Top Circulating: Gardening

The Yellow Books, 1887 . Fine Art. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 18 May 2016.
http://quest.eb.com/search/108_303306/1/108_303306/cite

“Knowledge is like money: To be of value it must circulate, and in circulating it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value.”
― Louis L'Amour, Education of a Wandering Man  

In the library, "circulation" means a lot of things.  What's sometimes called the "library card desk" is also known as "circulation".  When we look at a book's record, we count how many times it has checked out as its "circs". The library's collection floats (items checked out at one branch and returned at another stay at the branch at which they are returned), but its items circulate.

In spring, doesn't everyone's fancy turn to the garden? Blooms, blossoms, and greenery! Here's a list of the most popular books in the library catalog to help you develop your green thumb in the special conditions of the desert Southwest. Also be sure to check out our Seed Library and other staff-created Home & Garden guides, and you can even visit with the local Master Gardeners at a few library branches!

Top Circulating: Gardening

1.  Best Plants for New Mexico Gardens and Landscapes by Baker H. Morrow

2. Growing the Southwest Garden by Judith Phillips

3. The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Southwest by Trisha Shirey

4. The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

5. Arizona, Nevada & New Mexico Month-By-Month Gardening by Jacqueline A. Soule

6. Down to Earth by Margo Murdock

7. Southwest Fruit & Vegetable Gardening by Jacqueline A. Soule

8. Letters to a Young Farmer by Martha Hodgkins

9. Water-Wise Plants For the Southwest by Nan Sterman

10. Southwest Gardener's Handbook by Diana Maranhao

11. Month-to-Month Gardening by Kelli Dolecek

12.  McGee & Stuckey's The Bountiful Container by Rose Marie Nichols McGee

13. The Beginner's Guide to Starting a Garden by Sally Roth

14. All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

15. Arizona & New Mexico Getting Started Garden Guide by Mary Irish

16. Straw Bale Gardens Complete by Joel Karsten

17. Indoor Kitchen Gardening by Elizabeth Millard

18. Waterwise Plants For Sustainable Gardens by Lauren Springer Ogden

19. Gardenista by Michelle Slatalla

20. Indoor Edible Garden by Zia Allaway

21.  Waterwise Garden Care by Cindy Bellinger

22. Seeds on Ice by Cary Fowler

23. The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds by Robert E. Gough

24. Month-By-Month Gardening in the Desert Southwest by Mary Irish

25. Straw Bale Gardens by Joel Karsten

26. Epic Tomatoes by Craig LeHoullier

27. Compost City by Rebecca Louie

28. Rodale's Basic Organic Gardening by Deborah L, Martin

29.  Southwest Kitchen Garden by Kim Nelson

30. New Mexico Gardener's Guide by Judith Phillips

New & Novel: The Natural World

There are quite a few recent and delightful-looking additions to our library catalog dealing with the natural world - from an "arrestingly unconventional" study of nature (featuring an original typeface created for the book called Qaneq LR, after the Inuktitut word for “falling snow”) to a book detailing the adventures of a man who lived among badgers and other animals to better understand them; another by an author who has "led expeditions on five continents, climbed mountains in three, and is the only living person to have both flown and sailed solo across the Atlantic;" one featuring stunning watercolors by the author of  Le Road Trip; and more! If you are interested in learning more about the world around you, the books listed below offer a bounty of information about various aspects of the nature, some with a more scientific bent, some not so much. We hope you learn something new and have fun doing so!

Being a Beast: Adventures Across the Species Divide by Charles Foster
To test the limits of our ability to inhabit lives that are not our own, Charles Foster set out to know the ultimate other: the nonhumans, the beasts. And to do that, he tried to be like them, choosing a badger, an otter, a fox, a deer, and a swift.  A lyrical, intimate, and completely radical look at the life of animals--human and other--Being a Beast mingles neuroscience and psychology, nature writing and memoir, to cross the boundaries separating the species. It is an extraordinary journey full of thrills and surprises, humor and joy.

An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere by Gabrielle Walker 
We don’t just live in the air; we live because of it. It’s the most miraculous substance on earth, responsible for our food, our weather, our water, and our ability to hear. In this exuberant book, gifted science writer Gabrielle Walker peels back the layers of our atmosphere with the stories of the people who uncovered its secrets. [Amazon]

The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs: Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals--And Other Forgotten Skills by Tristan Gooley  
Now, in The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, Gooley has compiled more than 850 outdoor tips—many not found in any other book in the world—that will open readers’ eyes to nature’s hidden logic. He shares techniques for forecasting and tracking, and for walking in the country or city, along the coast, and by night. This is the ultimate resource on what the land, sun, moon, stars, plants, animals, and clouds can reveal—if you only know how to look! [Amazon]

Gardens of Awe and Folly: A Traveler's Journal of the Meaning of Life and Gardening by Vivian Swift
An illustrated, round-the-world tour of idiosyncratic gardens from beloved traveler/writer/watercolorist Vivian Swift. 

Thunder & Lightning : Weather Past, Present, Future by Lauren Redniss
From the National Book Award finalist Lauren Redniss, author of Radioactive, comes a dazzling fusion of storytelling, visual art, and reportage that grapples with weather in all its dimensions: its danger and its beauty, why it happens and what it means. 

The Hidden Life of Trees What They Feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben
In The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben shares his deep love of woods and forests and explains the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in the woodland and the amazing scientific processes behind the wonders of which we are blissfully unaware... Drawing on groundbreaking new discoveries, Wohlleben presents the science behind the secret and previously unknown life of trees and their communication abilities; he describes how these discoveries have informed his own practices in the forest around him. 

*all descriptions taken from the library catalog unless otherwise noted

New and Novel: Herbs

We've got a lot of  great books about herbs in the library catalog right now!  Whether you are a budding herbalist (pun intended!), a gardener, a tea aficionado, or just looking to know more about culinary herbs, we've got something for you to peruse. Here's some of our latest acquisitions:

Herbal Goddess: Discover the Amazing Spirit of 12 Healing Herbs with Teas, Potions, Salves, Food, Yoga, and More by Amy Jirsa

Natural Health Remedies: An A-Z Handbook With Natural Treatments by Janet Maccaro

The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer: The Ultimate Guide to Producing High-Quality Herbs on a Market Scale by Jeff Carpenter with Melanie Carpenter  

Herbs for Children's Health: How to Make and Use Gentle Herbal Remedies for Soothing Common Ailments by Rosemary Gladstar

Dental Herbalism: Natural Therapies For the Mouth by Leslie M. Alexander, Ph.D., RH(AHG), Linda A. Straub-Bruce, BS Ed, RDH

The New American Herbal by Stephen Orr

Rodale's 21st-Century Herbal: A Practical Guide for Healthy Living Using Nature's Most Powerful Plants by Michael J. Balick 

The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving edited by Lee Buttala and Shanyn Siegel

Healthy at Home: Get Well and Stay Well Without Prescriptions by Tieraona Low Dog, M.D 

Homesteading: A Backyard Guide to Growing Your Own Food, Canning, Keeping Chickens, Generating Your Own Energy, Crafting, Herbal Medicine and More by Abigail R Gehring

Homegrown Tea: An Illustrated Guide to Planting, Harvesting, and Blending Teas and Tisanes by Cassie Liversidge

Culinary Herbs & Spices of the World by Ben-Erik van Wyk

Storey's Guide to Growing Organic Vegetables & Herbs For Market: Site & Crop Selection Planting, Care & Harvesting Business Basics by Danny Barney

If you are interested in growing your own herbs, have you checked out our Seed Library or one of our home & garden guides?  

Links

Medicinal Plants at the Petroglyph National Monument [National Park Service]

UNM professor shares tradition of curanderismo with community [Albuquerque Journal]
 

 

Featured Author: Jennifer Potter

Author Jennifer Potter is primarily known as a horticultural historian, although she has written fiction. Perhaps her most famous work is Strange Blooms, a dual biography of the John Tradescants, the elder and younger, who were botanists, naturalists, and gardeners between 1570-1660. She is also a Royal Literary Fund Consultant Fellow - the RLF is a British charity which promotes and supports writers - and tutors higher education students in "enhancing their writing practices." Her horticultural microhistories have been called "expert" and "all-encompassing but precisely focused" [Booklist] with "readable style and interesting stories." [Choice Reviews] Just in time for spring, revisit some of your favorite flowers!

Seven Flowers and How They Shaped Our World

Drawing on sources both ancient and modern, and featuring lush full-color illustrations and gorgeous line art throughout, Potter examines our changing relationship with these potent plants and the effects they had on civilizations through the ages. The opium poppy, for example, returned to haunt its progenitors in the West, becoming the source of an enormously profitable drug trade in Asia. In the seventeenth century, the irrational exuberance of the Dutch for rare tulips led to a nationwide financial collapse. Potter also explores how different cultures came to view the same flowers in totally different lights. While Confucius saw virtue and modesty in his native orchids, the ancient Greeks saw only lust and sex. In the eye of each beholder, these are flowers of life and death; of purity and passion; of greed, envy and virtue; of hope and consolation; of the beauty that drives men wild. All seven demonstrate the enduring ability of flowers to speak metaphorically--if we could only decode what they have to say. ~from the library catalog

The Rose: A True History

Ever since Sappho planted roses at the shrine of Aphrodite, no flower has captured the imagination in quite the same way. Here, the acclaimed horticultural historian Jennifer Potter sets out on a quest to uncover the life of a flower that has been viewed so heterogeneously by different cultures in different countries across the centuries. Beginning her story in the Greek and Roman empires, she travels across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas to unravel its evolution from a simple briar of the northern hemisphere to the height of cultivated perfection found in rose gardens today. Whether laying bare the flower's long association with sexuality and secret societies, questioning the Crusaders' role in bringing roses back from the Holy Land, or hunting for its elusive blooms in the gardens of the Empress Josephine at Malmaison, Jennifer Potter reveals why this flower, above all others, has provoked such fascination.~from Google Books

Secret Gardens 

From the sacred groves of Ancient Greece, to the secluded outside rooms of Sissinghurst, this work is a history of secret gardens. A wide variety of secret gardens is explored, from intimate retreats to treehouses, caves and grottoes. Five case studies demonstrate how design principles can be turned into reality. Practical advice, from planting to the skilful use of water and ornaments, aim to help the reader realize the potential of their own garden. A comprehensive plant directory is included. ~from Google Books


Want to learn more about horticultural history? You might also enjoy: The Tulip by Anna Pavord; Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart; My Favorite Plant: Writers and Gardeners on the Plants They Love edited by Jamaica Kincaid; Weeds: In Defense of Nature's Most Unloved Plants by Richard Mabey; Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children's Tales by Marta McDowell; and The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean.

Are you a gardener? Have you visited our Seed Library?

The Seed Library!

One of the latest things that ABC Library is proud to bring you is our new seed library.  The collection of seeds to borrow on your library card will be available at the Juan Tabo branch, and you can begin checking out seed packets starting on March 22.

What is a seed library?  How can someone "borrow" seeds?  At our seed library a library patron can check out up to 15 packages of seeds on their library card.  The checkout is good for one year.  Over that year you can grow your borrowed seeds in your garden and extract seeds from the new plant, which you can then return to the library.  If you already have a green thumb, this is a great way to pick up some new vegetables and herbs you've never tried growing before.  For those of us who are beginners in gardening, this is a great opportunity to learn some skills by trying to grow some "easy" seeds, like tomatoes.  A list of all the seeds that will available for checkout is on our catalog.

Join us at Juan Tabo for our kick-off event on March 22.  You can ask questions about our seeds, meet other gardeners, and of course, pick out some seeds to borrow!  Find out the latest news about the seed library on abclibrary.org/seeds. 

You can also check out these books about gardening and seed saving for an idea of what seeds you might want to borrow.

Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth

Heirloom Vegetable Gardening: A Master Gardener's Guide to Planting, Growing, Seed Saving, and Cultural History by William Woys Weaver

The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds: 322 Vegetables, Herbs, Flowers, Fruits, Trees, and Shrubs by Robert Gough and Cheryl Moore-Gough

The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food by Janisse Ray

Easy Growing: Organic Herbs and Edible Flowers From Small Spaces by Gayla Trail

New & Novel in Gardening and Urban Homesteading Books

Spring is in the air, and the fancy of young and old people alike turns to planting and growing!  Here are some of the latest books in the catalog to give you planning ideas for your garden or urban homestead, or at least to help some of us overcome our brown thumb.



The Four Season Farm Gardener's Cookbook by Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman

Women and Their Gardens: A History from the Elizabethan Era to Today by Catherine Horwood

The Anxious Gardener's Book of Answers by Teri Dunn Chace

A Nature Lover's Almanac: Kinky Bugs, Stealthy Critters, Prosperous Plants & Celestial Wonders by Diane Olson

The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food by Janisse Ray

The Essential Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter and Willow Rosenthal

The Weekend Homesteader: A Twelve-Month Guide to Self-Sufficiency by Anna Hess

The City Homesteader: Self-Sufficiency on Any Square Footage by Scott Meyer

The Thinking Beekeeper: A Guide to Natural Beekeeping in Top Bar Hives by Christy Hemenway

A Rich Spot of Earth: Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden at Monticello by Peter J. Hatch

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Seed Saving and Starting by Sheri Ann Richerson

How to Grow More Vegetables: (And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine by John Jeavons

The Complete Guide to Saving Seeds: 322 Vegetables, Herbs, Flowers, Fruits, Trees, and Shrubs by Robert Gough and Cheryl Moore-Gough [eBook only in our catalog]

Your Farm in the City: An Urban Dweller's Guide to Growing Food and Rising Livestock by Lisa Taylor, and the gardeners of Seattle Tilth

The Heirloom Life Gardener: The Baker Creek Way of Growing Your Own Food Easily and Naturally by Jere & Emilee Gettle with Meghan Sutherland.

Heirloom Fruits & Vegetables by Toby Musgrave



For more titles, try a subject search under "Seeds", "Bee Culture", "Gardening", or "Sustainable Living".  You can also pay a visit to the library's subject guides on Composting and Mulching and Mini-Farming!  Subject guides are created by library staff.

For gardening assistance, contact the Master Gardeners!  You can call their hotline at 292-7144 or 243-1386. The hotline is available 7 days a week, from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m, and you can find Master Gardener volunteers at select branches in the spring.

Don't forget to take advantage of free xeriscape and landscape conversion seminars, courtesy of Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, at the Cherry Hills Library!  For more information, visit the Cherry Hills Library website or the ABCWUA website.

Last but certainly not least, NMSU Cooperative Extension Service features how-to guides and circulars covering such topics as gardening, health, clothing and sewing, family resource management, and livestock and range management.

Featured Author: Amy Stewart

As we prepare for March to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb, our minds are turned towards the coming of spring!  What better time to discuss an author whose interests include earthworms, floriculture, plants, and bugs?  Amy Stewart is "the award-winning author of six books on the perils and pleasures of the natural world", according to her website, along with being the co-founder of the popular blog GardenRant and a contributing editor at Fine Gardening magazine.  Stewart has written for many other magazines and newspapers, been featured in the PBS documentary The Botany of Desire, and two of her books, Wicked Plants and Wicked Bugs, have been adapted into national traveling exhibits that appear at botanical gardens and museums nationwide.  She had received a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, the American Horticulture Society’s Book Award, and a California Horticultural Society Writer’s Award.  Stewart's books, while factual, are often described as "darkly comical" and "quirky". Check her titles out from the library catalog!

 

From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden

 

 

The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms

 

 

Flower Confidential

 

 

Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities

 

 

Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects

 

Preserving Your Garden's Produce

More and more people are turning to gardening and growing their own fruits, herbs and vegetables.  If you are lucky enough to have a garden and enjoy working in it, then all summer you have probably been eating vegestables straight out of the ground and fruit straight off the tree, but now it is that time of year when we think about bringing in the last of our produce from gardens and orchards.  I myself don't have a garden, but lately my friends and neighbors have been pushing their extra wealth of fresh produce on me, which I have been happily accepting.  I've received peaches, apples, tomatoes, and cucumbers to name a few, and while eating them straight from my friends' gardens is wonderful, I have been contemplating how I might stretch the bounty for several more months.  It's the time for putting up freshly grown food to enjoy all winter. 

Luckily the library has lots of books for helping with these tasks, since preserving and canning fresh foods is not something I do on a regular basis.  I'm only just learning how to freeze certain foods, and the library has books to help me with that too.  Great websites that offer tips and recipes for preserving foods are www.mealtime.org and sustainablepantry.com, but to me, nothing beats having an actual book I can hold in my hand and refer to when I get lost. 

Some great books on storing foods to check out at the library:

The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking With Pickles, Preserves, and Aigre-Doux by Paul Virant

Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round by Marisa McClellan

Canning For a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors For the Modern Pantry by Liana Krisoff

Preserving Summer's Bounty: A Quick and Easy Guide to Freezing, Canning, Preserving, and Drying What You Grow edited by Susan McClure

Can I Freeze It?: How To Use the Most Versatile Appliance in Your Kitchen by Susie Theodorou

 

Lavender In the Village Festival

Living in the southwest means learning to utilize water in the most efficient way when we garden.  Obviously, desert plants that have grown in New Mexico for years are a good option, but there are lots of other plants that do well in our hot, dry climate, most especially ones that grow well in Mediterranean climates.  Among these plants is the very versatile, very useful lavender.

Lavender has had a long history as a useful plant.  It was one of the herbs found in the tombs of the Ancient Egyptians.  Hildegard von Bingen, the nun and herbalist, used lavender to cure migraines. Queen Victoria of England had a “lavender purveyor” who arranged fresh lavender around the castle daily.   Most recently lavender has been used in aromatherapy to cure insomnia.  It’s been used on insect bites and burns and as a disinfectant.  Fresh lavender is used in cooking, to make toiletries such as bubble bath,  and as a floral decoration.  Click here for many more ideas on how to use lavender this month.

On July 14 and July 15 Los Ranchos, Albuquerque will hold its annual Lavender in the Village Festival.  This festival, which features discussions and demonstrations, is a great way to learn more about growing and using lavender.  You can also buy or pick your own at the festival if you are not inclined to grow it yourself.  

Besides the lavender there will also be great shopping up and down Fourth Street, wine tours at Casa Rondena Winery, and the Los Ranchos Growers' Market on Saturday morning.  Parking and shuttle information is on the Los Ranchos website.  This festival offers a chance to explore Los Ranchos and discover some new stores and neighborhoods. 

If you wish to begin your education in lavender before heading off to the festival take a look at these titles from the library’s catalog:

The Lavender Garden: Beautiful Varieties to Grow and Gather by Robert Kourik

Lavender: How to Grow and Use the Fragrant Herb by Ellen Spector Platt

The Lavender Cookbook by Sharon Shipley

Lavender Sweet Lavender by Judyth A. McLeod

The Unlikely Lavender Queen by Jeannie Ralston

Lavender Lies: A China Bayles Mystery by Susan Wittig Albert

The Lavender Lover's Handbook: The 100 Most Beautiful and Fragrant Varieties for Growing, Crafting, and Cooking by Sarah Berringer Bader

Get outside - a visual guide!

It's spring and a wonderful time of year to be outside.  Perhaps you are looking for ideas of where to go, for inspiration for a new hobby or project, or some fellow enthusiasts.

Whether you like gardening, bicycling, hiking, photography, or nature our visual guide will link you to books, resources, and people to help you pursue your passion.

Click here or on the photo below to get started.
It will take you to a site called flickr.
  



Get outside!

  
 

The Garbage of Your Dreams

Soil is always a struggle here in New Mexico and now that it's gardening season you might be thinking about shopping for that expensive organic compost and/or fertilizer from the local garden store. That wonderful, magical mix that they sell packed into heavy plastic bags is something that every one of us can make for ourselves in our own back (or front) yards. This is also good for the environment as it keeps valuable organic waste out of landfills and into your garden soil. All it takes is a little bit of commitment and a lot of garbage.

What you need:

A bin- There are pre-made composting bins that are build for optimal air circulation and smell-insulation. Yes there can be a certain stinkiness involved in composting. You can, however, go the simpler and more affordable route and just get an old trash can. Make sure there are plenty of holes cut in the side for ventilation and a lid. Keep the potential smell in mind when deciding where to place your compost bin (i.e. don't place it right outside your front door). Also keep a small container in the house to keep your kitchen scraps in until they are ready to be taken outside. An old coffee can works great. You could also keep your "scraps" container in the freezer before taking it outside to cut back on odors inside the house.

Garbage:

The right kind of garbage is essential. You can't throw just anything into your compost. Organic waste is key. This can include banana peels, that bag of spinach that sat in your fridge too long, strawberry caps, used coffee grounds, raked leaves, grass clipping and other yard waste. Look here for a more complete list of compost materials. Also keep in mind things you should not compost items such as animal waste, meat or dairy products and other composting no-no's.  

Upkeep:

After you have your compost going the only upkeep involved is regularly turning or stirring your pile and watering it often. The stirring will provide much needed oxygen flow to the microorganisms in your pile and the water supplies moisture that the microbes need to survive.

For more guidance on your composting adventure take a look at the our composting Libguide, or check out these books available through ABC libraries:

Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof

Backyard Composting : Your Complete Guide to Recycling Yard Clippings

Let It Rot!: The Gardener's Guide to Composting by Stu Campbell

The Urban/Suburban Composter: The Complete Guide to Backyard, Balcony, and Apartment Composting by Mark Cullen and Lorraine Johnson