Want to Get a Head Start on Planning Next Year's Garden?

     This is the South, and I know a lot of people who have gardens. We grow a great many things down here and whether it's vegetables or flowers, herbs or trees and shrubs, we all want to know how to choose the right plants, how to check soil conditions, and, increasingly, how to do all of this without a bunch of chemicals. Well, the library has two new books that can help you with that particular conundrum.

     The first is Southern Gardening: An Environmentally Sensitive Approach by Florida Master Gardener Marie Harrison. The author gives you all her tips and tricks for creating a verdant landscape that any gardener would be proud to call their own. Harrison's comprehensive guide focuses on environmentally conscious yards by suggesting use of ground-cover as well as easy-care, adaptable trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. She tells you how to deal with exotic and invasive plants that threaten natural areas and native plants. She offers minimally damaging ways to deal with insect pests. Plus, she includes a month-by-month guide for planning your earth-friendly garden. (On a side note; I would like to thank the Green Hills Garden Club, Hester Flowers Garden Club, Openwood Garden Club, and the Morning Gardeners Garden Club for presenting this wonderful resource to the library!)
     The second title for environmentally friendly gardening is Roses Without Chemicals by Peter E. Kukielski. This book includes one hundred fifty disease-free varieties of roses that the author rates on its disease resistance, flowering, and fragrance.

Since roses have a reputation for being finicky plants that require chemicals and fertilizers to remain healthy, this book offers a refreshing look at recent breeding efforts that have produced disease resistant varieties that perform wonderfully in all types of conditions. Kukielski lets the reader know which varieties perform best in each region and gives tips for simple cultivation techniques that are sure to result in beautiful, easy-to-care-for roses that will fill your garden. Also included is a helpful resource guide and a list of other books to help you make the most of your garden.
     Gardeners will enjoy flipping through these books and may even be inspired to try something new in their next gardening project. Both contain full-color photographs that will make it easier to identify the plants they wish to use in the garden. These two books--along with many others found in the library--will help you make your garden lush and beautiful with minimal use of harmful and potentially dangerous chemicals.