Martha Stewart's Gardening Handbook: The Essential Guide to Designing, Planting, and Growing

by Martha Stewart

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.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Nature, Reference

368 pages, Hardcover

Published March 18, 2025

About the author

Martha 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.

Reviews

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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. 👩🏻‍🌾

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 !

[Sheila Metcalf · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Barbara Kochick · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[R.C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Stephen McGillivray · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Kristen Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Veronica Yambrovich · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good info and reference for all levels of gardeners.

[Jane Dugger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gorgeous book; best for beginners.

[Jane Callahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a wonderful garden resource and reference. Beautiful pictures as well.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Sarah Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic resource for beginners but a bit redundant for any seasoned gardeners out there. Still love me some Martha regardless 🫶🏻

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Jana Soroski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures. Great easy to digest info. This would be a beautiful gift for a gardener in your life.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Rebecca Durrant]

Practical gardening tips for all levels, and lovely inspiration.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am obsessed Martha Stewart! I love this book so much.