). Martha helped me learn how often to apply and that the fertilizing methods from gardening groups I follow via social media align with her philosophies as well.
I also appreciated the reminders to make sure you’re planning your gardens with all season interest, as well as diverse offerings to support the ecosystem.
I docked a star for having a section devoted to Clematis, and leaving out that they are classed by three groups. She mentioned to prune in fall and “early spring.” From my novice understanding, people who have clematis in the old wood group would be pruning all their blooms off with that information. To be fair, she threw in blanket advice to “ask a clerk for more information, etc.,” (which appears annoyingly often in this handbook, IMO) but why couldn’t she just elaborate on the groups since there is a section on it?
NOTABLE QUOTES
“A thriving garden cannot be rushed. Careful planning and patience are prerequisites, as is gaining familiarity with the components of a vigorous ecosystem that will support the plants (and local wildlife) and satisfy your aesthetic goals.”
“Go to nurseries and find something you love, and just start digging and planting. You’re bound to make mistakes—I make lots—but you’ll learn from them, and you can always dig up a plant and try again.”
“As celebrated British horticulturist and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll sums it up: ‘A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.’”
“Lucky is the gardener who inherits mature trees in their landscape. After all, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time? Today.”
As a beginner gardener (less than one year experience), the part I gained the most information from was about fertilizing. I’ve always thought fertilizer was for people who are on their A+ game, but now I know it’s plant FOOD (duh). Martha helped me learn how often to apply and that the fertilizing methods from gardening groups I follow via social media align with her philosophies as well.
I also appreciated the reminders to make sure you’re planning your gardens with all season interest, as well as diverse offerings to support the ecosystem.
I docked a star for having a section devoted to Clematis, and leaving out that they are classed by three groups. She mentioned to prune in fall and “early spring.” From my novice understanding, people who have clematis in the old wood group would be pruning all their blooms off with that information. To be fair, she threw in blanket advice to “ask a clerk for more information, etc.,” (which appears annoyingly often in this handbook, IMO) but why couldn’t she just elaborate on the groups since there is a section on it?
NOTABLE QUOTES
“A thriving garden cannot be rushed. Careful planning and patience are prerequisites, as is gaining familiarity with the components of a vigorous ecosystem that will support the plants (and local wildlife) and satisfy your aesthetic goals.”
“Go to nurseries and find something you love, and just start digging and planting. You’re bound to make mistakes—I make lots—but you’ll learn from them, and you can always dig up a plant and try again.”
“As celebrated British horticulturist and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll sums it up: ‘A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.’”
“Lucky is the gardener who inherits mature trees in their landscape. After all, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time? Today.”
May 31, 2025
Got hold of this book from my library to check it out in response to the many reviews noting it as a book for the ‘beginner gardner.’ Well, anyone who is half- honest will admit that gardening is one of the more humbling occupations, akin to ‘man plans, God laughs.’ The book is chock full of recommendations and best practices (from experts). And small steps — for example I’d never thought to put paper from the paper shredder into the compost to add brown structure … plus how to be ‘a better friend’ :) to my gardening tools -
Not really a book I expect one would read ‘cover to cover,’ rather simply dive in to the section of interest. Sure, there are many elementary sections and pictures do not note plant varieties, and perhaps a great deal of the material is repurposed from prior content (should you have these…) - yet the broad topical coverage, ideas, many suggestions - worth a $16 kindle purchase to me as a resource.
And, in contrast, this book is much more accessible than the brilliant yet densely verbose Penelope Hobhouse’s “A Book of Gardening: A Practical Guide,” wonderful and instructive as that is !
Not really a book I expect one would read ‘cover to cover,’ rather simply dive in to the section of interest. Sure, there are many elementary sections and pictures do not note plant varieties, and perhaps a great deal of the material is repurposed from prior content (should you have these…) - yet the broad topical coverage, ideas, many suggestions - worth a $16 kindle purchase to me as a resource.
And, in contrast, this book is much more accessible than the brilliant yet densely verbose Penelope Hobhouse’s “A Book of Gardening: A Practical Guide,” wonderful and instructive as that is !
April 2, 2025
Picked up Martha Stewart’s Gardening Handbook from my library, drawn to its promise as a green-thumb guide. As a former Garden Club President, I love Martha’s style, but this felt like a rehash of her other books—design, planting, growing, all the usual. It’s a solid refresher with her signature polish, but I wanted more new insights. Still, the layouts inspired me post-Secret Garden. 3 stars for a familiar bloom.
March 22, 2025
Martha’s gardening book from the 1980s has long been my gardening bible. Her new gardening book is gorgeously put together and the photography is beautiful. I will note that this book is clearly for a very beginner gardener. If you’re an experienced gardener, I’d still purchase it as a coffee table book.
April 9, 2025
Martha’s newest gardening guide covers a plethora of topics none of them in depth. As a quick reference guide it would serve adequately. As an inspiration or a coffee table book it would be stellar. As expected from this imprint the presentation is lush. I couldn’t help wishing the beautiful photos had all been labeled.
April 12, 2025
Not a fan of the photos of Martha herself, in which she always poses in spotless clothes and with new garden tools, but this book is nonetheless an excellent and motivating primer for any hopeful gardener. It covers a wide breadth of subjects but gives the reader just enough information on each one so as to empower them to get started with whatever their gardening dreams might entail.
April 13, 2025
Even Martha says to plant natives and make seed balls! I'm ahead of the curve!
Minus one star because some of these photos look heavily edited and Canada is not included in the map of America even though 90% of our population would have been included if the map was just extended a little bit north.
Minus one star because some of these photos look heavily edited and Canada is not included in the map of America even though 90% of our population would have been included if the map was just extended a little bit north.
April 25, 2025
Another nice coffee table book. Very rudimentary gardening information, but still helpful. The photos were to be inspiring but don’t expect to find out what the flower/tree/shrub is because they’re not listed on the sides or near. Seems like quite the fail for a visually dependent gardening book!
The photos of Martha are jarring. They’re way too staged and unnatural.
The photos of Martha are jarring. They’re way too staged and unnatural.
June 15, 2025
I’ve always loved Martha Stewart, from way back in my 20s when my wife read her magazine, but I never had read any of her books. She is an amazing person, and this book is really great too. I’ll be coming back to it for reference, as it is a handbook. But it is also a lovely read-through. I’ve learned quite a bit that I hope to apply to future gardening and plant care.
July 15, 2025
Amazing gardening book that touches on so many different topics. Beautiful pictures that are both inspirational and informative. Reading through this really sparked more creativity with my own garden.
October 5, 2025
I felt most of the content is geared towards northern gardening. I live in FL and found half of it applicable to where I live, however, it was still an informative and entertaining read. I was hoping for something more universal, but I suppose that comes with the territory of locality.
March 21, 2025
Good info and reference for all levels of gardeners.
March 24, 2025
Gorgeous book; best for beginners.
May 15, 2025
I found this to be a wonderful garden resource and reference. Beautiful pictures as well.
June 16, 2025
At first, I thought this was a beginner's guide to gardening, but it turned into quite an informative book. Whether beginner or experienced, you will come across information you can use.
June 18, 2025
Fantastic resource for beginners but a bit redundant for any seasoned gardeners out there. Still love me some Martha regardless 🫶🏻
July 28, 2025
Classic Martha Stewart. I felt this was a great book to give you the basics of gardening as well as some advanced tips. Thorough and full of good knowledge from the veteran herself.
August 5, 2025
Beautiful pictures. Great easy to digest info. This would be a beautiful gift for a gardener in your life.
November 27, 2025
A great reference book for both beginning and established gardeners. This book retails for $40.00 and I think is worth it. Great pictures of her properties too.
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July 30, 2025Practical gardening tips for all levels, and lovely inspiration.
August 2, 2025
I am obsessed Martha Stewart! I love this book so much.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews