Apr 30

Written by: Joe Longo
Thursday, April 30, 2009 

For the past few weeks our gardening books and magazines have started to be used again in great numbers as residents begin their horticultural plans for the months ahead. Whether you are interested in propagating plants or just fertilizing your lawn, library materials provide expert information.

The following are some recent books to provide ideas and assistance.

Just published this year are:

Ecological gardening : your safe path to a healthy, beautiful garden by Marjorie Harris

From seed to table : a practical guide to eating and growing green by Janette Haase

and two books by Miranda Smith Annuals and Perennials & bulbs

Quite helpful are:

Designer plant combinations : 105 stunning gardens using six plants or fewer by Scott Calhoun

Herb gardening for Canada by Laura Peters

1001 tips for Canadian gardeners by Patricia Hanbidge.

The homeowner's complete tree & shrub handbook by Karen Bussoloni is an essential guide to choosing, planting, and maintaining perfect landscape plants .

There are books are about hedges, trellises, arbors, decks and patios. Well used are books about water gardening, ponds, fountains, pesticide-free methods and construction projects to build walls, fences, gates and screens.

Discover landscaping ideas using stone, outdoor furniture and fruit. Borrow the DVD 73 skills to create your dream garden.

Borrow magazines such as “Canadian Gardening”, “Horticulture”, “Mother Earth News” and “Organic Gardening”. “Back Home” is a hand-on magazine about sustainable living.

Consult the library’s website www.nfpl.library.on.ca Under Internet Links to find informative gardening websites recommended by the Niagara Falls Horticultural Society and the Communities in Bloom judging in Niagara Falls.

Under Online Research on our website see the database Hobbies & Crafts Reference Centre which has gardening, landscaping and garden projects.

Everyone is invited to attend the Niagara Falls Horticultural Society’s annual Rose Show in the LaMarsh Room on June 11 and the Flower and Vegetable Show on Aug.11.

Last month the Society’s colourful display in the glass cases at the library entrance got everyone in a gardening frame of mind.

 

The next Philosophers' Cafe at the Victoria Avenue Library is scheduled for May 4 at 7:00pm. The theme will be "What is Food?" Considerations for discussion include:
Are we what we eat? Is there an abundance or shortage of food? Why are some animals pets and others food? What are the pro's and con's of organic food and genetically modified organisms?

There are a few available spots for those six years and older to make a mother’s day craft on May 9 at Community Centre and Stamford branch libraries. Call today to reserve your place.