THINK of the festive season and you probably think of being snuggled up inside by a roaring fire – but put a new gardening book on your Christmas wish-list, and you could be thinking of your spring planting too.

Whether you’re a grow-yourown beginner, or a more experienced enthusiast wanting to try something new, there’s a wealth of inspirational and educational horticultural reads out there.

Here’s a few of the best...

Of Rhubarb And Roses: The Telegraph Book Of The Garden, edited by Tim Richardson is published in hardback by Aurum, priced £25 The gardening glitterati past and present, including Bunny Guinness, Vita Sackville- West, Gertrude Jekyll and Fred Whitsey, have all featured in the Telegraph’s gardening column since it began in the 1930s. Editor and garden writer Tim Richardson has trawled through the archives to find some splendid anecdotes from many of the plantsmen and women who’ve written for the paper on subjects varying from ‘Conflict among the marrows’ to ‘Problems with the secateurs- in-handbag brigade’.

This book is perfect for a gentle read, with a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine.

The Allotment Planner, by Matthew Appleby is published in hardback by Frances Lincoln, priced £14.99 IF you fancy taking on an allotment in the new year, or already have one you’d like to develop further, this handy guide will help you plan your planting schemes and give you insights into how to make the most of your plot - bt that simply growing something new to eat or making money from your produce.

Appleby, a blogging garden journalist on Horticulture Week, has written it in a month-by-month format, with bullet points in many sections and practical advice throughout, along with blank pages for your own notes. It’s an easy-to-follow guide with modern and traditional ideas.

Clondeglass: Creating A Garden Paradise by Dermot O’Neill is published in hardback by Kyle, priced £25 THIS glorious book with beautiful, inspirational pictures, tells the story of the transformation of the walled garden at Clondeglass in Co.

Laois, Ireland, from derelict, neglected wasteland to the stunning creation it is today. As the restoration is lovingly recorded, the author’s own personal battle with cancer is also charted as he explores the positive, therapeutic role gardening can play in recovering from a serious illness.

The New English Garden, by Tim Richardson is published in hardback by Frances Lincoln, priced £40 THIS coffee table tome will definitely impress visitors coming for Christmas drinks. It explores an exceptionally rich period in English garden design, selecting 25 gardens which have gone through an intense phase of creativity and innovation in the last 20 years. The gardens chosen (most of which are open to the public), cover the wide range of styles flourishing in English garden design today, including the Prince of Wales’s garden at Highgrove, Trentham Gardens (a Capability Brown landscape imaginatively reworked for the 20th century by Piet Oudolf, Tom Stuart-Smith and Dominic Cole), Arabella Lennox- Boyd’s own garden, and Christopher Bradley-Hole’s Modernist garden at Crockmore House. Illustrated with more than 300 fantastic photographs.

RHS What To Plant Where Encyclopaedia is published in hardback by Dorling Kindersley, priced £25 KNOWING where to plant is just as important as choosing what to plant when planning the perfect garden. In this new encyclopaedia, RHS experts make both factors easy with details on more than 3,000 shrubs, perennials, trees, flowers and bulbs, and the best sites to plant them.

The book is divided into two sections: locations and plants for effect, which suggests planting for different uses. It will be the plant bible for newcomers and experienced gardeners alike.

Perfect Patios and Terraces: How to Enhance Outdoor Spaces With Paving, Walls, Fences and Plants, Shown in 100 Photographs by Andrew Mikolajski is published in hardback by Lorenz Books, priced £3.99 IF your patio needs sprucing up, this ideal stocking-filler may provide you with the inspiration you need. It offers ideas for paths and paving with bricks, tiles, cobbles, gravel, railway sleepers and mosaics, and how to use walls, fences, plants, furniture, lighting and ornaments on a range of sites including sunny, shady and windy, as well as structures suitable for children and pets.

Which? Choosing Garden Plants Made Easy is published in paperback, by Which?, priced £8.99 THE Which? gardening guides are well-loved for their practical information, simple layout and easy-tofollow format.

This latest edition is no exception and, as well as showing how to gain the best results, offers details on how each plant tested in trials.