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Grow Your Garden

Celebrate spring with these books on the simple pleasures of gardening.

American home landscapes : a design guide to creating period garden styles by Denise W Adams

Focusing on six different historical periods, defines the necessary elements needed to give a home garden and landscaping the look of a particular bygone era.

The Michigan gardening guide by Jerry Minnich

Groundbreaking food gardens : 73 plans that will change the way you grow your garden by Niki Jabbour

Presents seventy-three plans for unique food gardens along with photographs, plant lists, and the story behind the design.

Native trees of the Midwest : identification, wildlife values, and landscaping use by Sally S Weeks

Grounds for improvement : 40 great landscaping & gardening projects by Dean Hill

New complete guide to landscaping

Landscaping your home : creative ideas from America's best gardeners

Midwest home landscaping : including South-Central Canada by Roger Holmes

The American meadow garden : creating a natural alternative to the traditional lawn by John Greenlee

The living landscape : designing for beauty and biodiversity in the home garden by Rick Darke

Natural gardening in small spaces by Noël Kingsbury

Landscaping with trees in the Midwest : a guide for residential & commercial properties by Scott A Zanon

Landscaping for privacy : innovative ways to turn your outdoor space into a peaceful retreat by Marty Wingate

Landscaping for your home : by Catriona Tudor Erler

New landscaping ideas that work by Julie Moir Messervy

Guide to Michigan vegetable gardening by James A Fizzell

Landscaping with native plants of Michigan by Lynn M Steiner

Month-by-month gardening in Michigan : what to do each month to have a beautiful garden all year by James A Fizzell

Lawn gone! : low-maintenance, sustainable, attractive alternatives for your yard by Pam Penick

Homeowners spend billions of hours--and dollars--watering, mowing, and maintaining their lawns. Free yourself with this colorful, accessible guide to the basics of replacing a traditional lawn with a wide variety of easy-care, no-mow, low-water, money-saving options--P. [4] of cover.

The Everything lawn care book : from seed to soil, mowing to fertilizing--hundreds of tips for growing a beautiful lawn by Douglas Green

The organic lawn care manual : a natural, low-maintenance system for a beautiful, safe lawn. by Paul Boardway Tukey

Container gardening complete : creative projects for growing vegetables and flowers in small spaces by Jessica Walliser

The ideal book for urban gardeners, indoor gardeners, and vegetable gardeners, Container Gardening Complete is a thorough visual guide that will get you growing quickly! Whether you are growing vegetables, fruits, or flowers on an apartment balcony; creating a small vegetable garden for personal use; or decorating steps and walkways, this hard working book is your go-to resource. The methods described in this book are foolproof and easy to follow, with step-by-step directions and photographs, scalable projects for differing needs, and many great ideas for upscaled containers from things you have around your home. You’ll get to know the ins and outs of gardening in a small space, from the importance of drainage, irrigation, and other watering concerns to ornamental combinations of plants, and the very best vegetables, fruits, and non-edibles for container gardening.

Mister Owita's guide to gardening : how I learned the unexpected joy of a green thumb and an open heart by Carol Wall

Describes how a period of transition in the author's life marked by her empty nest, a recent illness, and her aging parents led her to forge a deep friendship with a gifted Kenyan gardener with whom she transformed her yard

Gardening for butterflies : how you can attract and protect beautiful, beneficial insects by Scott Hoffman Black

Welcome the world’s most exquisite visitors to your garden! Gardening for Butterflies, by the experts at the Xerces Society, introduces you to a variety of butterflies who need our help, and shows you how to design a habitat where they will thrive. This optimistic call to arms is packed with everything you need to create a beautiful, pollinator-friendly garden. You will learn why butterflies matter, why they are in danger, and what simple steps we can take to make a difference. You'll also learn how to choose the right plants and how to create a garden that flutters and flourishes with life.

The Tao of vegetable gardening : cultivating tomatoes, greens, peas, beans, squash, joy, and serenity by Carol Deppe

100 plants to feed the bees : provide a healthy habitat to help pollinators thrive

The international bee crisis is threatening our global food supply, but this user-friendly field guide shows what you can do to help protect our pollinators. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation offers browsable profiles of 100 common flowers, herbs, shrubs, and trees that support bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. The recommendations are simple: pick the right plants for pollinators, protect them from pesticides, and provide abundant blooms throughout the growing season by mixing perennials with herbs and annuals! 100 Plants to Feed the Bees will empower homeowners, landscapers, apartment dwellers — anyone with a scrap of yard or a window box — to protect our pollinators.

Happy cactus : cacti, succulents, and more

Your cactus might be surviving, but is it happy? There's so much more to these little green plants than just keeping them alive. Get right to the point with practical advice from potting to propagating. Unearth the secrets of different cacti and succulents, with profiles on more than 50 popular varieties--from the cute, flowering pincushion cactus to the wacky prickly pear, discover what makes your plant unique and how it might behave when treated with a little bit of love. Find out where to put it, when to water it, what to feed it, what to look out for, and how to encourage its distinctive traits, from flower stalks to fast growth. Find inspiration for creating a showstopping cactus display.

My Life in Plants : Flowers I've Loved, Herbs I've Grown, and Houseplants I've Killed on the Way to Finding Myself by Katie Vaz

From stumpy potted houseplants to intricate and delicate flower arrangements, My Life in Plants is a heartfelt, honest memoir that intertwines the complex nature of houseplants with a journey of self-discovery. From Katie Vaz, author of Don't Worry, Eat Cake, the beloved Make Yourself Cozy, and The Escape Manual for Introverts, comes My Life in Plants. Her newest book tells the story of her life through the thirty-nine plants that have played both leading and supporting roles, from her childhood to her wedding day. Plants include a homegrown wildflower bouquet wrapped in duct tape that she carried on stage at age three, to a fragrant basil plant that brought her and her kitchen back to life after grief. The stories are personal, poignant, heartwarming, and relatable, and will prompt readers to recall plants of their own that have been witness to both the amazing moments of life and the ordinary ones. This illustrated memoir covers the simplicity of home, the sharpness of loss, the lesson of learning to be present, and the journey of finding your way

Succulents simplified : growing, designing, and crafting with 100 easy-care varieties by Debra Lee Baldwin

A complete primer on choosing, growing and designing with succulents. Along with gorgeous photos packed with design ideas, Debra offers her top 100 plant picks and explains how to grow and care for succulents no matter where you live. Step-by-step projects, including a cake-stand centerpiece, special-occasion bouquets, a vertical garden, and a succulent topiary sphere, will inspire you to express your individual style --

Decorating with plants : what to choose, ways to style, and how to make them thrive by Baylor Chapman

In Decorating with Plants, Baylor Chapman walks readers through everything they need to know to bring houseplants into their home. First, there’s Plant Care 101: from how to assess light conditions to tricks for keeping your plants alive while on vacation, Chapman gives readers the simple, foundational info they need to ensure their plants will thrive. Then she introduces us to 28 of her favorites—specimens that are tough as nails but oh-so-stylish, from the eye-catching Rubber Tree to the delicate Cape Primrose. Finally, she guides readers through the home room by room: Place an aromatic plant like jasmine or gardenia to your entry to establish your home’s “signature scent.” Add a proper sense of scale to your living room with a ceiling-grazing palm. Create a living centerpiece of jewel-toned succulents for a dining table arrangement that will last long after your dinner party. From air purification to pest control, there’s no limit to what houseplants can do for your home—and Decorating with Plants is here to show you how to add them to spaces big and small with style.

Plants with style : a plantsman's choices for a vibrant, 21st-century garden by Kelly D Norris

Why settle for lackluster gardens filled with dull, ho-hum plants? In this spirited, provocative book, plant guru Kelly Norris calls for a garden revolution: out with the boring plants and in with the exciting newcomers that will make your jaw drop and your pulse quicken! A passionate horticulturist and lifelong gardener, Kelly is the ideal guide to the botanical riches available to today’s gardeners. In chapters on environment, structure, seasonal standouts, and plant combinations he shines a spotlight on the A-list plants in every category—plants that will thrive, not merely survive. Along the way, he shows you how to forge a personal style in harmony with your garden’s setting and local environment. As Kelly puts it, “A garden is the best way to savor life on earth.” Let Plants with Style guide you to the plants that will provide a richer, more fulfilling connection between you and your own patch of soil.

The modern homestead garden : growing self-sufficiency in any size backyard by Gary Pilarchik

"Filled with easy-to-employ ideas and lessons for improving your food self-sufficiency no matter how much land you have, The Modern Homestead Garden focuses on planting, growing, harvesting, and preserving food"--

How to create an eco garden : a practical guide to sustainable and greener gardening by John Walker

Guides readers with creating a more climate-friendly gardens, offering practical solutions for real-life spaces.

A way to garden : a hands-on primer for every season by Margaret Roach

For Margaret Roach, gardening is more than a hobby, it’s a calling. Her unique approach, which she calls “horticultural how-to and woo-woo,” is a blend of vital information you need to memorize and intuitive steps you must simply feel and surrender to. In A Way to Garden, Roach imparts decades of garden wisdom on seasonal gardening, ornamental plants, vegetable gardening, design, gardening for wildlife, organic practices, and much more. She also challenges gardeners to think beyond their garden borders and to consider the ways gardening can enrich the world. Brimming with beautiful photographs of Roach’s own garden, A Way to Garden is practical, inspiring, and a must-have for every passionate gardener.

Life in the garden by Penelope Lively

"From the Booker Prize winner and national bestselling author, come reflections on gardening, art, literature, and life. Penelope Lively takes up her key themes of time and memory, and her lifelong passions for art, literature, and gardening in this philosophical and poetic memoir. From the courtyards of her childhood home in Cairo to a family cottage in Somerset, to her own gardens in Oxford and London, Lively conducts an expert tour, taking us from Eden to Sissinghurst and into her own backyard, traversing the lives of writers like Virginia Woolf and Philip Larkin while imparting her own sly and spare wisdom. "Her body of work proves that certain themes never go out of fashion," writes the New York Times Book Review, as true of this beautiful volume as of the rest of the Lively canon. Now in her eighty-fourth year, Lively muses, "To garden is to elide past, present, and future; it is a defiance of time." "--

Niki Jabbour's veggie garden remix : 224 new plants to shake up your garden and add variety, flavor, and fun. by Niki Jabbour

Best-selling author Niki Jabbour invites you to shake up your vegetable garden with an intriguing array of 224 plants from around the world. With her lively “Like this? Then try this!” approach, Jabbour encourages you to start with what you know and expand your repertoire to try related plants, many of which are delicacies in other cultures. Jabbour presents detailed growing information for each plant, along with fun facts and plant history. Be prepared to have your mind expanded and catch Jabbour’s contagious enthusiasm for experimentation and fun in the garden.

The aromatherapy garden : growing fragrant plants for happiness and well-being by Kathi Keville

Fragrant plants can be as therapeutic as they are intoxicating, and it is easy to add them to gardens large and small. The Aromatherapy Garden reveals the scents, secrets, and science behind fragrant plants, and shows you how to successfully create your own plant-filled sanctuary of health and happiness. Detailed plant profiles provide guidance on the full benefits of a range of plants and include comprehensive details on how to grow and care for them in a home garden. Also included are recipes for restorative aromas, oils, sachets, teas, and more.

Garden renovation : transform your yard into the garden of your dreams by Bobbie Schwartz

Your garden, just like your house, sometimes needs a makeover. The change can be as minor as replacing a shrub or as major as pulling everything up and starting from scratch. No matter the size of your space or the scope of the project, the sage advice in Garden Renovation will help you turn your yard into a paradise. Bobbie Schwartz draws on her years of experience as a garden designer to teach you how to evaluate your yard, determine what to keep and what to remove, and choose the right plants and design plan.

Homegrown herb garden : a guide to growing and culinary uses by Lisa Baker Morgan

The book is divided into two sections, the first is devoted to gardening and the second to cooking. The authors chose the most widely used herbs—including staples like cilantro, dill, tarragon, parsley, rosemary, and sage—and added a few of their favorites that may be less familiar to you, such as chervil and Thai basil. In "In the Garden," you will learn when to plant, where to plant, how and when to harvest your herbs, and how to dry and store those you don't use immediately in the kitchen. In "In the Kitchen," you will learn about flavor pairings and how to use each herb in numerous ways in sweet and savory dishes and through the use of all cooking techniques. Choose your favorite herbs, learn to grow them successfully, and never be at a loss for what to do with them!

Cultivating garden style : inspired ideas and practical advice to unleash your garden personality by Rochelle Greayer

Whether your style is Enchanted Bohemian, Playful Pop, or somewhere in between, Cultivating Garden Style will help you identify your style, pick furniture and accessories, and make a space that feels definitively yours

Composting for a new generation : latest techniques for the bin and beyond by Michelle Balz

Composting is not just about reducing food and yard waste; it's also about improving the health of your soiland the productivity of your garden. Compost is full of nutrients and beneficial microbes that help plants thrive, but store-bought compost is expensive and often comes packaged in non-recyclable plastic bags. Instead of running to the store to purchase compost, learn how to make your own rich, earthy compost and watch your garden thrive.

Vegetables love flowers : companion planting for beauty and bounty by Lisa Mason Ziegler

Grow your own herbs : the 40 best culinary varieties for home gardens by Susan Belsinger

Grow Your Own Herbs shares everything you need to know to grow the forty most important culinary herbs. You’ll learn basic gardening information, including details on soil, watering, and potting. Profiles of 40 herbs—including popular varieties like basil, bay laurel, lemon verbena, tarragon, savory, thyme, and more—feature tasting notes, cultivation information, and harvesting tips. Additional information includes instructions for preserving and storing, along with techniques for making delicious pastes, syrups, vinegar, and butters.

The indestructible houseplant : 200 beautiful plants that everyone can grow by Tovah Martin

Brown thumb? No problem. The Indestructible Houseplant is packed with indoor plants that are tough, beautiful, reliable, and virtually impossible to kill. In addition to plant profiles with concise information on water, light, and blooming times, this gorgeous book includes tips on care, maintenance, and ideas for combining houseplants in eye-catching indoor displays. Follow Martin’s sage advice and you’ll have a thriving urban jungle in no time.

Gardening your front yard : projects and ideas for big & small spaces by Tara Nolan

Gardening Your Front Yard is an active, inspiring resource that shows you how to treat your front yard like a backyard without sacrificing beauty, from choosing the right plants to building front patios and walkways. With her unique combination of DIY/building savvy and gardening expertise, author Tara Nolan (Raised Bed Revolution) weaves you past the main pitfalls you may encounter when trying to fit a garden or gardens between your home and the street. This beautiful and comprehensive book shows how to accomplish several hardscape projects, such as building front patios, borders, edging, and walkways, as well as making your own raised beds, planting containers, trellises, rose arbors, privacy screens, and more-all custom-designed for the rigors of front-yard gardening. Gardening Your Front Yard is a garden book in every sense of the word, however. Choosing the right plants is even more important when you are dealing with a small, highly visible area with less than ideal growing conditions-all common traits of most front yards. You will find advice on training vines up brickwork and planting around foundation walls, planting boulevards/hell strips, and you'll even take a trip into the side yard. Shade gardens, privacy screening, and security dos and don'ts are covered, plus how to intermingle edibles and landscape plants, cactus and succulent gardens, birdbaths, and much, much more. With the sage advice and step-by-step projects of this comprehensive guide, convert your front yard from a bland grasscape to a vital living space

The culinary herbal : growing and preserving 97 flavorful herbs by Susan Belsinger

Good cooks know that when it comes to herbs, there is nothing better than harvesting them fresh from the garden. The Culinary Herbal highlights 97 delicious varieties—like black cumin, fenugreek, lemon balm, and sassafras—that every food lover will want to add to their kitchen garden. In this gorgeously photographed guide, you will learn which herbs offer the most flavor, how to grow them at home, and how to put them to use. Plant profiles are organized alphabetically by herb type and include basic growing information, flavor notes, and culinary uses. Additional information includes step-by-step instructions for harvesting, preserving, and storing, along with techniques for making pastes, syrups, vinegars, and butters.

Nature's Best Hope : A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W Tallamy

Douglas W. Tallamy's first book, Bringing Nature Home, sparked a national conversation about the link between healthy local ecosystems and human well-being. In his new book Nature's Best Hope, Tallamy takes the next step and outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation. Tallamy advocates for homeowners everywhere to turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats and mitigate the effects of development and corporate agriculture. This home-based approach doesn't rely on the federal government and protects the environment from the whims of politics. It is also easy to do, and readers will walk away with specific suggestions they can incorporate into their own yards. Nature's Best Hope is nature writing at its best-rooted in history, progressive in its advocacy, and above all, actionable and hopeful. By proposing practical measures that ordinary people easily can do, Tallamy gives us reason to believe that the planet can be preserved for future generations

How to make a plant love you : cultivate green space in your home and heart by Summer Rayne Oakes

Everyone deserves to feel the inner peace that comes from taking care of greenery. Beyond the obvious benefits--beauty and cleaner air--there's a strong psychological benefit to nurturing plants as a path to mindfulness. They can reduce our stress level, lower our blood pressure, and improve our overall outlook. And they offer a rare opportunity to find joy by caring for another living being.

How to attract birds to your garden : foods they like, plants they love, shelter they need by Dan Rouse

"Make a difference to your local birdlife. Help reverse the decline in bird numbers by creating a haven in which they will thrive. It's a win-win. Provide the best shelter, feeding, and nesting opportunities for them and then you can reap the rewards as they sing and entertain"--

Buzz : the nature and necessity of bees by Thor Hanson

Bees are like oxygen: ubiquitous, essential, and, for the most part, unseen. While we might overlook them, they lie at the heart of relationships that bind the human and natural worlds. In Buzz, the beloved Thor Hanson takes us on a journey that begins 125 million years ago, when a wasp first dared to feed pollen to its young. From honeybees and bumbles to lesser-known diggers, miners, leafcutters, and masons, bees have long been central to our harvests, our mythologies, and our very existence. They've given us sweetness and light, the beauty of flowers, and as much as a third of the foodstuffs we eat. And, alarmingly, they are at risk of disappearing. As informative and enchanting as the waggle dance of a honeybee, Buzz shows us why all bees are wonders to celebrate and protect.

Recipient of the National Medal, the nation's highest honor for libraries.