It seems every other day some celebrity joins the organic green brigade, cashing in on the chic image of conservation and gaining brownie points from a public incensed by the 'Inconvenient Truth'.

But, while many celebs milk the environmental cash-cow there are one or two who are bona fide pioneers.

HRH Prince of Wales is one such unassuming trend-setter.

26 years ago, Prince Charles bought a dilapidated garden and adjoining farm and began his jaunt with organic gardening. The principles he employed then weren't as Treehugger-ish as they are now so he endured the scorn of neighbours and a relentless public edging for a chance to bring shame again to this man.

However, like any true pioneer the proof is always found in the pudding. And Highgrove is some pudding.

Fortunately for those of us who didn't get an invitation to visit, our HRH has now produced a book - The Elements of Organic Gardening (aff.) - in conjunction with Country Living magazine's editor, Stephanie Donaldson.

And, before you write this off as just another money-making venture by the world's elite take some time to consider what this man has to offer. 26 years pursuing his passion of sustainable gardening practices can't be summed up in a "Top 10 Organic Ideas" post.

Plus, it's not the first book that Prince Charles has written. Five years ago HRH published - Highgrove (aff.) - in conjunction with Charles Clover, the Environment Editor of the DAILY TELEGRAPH.This book is really the beginning of the garden and farming practices at Highgrove and the philosophy behind the choices made.

For a great article on the US journalist's visit to Highgrove read Adrian Higgins account.

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Imagine a garden where vegetables are infused with anabolic steroids and instantly you can visualise the gist of Susan Warren's first book Backyard Giants: The Passionate, Heartbreaking, and Glorious Quest to Grow the Biggest Pumpkin Ever(aff.).

It's a story, not a how-to, on growing ginormous pumpkins. Following the do-or-die tactics of father-son combo Ron and Dick Wallace, Backyard Giants exposes the beauty and absurdity behind those gardeners with a passion for - LARGE!

Many uni-focused gardeners will resonate with the challenge that lies in front of these two. The right seed. The masses of fertiliser. Precision watering. Everything needs to be perfect in order to produce a pumpkin that wrestles a mention.

But for those gardeners who are just happy producing a summer bed of annuals - you're probably not going to 'get' the testosterone-charged behaviour that forces these two to alter nature's path. Their sheer determination and desire to win - however banal the competition may seem - is inspiring. A little perplexing at times but provided you can appreciate their dream you'll find this a fascinating read.

Susan Warren is the deputy bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal in Dallas, Texas. She is also an avid gardener and this is her first book which goes on sale today.

Here's what other bloggers are saying about the book;

Carol from May Dreams Garden linked to these other great gardeners as well -
Colleen - In The Garden Online
Steven - Dirt Sun Rain
Hannah - This Garden Is Illegal
Genie - Inadvertent Gardener,
and Michelle from My Grandpa's Garden (who's actually growing her own giant pumpkin).

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Some gardening books, such as Tracey DiSabato-Aust's The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques (aff.), are masterpieces and deserve a spot on your bookshelf for eternity. Some, like Sean Hogan's Flora: A Gardener's Encyclopedia (aff.), are reference materials that you refer to constantly. And some are gifts from uninitiated gardeners or books you bought at a time of weakness.

Now they just take up space and collect dust.

What can you do with them? Here's a few options that you might find useful;

1. Re-sell them - if you want to get something back on the purchase price that you squandered then you might want to consider reselling them on Amazon or listing for auction on Ebay. They're both easy ways to get clean up your shelves and put some cash back in your pocket.
2. Join BookCrossing - this is such a cool idea. It works by people registering their books online at BookCrossing. Then they "set them free" by leaving them on a park bench, in a cafe or a bus port and then track the book's whereabouts via the same site.
3. Donate them to Adopt A Library - all books that are donated to Adopt A Library are forwarded onto prisons, schools and other areas where they can be used again.
4. Visit a book exchange - Most cities and towns in the western world offer a book exchange. They work by requesting you exchange the number of books that you're looking for and paying a nominal fee for purchase. These places often carry valuable books that unsuspecting exchangers swap without knowing their true worth. Good places for wasting an hour or two.
5. Online Book Exchange - if the local book exchange is a little limited in what they offer then on option might be becoming a member on MyBookExchange.com. This site offers free membership and you only pay a $1 request fee for each book that you find. You will need to keep at least 2 books listed to retain your membership and sort out postage costs but otherwise it's a very cheap option.
6. Donate them to a local library or charity - if your unwanted books are still in good condition then most libraries and charities would be happy to accept them. It doesn't result in any benefit to you as neither will part with and form of swap or exchange but you can rest knowing that you made a contribution to society.
7. Recycle as gifts - a fellow staff member (who you hardly know) is having a housewarming and you've automatically found the perfect gift. Provided it's still in good condition this might be a great option for making room on your shelves for books that you actually want.
8. Compile into an ideas file - even the worst gardening books have at least one or two redeeming photographs that could be cut out and pasted into a scrapbook of inspirational ideas. The rest of the book can then be recycled or,

Ok, I know I said "8 ways..." but I'm adding this last one in for free...

9. Turn them into compost - if you can't give them away, nobody's interested in buying them and you've removed all the inspirational ideas (or there weren't any in the first place), then the only option is to at least make them useful in the garden. Don't just throw the whole book in as is, otherwise it will take a few years to eventually break down. Instead, shred it into strips and soak in water before adding to your heap and it will compost quite readily.

   It might even give you some sordid satisfaction as you watch it decompose.

So, don't just throw them in the bin and send them off to landfill. Find ways to get them back into circulation and onto someone else's shelves. It's therapeutic for you and good for the environment.

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One of the best gardening books that I have laid my hands on recently is William Bryant Logan's The Tool Book. Thumbing through the pages, you could be forgiven for thinking that it was just a catalogue of gardening implements. But, as you start to read Logan's dialogue you get a sense that this book is more than pretty pictures and fluffy content.

The Tool Book is really a history lesson dating back to when mankind began to till the soil and make it useful. He explains each garden tool - yes, even the ones that have you completely baffled as to their use - and muses over how they came to be, how they have been refined and current expressions and ways to use them.

The one thing that struck me was that Logan doesn't just describe a 'hoe' as a 'hoe'. It's either a 'weeding hoe' or 'cultivating hoe' and its specific design has been styled for a unique purpose (not that this would surprise Carol). And, every other tool in the book gets the same treatment.

For gardeners new to their hobby, and even those who have been enjoying this pastime for a while, the Tool Book is sure to open your eyes to some great tools and their purposes. In fact, if I were a brand new gardener this book would be the first thing I read as it will propel your gardening knowledge beyond your current experiences.

Logan's The Tool Book is one of those must-have reads that will probably take pride of place in your gardening collection. Its design is simple and easy to use and you will find yourself coming back to it time and time again to find better ways of doing the same job.

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