How Does Your Garden Grow?

The gardening season is in full swing now and the Lawn & Garden Neighborhood has a great crop of new gardening books for you to peruse, devour, pore over, dream of, be inspired by, absorb information from and spark your imagination!

Grow All You Can Eat in Three Square Feet from DK Publishing. Beautifully produced as we've come to expect from DK Publishing, this book contains a wealth of information on growing gardens in small spaces such as window boxes, raised beds and containers. If you want to grow healthy organic food and you have limited space, this is the book for you. It also features helpful lists, like 15 top fast-growing crops and projects like the Bicycle Wheel Trellis and the Strawberry Colander.

The Tao of Vegetable Gardening:  Cultivating Tomatoes, Greens, Peas, Beans, Squash, Joy and Serenity by Carol Deppe. This book features lots of expert practical advice along with a unique approach to gardening. Ms. Deppe is a plant breeder and biologist who advocates developing an intuitive relationship with plants. She combines ancient wisdom with years of experimentation to give the reader the benefit of her knowledge.

The Art of Hummingbird Gardening and The Art of Butterfly Gardening by Mathew Tekulsky. Photographer, bird lover and author Tekulsky gives us exquisite photographs along with practical information about growing the flowers that attract and nourish these tiny and beautiful creatures. The Art of Hummingbird Gardening also has extensive information on the hummingbirds themselves and how to conserve and protect them. Butterfly gardening is becoming very popular, adding color and grace to the garden as well as helping to conserve the species.

The New Shade Garden by Kenneth Druse. A shade garden offers an opportunity to design and grow plans with a different visual beauty. The author provides a comprehensive guide to growing and maintaining a garden where the emphasis is on helping to alleviate climate change, focusing on plants known for their ability to reduce carbon dioxide.  Druse is an award-winning gardening author whose work also appears in the New York Times and Martha Steward Living.

The Herb Lover's Spa Book: Create a Luxury Spa Experience at Home with Fragrant Herbs from Your Garden by Sue Goetz. The title  of this book alone is intriguing to me. Award-winning garden designer and writer Goetz is described as "overflowing with inspiration" and she puts that inspiration to work with recipes and herb-growing tips. Therapeutic herbs have long been used to sooth, heal and reduce stress.

Upcoming Master Gardener programs:

• Thursday, June 11, 7:00 - 8:00 pm - Shade Gardening
• Thursday, June 25, 7:00 - 8:00 pm - Drip Irrigation
• Thursday, July 9, 7:00 - 8:00 pm - Controlling Harmful Insects