When it’s too hot to be in the garden, the next best thing is to read about new gardening techniques! Here are some of the latest offerings in the McLean Library.
A Native Plants Reader (BBG Guides for a Greener Planet), Niall Dunne (Editor)
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) has long championed native plants and suggested ways for gardeners to create attractive designs with indigenous flora that nurture a sense of place and provide a habitat for wildlife. This engaging collection continues that tradition, with essays, stories, and helpful tips from experts whose passion for native plants, concern with the loss of diversity, and hope for future preservation of our native plant heritage will inspire gardeners and nongardeners alike.
Attracting Native Pollinators Eric Mader, Matthew Shepherd, Mace Vaughn, Scott Hoffman Black, and the Xerces Society Staff
This is a comprehensive guidebook for gardeners, small farmers, orchardists, beekeepers, naturalists, environmentalists, and public land managers on how to protect and encourage the activity of the native pollinators of North America. Written by staff of the Xerces Society, an international nonprofit organization that is leading the way in pollinator conservation, this book presents a thorough overview of the problem along with positive solutions for how to provide bountiful harvests on farms and gardens, maintain healthy plant communities in wild-lands, and provide food for wildlife.
In this ultimate guide to rethinking your yard, Evelyn Hadden showcases dozens of inspiring, eco-friendly alternatives to that demanding (and dare we say boring?) green turf: Trade your lawn for a lively prairie; replace it with a runoff-reducing rain garden; swap it for an interactive adventure garden; or convert it to a low-maintenance living carpet!
Gardens for a Beautiful America, 1895-1935 Sam Watters
Published in collaboration with the Library of Congress, this book presents for the first time 250 colored photographs of urban and suburban gardens taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston–photographer of presidents, celebrity authors, tastemakers, and estates of the County House Era. Johnston’s colored lantern slides have not been seen since the 1940s. They picture New York townhouse yards, Long Island villas, California hillside terraces, and plantations of the South identified by Watters over years of research and travel.
Grow Fruit Naturally Lee Reich
This timely and comprehensive book from gardening expert Lee Reich shows the way to successfully grow fruits that are delicious and nutritious, with information on more than 30 fruits and how to reap the most of their bounty. Covering all topics from planning and planting to pruning and harvesting, this essential reference also discusses natural pest-control and fertilization methods, pollination, irrigation, and special techniques such as espalier and growing fruit in containers.
Growing Fruit Trees Évelyne Leterme
The writers, fruit tree specialists based in France, explain the unique conditions and requirements for almond, apple, apricot, cherry, chestnut, fig, grape, hazelnut, kiwi, olive, peach, pear, plum, quince, and walnut trees. From understanding climatic limitations and tree morphology to selecting rootstock varieties and mastering fertilization technique, principles of training, and proper harvesting methods, this manual provides an in-depth study of fruit tree cultivation for landscape designers, arborists, horticulturalist, and serious gardeners alike.
The Beginner’s Guide to Growing Heirloom Vegetables Marie Iannotti
Are heirloom vegetables more difficult to grow than conventional hybrids? The Beginner’s Guide to Growing Heirloom Vegetables debunks this myth by highlighting the 100 heirloom vegetables that are the easiest to grow and the tastiest to eat. Plant profiles include color photographs, flavor notes, and growing tips, with everything beginning gardeners need to successfully grow a variety of heirloom vegetables.
The Fruit Gardener’s Bible Lewis Hill and Leonard Perry
Grow your own organic fruits, berries, and nuts! The Fruit Gardener’s Bible is the complete reference on planting, growing, caring for, and harvesting everything from strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries to orchard fruits like apples, pears, peaches, cherries, almonds, and walnuts.
The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Directory
The Open Days Directory is the only comprehensive source for descriptions of all 2012 Open Days gardens, locations, and dates.
The Heirloom Life Gardener Meghan Sutherland, Jere Gettle, and Emilee Gettle
In this invaluable resource, Jere and Emilee Gettle, co-founders of the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, offer a wealth of knowledge to every kind of gardener—experienced pros and novices alike. From seed collecting to the history of seed varieties and name origins, The Heirloom Life Gardener takes you far beyond the heirloom tomato, and an extensive A to Z Growing Guide includes amazing heirloom varieties that many people have never even seen.
The Timber Encyclopedia of Flowering Shrubs Jim Gardiner
Rich attributes including vibrant color, fragrance, and sheer variety of form make flowering shrubs the most rewarding of garden plants, but this vast group with its scores of tempting plants—including abutilons, camellias, viburnums, and witch hazels — requires careful navigation. Leading expert on woody plants Jim Gardiner has distilled several decades of knowledge and experience into The Timber Press Encyclopedia of Flowering Shrubs, an incomparable pictorial reference of hardy shrubs that excel in temperate-zone gardens.
Wildflower Wonders Bob Gibbons
Wildflower Wonders showcases the most spectacular displays of wild blooms on the planet, from infrequent flowerings in the Mojave and other deserts to regular but no less stunning alpine wildflower “events” in Italy, South Africa, and Australia. This magnificently illustrated volume features 200 panoramic, full-color photographs as well as a color map for every site and at-a-glance information panels that highlight the kinds of flowers at each location and the best times to see them in bloom.
Interested in any of these great books? Click here to visit the Library catalog.
Posted on June 25, 2012 by Barb
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