Spring, sadly, is still months away. But the cure to gardeners’ aching green thumbs may be tucked away on a bookshelf. What better way to imagine dancing through fields of lavender or sitting by a babbling brook than by nosing up to a well-crafted garden book? A good page-turner can almost melt away the frost on the window pane.

Cheryl Weaver, a sales associate at Borders, thinks books are one of the greatest gifts around.

“Books are wonderful because they take the reader to beyond the moment,” she says. “Somehow, a book seems to give to the recipient again and again — particularly kids’ books and instructional books because you find yourself reading those over and over.”

There is a tactile experience that comes with both reading and gardening. Turning a page in a book or turning over soil are both hands-on activities. Books have become important resources for gardeners or aspiring gardeners.

“Landscaping books are definitely hot sellers,” Weaver says. “Everyone seems to want rock gardens and water gardens. Books afford them a working knowledge of the garden they seek.

“The TV shows are starting to come out with good gardening and advice books. HGTV in particular has a nice selection of helpful books available.”

Whether books help gardeners survive winter months through escapism or keep them busy planning for the yard’s spring transformation, they’re certainly a safe bet for popular holiday gifts. Here are a few recommendations:

Instructional/educational

• “Fragrance in Bloom: The Scented Garden Throughout the Year,” by Ann Lovejoy. Lovejoy explores the idea that gardens are not just for the eyes but for the nose as well. As Lovejoy explains, “This book will help to guide you through the selection process so that you end up with plants that are regionally appropriate and beautiful as well as marvelously scented.”
• The American Horticulture Society has released three fabulous reference books that make answering gardening questions a breeze. “A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants” helps identify the most suitable plants for your space. It profiles 15,000 plants. “Encyclopedia of Gardening” has more than 400 step-by-step sequences to troubleshoot gardeners’ problems. “Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers” delves into more than 8,000 plants and flowers, along with advice on many gardening questions.
• “The Jewel Box Garden,” by Thomas Hobbs. This irreverent and enjoyable read pushes gardeners to discover plants that give them a thrill instead of just filling up space. Hobbs challenges readers to try the unusual and not conform to what everyone in the neighborhood is planting.

For young gardeners

• “The Secret Garden,” by Frances Hodgson Burnett. A short illustrated book about the adventures of a young girl who has to move to her uncle’s house, whereupon she finds his secret garden.
• “Whose Garden Is It?” by Mary Ann Hoberman. An illustrated book with rhyming verses introduces kids to all the characters that might “own” a garden, in addition to the gardener himself, worms, insects, plants and so forth.
• “Pie in the Sky,” by Lois Ehlert. An illustrated book told from a child’s point of view. The story centers around a pie tree, but the tree produces no pies, just cherries, which the boy and his father make into a pie. There is even a recipe included.
• “Dig, Plant, Grow: A Kid’s Guide to Gardening,” by Felder Rushing. This book is packed with fun projects that encourage kids to experiment and learn about plants and the outdoors. Included in the book are suggested plants and tips for parents and teachers.

For garden naturalists

• “Ecology for Gardeners,” by Steven Carroll and Steven Salt. This book is an excellent resource in understanding the whats and whys of garden life. It boasts almost 200 full-color photographs as well.
• “American Household Botany,” by Judith Sumner. This book discusses the ways early Americans used and modified the flora to help aid in their basic needs. It touches on the history of plants that were used for food, medicines, construction and much more.

Fiction and nonfiction

• All of the Peter Mayle novels that transport the reader to Southern France, “A Year in Provence,” “Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France” and “Toujours Provence.” A gardener can almost smell fields of lavender and olive trees through the pages.
• “Orchid Fever: A Horticultural Tale of Love, Lust and Lunacy,” by Eric Hansen. A novel about the underground world of orchids and the bizarre people who dedicate their lives to the spectacular plant, this book also includes many color photographs.
• “The Botany of Desire,” by Michael Pollan. Pollan explores the world from the viewpoint of four plants. All four have fared very well in society: the potato, the apple, the marijuana plant and the tulip. But the question arises: Are we using them, or are they using us?

l Agatha Christie’s Miss Marples Mysteries series of books that center around Miss Marples and the various mysteries she solves, all the while finding time to spend in her garden.

• “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” by John Berendt. This novel solves a murder that takes place in New Orleans. The reader is introduced to many colorful characters and places, including the cemetery garden.