These days, most gardeners are champing at the bit to get outside. The weather is fickle in spring, teasing us with warm days, only to have the temperature drop again to wintery chills.

Gardening catalogs have been piling up since late December, and now gardening books are coming in to the newspaper at a fast pace. Here are some of the best ones that have crossed my desk:

"Landscape Planning: Practical Techniques for the Home Gardener," revised and expanded edition, by Judith Adam. Firefly Books Ltd., $29.95 (paper).

When it comes to landscaping, you have to start somewhere. And if you are thinking of taking on this job yourself, a basic guide can help. Judith Adam is a horticulturist and landscape designer who leads the novice through planning, designing and implementing a new landscape. She also gives lists of her 200 favorite plants, shrubs and trees, the majority of which grow well here.

My only nitpick with this book is that she recommends Chameleon Plant or Houttuynia cordata as a good easy-care ground cover. The plant is a thug, which in my experience should NEVER be planted, except in a pot where it has no hope of reaching the garden soil. It is almost impossible to eradicate. I rid myself of it by a divorce; even herbicides didn't kill it. That said, the book is a good beginner-level choice for someone who wants a general idea of tackling new landscaping.

"The Water Gardener's Bible," by Ben Helm and Kelly Billing. Rodale Press, $21.95 (paper).

Constructing the actual water garden is probably the hardest part, because growing water plants is extremely easy once you have the pond in place.

This book gives step-by-step instructions on how to construct, plant and maintain a water garden. It even has a nice chapter on fish and fish issues. With water garden supplies available just about everywhere these days, now might be the time to indulge your wish for a water feature. This book will help you along the way.

"The Complete Herb Book," by Jekka McVicar. Firefly Books, $29.95 (paper).

I have a love/hate relationship with herbs. I grow some, and so do most gardeners without considering them herbs; the lovely ornamental flowers such as Echinacea and primrose are also classified as herbs. Some of the "culinary" plants, such as sage and mint need to be relegated to their own little section of the garden, as one is weedy and the other a rampant and invasive demon. But for those who want to seek out these plants, this book is a nice compendium of what's out there.

It's published in England, so names such as "Cotton Lavender" would be more familiar to American gardeners as Santolina. The book is still a great way to familiarize yourself with a multitude of herbs and their uses. Just don't think you'll grow a Rosemary bush, like the one in the photo. Set up alphabetically by botanic name, and lavishly illustrated, this is a great book for the beginning herb enthusiast.

"Tough Plants for Every Climate: Hardy Succulents," by Gwen Moore Kelaidis, photography by Saxon Holt. Storey Press, $19.95.

There are groups of plants, such as conifers and the underused succulents featured in this book, that more gardeners should use. Gwen Moore Kelaidis, a longtime member of the American Rock Garden Society and a garden designer in her own right, certainly is familiar with these lovely plants, and she hopes to tempt gardeners into growing a few with this new book.

Succulents, for the uninitiated, are plants that store water in their tissue. Think Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum), Yucca, Aloe plants and sedum, to name a few. Some grow well in our climate. Sedums thrive, as do Delosperma and even a few of the cacti, such as the Opuntia or Prickly Pear. There are scads of varieties of Sempervivum that warrant growing and collecting. Ms. Kelaidis, who resides in Denver, certainly knows her stuff and brings a fine introduction to these diverse plants to print.

"Coleus: Rainbow Foliage for Containers and Gardens," by Ray Rogers. Timber Press, $29.95.

These lovely foliage plants, often seen in Grandma's garden have come a long way. Once relegated to shady corners, they now thrive in full sun and everything in between. There are trailing specimens and giant specimens, not to mention thousands of color varieties out there. Ray Rogers takes a comprehensive look at these garden staples and even shows a few uses for them, such as training them into topiaries, that we never thought of. If you haven't been tempted by the new cultivars and want to see what all the chatter is about, this is the place to start.

"1000 Garden Ideas: The Best of Everything in a Visual Sourcebook," by Stafford Cliff. Artisan, $35.

Want to do something in your garden, but not quite sure what? Don't know what's out there? Well, this is a beginning point for you. The book is a compendium of photographs of all things garden, such as gates, paths, fences, ponds, bridges, sundials and even troughs. Long on photographs and short on text, author Stafford Cliff has gathered 40 years worth of material here that he hopes will inspire.

"The Green Gardener's Guide" by Joe Lamp'l. Cool Springs Press, $16.95 (paper).

This little book gives plenty of advice and ideas on how to make sure we are gardening in a more earth-friendly manner. Things you might not think about, such as shutting the hose off and not letting it run or mulching leaves and not sending them to a landfill can have a huge impact on the environment. The author, who is a garden writer and host of the PBS series "GardenSmart," has written a reader-friendly book that is sure to make you think about what you are doing in the garden and how.