Garden books

New books are always a joy to peruse for library folks, especially garden books for this reader. These titles can be found on the Peter White Public Library’s new non-fiction shelves in the circulation lobby.

This is the perfect time of year, while your garden awakens after a long winter’s nap, to browse for new landscape ideas. Plenty of inspiration can be found in Garden Design: A Book of Ideas by bestselling writer Heidi Howcroft and award winning photographer Marianne Majerus.  Sumptuous photos accompany the clear and helpful text of innovative ideas on how to tackle that problem spot in your own yard in a creative and innovative way. New non-fiction: 712 HO   

A donation to the library to purchase a special book in memory of a loved one is a fitting tribute. Recently the University Women Garden Club members donated funds in memory of Marsha Preston to add to the library’s collection. Women Garden Designers: 1900 to the Present by Kristina Taylor was a perfect way to honor Marsha’s love of plants. The book recounts the contributions of female designers in a primarily male dominated field. From Gertrude Jekyll to Beatrix Farrand to Rosemary Verey and Haruko Seki, female landscape designers from around the globe are highlighted. Full of fascinating information on how these women broke the gender barrier to create lasting and scenic gardens, historic black and white’s accompany full color photos illustrate the work of these, literally, ground breaking women. New non-fiction: 712.082 TA

Gardens that thrive while withstanding diminishing rainfall and increasing temperatures are the focus of Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West. A how to guide on sustainable landscaping, the team of landscape architect and garden designer showcase gardens that utilize native perennials and grasses. These natives help to restore natural plant communities that do well under less-than-ideal growing conditions, helping us all to cope with an ever changing climate. New Nonfiction: 712 RA

Taking a bit of a different tact, Good Garden Bugs by Mary M. Gardiner, PhD is a well-illustrated reference for beneficial insects that help a garden grow. Battling harmful insect infestations with biological controls, Gardiner gives the low down on how to avoid pesticides and use natural insect predators to control damage to your plants. The author focuses her writing on identification and tips on how to enhance your space by promoting a thriving population of “good” bugs. New Nonfiction: 635.0495 GA

Getting out of the backyard and traveling to other places opens our eyes to a world of new environments and climates to experience. Distant Neighbors edited by Chad Wriglesworth highlights the letter exchange between environmental activists and writers Wendell Berry and Gary Snyder. Berry, age 81, lives on his grandfather’s farm in Port Royal, Kentucky and Snyder, age 85, resides in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California. The two friends exchanged 250 letters from 1973 to 2013 discussing their common work on stewardship of the land. Their wide ranging views on religion, community, politics and aging make this book a fascinating glimpse into the minds of two important writers and thinkers of our day. New Nonfiction: 818.5409 BE

With the arresting title of How to Cook a Moose, author Kate Christensen explores the world of food and sustainable farming in the harsh cold climate of northern Maine. Residents of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will be able to draw many parallels between living in the Pine Tree state and life up here in the Wolverine State. Christensen writes about food, drink, life and books for publications such as the New York Times  Book Review, Food and Wine, and the Wall Street Journal. She is the author of Blue Plate Special: An Autobiography of My Appetites and six earlier novels.  New Nonfiction: 641.5974 CH

Plenty of food for thought on the New Book shelves at the library while you wait for the soil to warm. Happy gardening!

--Margaret Boyle, Programming Coordinator