Great books for a gardener to read in winter
Gardeners forced indoors by cold and snow rely on armchair gardening to get through winter. We study seed catalogs, draw garden plans and read books on our favorite subject - gardening. Get some of these great reads for yourself or for the gardeners on your Christmas list.
I love growing plants from seeds for several reasons. First, it saves money. It only costs a couple dollars for a packet of seeds compared to several dollars for a single 4½ inch annual or vegetable plant. Next, there are more varieties available by seed than on the benches of local garden centers. And finally, it is a great way to keep my thumbs green in late winter or early spring before I can get back in the garden.
• "The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving," edited by Lee Buttala and Shanyn Siegel, takes growing plants from seed a step further. It begins with a botany lesson on seeds and methods of pollination before explaining how to grow plants to collect their seeds.
A large portion of the book is devoted to specific instructions on how to grow, harvest and clean the seeds of more than 75 types of plants. Read "The Seed Garden" before seed catalogs arrive and then find a permanent spot on your bookshelf for this garden reference.
• Kylee Baumle shares her passion for monarch butterflies in "The Monarch: Saving Our Most-Loved Butterfly." The book begins with an explanation of the monarch's life cycle and its migration to Mexico for the winter, all illustrated with her gorgeous photos. The second half of the book offers ways to help monarchs. Kylee has raised monarchs in her home and shows us how we can do it, too. Projects are included for adults, like tagging monarchs and becoming a Citizen Scientist, and kids who will love making the monarch bracelet and ring.
"The Monarch" includes just enough science to fascinate without getting too "sciency." This book should find its way to a shelf in every library and classroom. If you love learning about and looking at stunning photography of nature, you'll love this book.
• Every industry has its rock stars. Allan Armitage is so genuinely nice, he would probably dismiss this title but folks gravitate to him at events, trying to soak in some of his southern charm and horticultural genius.
In "Of Naked Ladies and Forget-Me-Nots: The Stories behind the Common Names of Some of our Favorite Plants," he tells tales of plants. Check out the seeds held within the puffy fruit, which develop from the flowers of Cardiospermum halicacabum. Each seed has a white marking that looks like a heart. What's more fun, that long botanical name or its common name, Love in a Puff?
Armitage pulls on heart strings as he tells the story of Queen Anne of England. In poor health most of her life, she was renowned for her skill at making lace. The story goes she pricked her finger while tatting, dropping one drop of blood on the lace. Inspect any flower of Queen Anne's lace and a tiny purple flower blooms among the other lacy white flowers.
This book is a perfect choice to enjoy while sitting in front of a warm fire on a cold, snowy winter afternoon.
• Another book to get your green thumb itching for spring is "101 Organic Gardening Hacks: Eco-Friendly Solutions to Improve any Garden" by Shawna Coronado. Have a pen and paper nearby when you read this do-it-yourself book - the ideas for plants and projects are endless.
It is divided into 10 sections covering everything from building better soil and caring for a garden organically to growing herbs, flowers and vegetables in containers or in the ground. There are also plenty of ideas for re-purposing common items to make a patio and garden prettier.
"101 Organic Gardening Hacks" is best for gardeners just beginning their journey down the garden path, but even seasoned gardeners will find hacks that spark garden dreams and inspire new ideas.
• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist, garden writer and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette in Winfield. She blogs at gardenwithdiana.com.