Daytime Gardeners Recommend Gardening Books at the Library

Daytime Gardeners of North Haven Recommend Gardening Books at the Library

The temperatures are getting milder, days are getting longer, and gardeners are getting eager to begin their plantings! The Daytime Gardeners of North Haven, in conjunction with the North Haven Memorial Library, have prepared a display table of books recommended for all types of gardening, and all levels of gardeners. No matter if you are a beginner, or have years of experience, there is always something new to learn and experiment with in the garden. Stop in the library to check out the books recommended by the Daytime Gardeners!

There are also many types of gardens to match the interests of everyone. Vegetable gardens not only help to put fresh food on the table, they offer great opportunities for exercise, and with good planning, harvesting can begin in the spring with early crops such as lettuce, spinach, chard, radishes, beets, kale, peas, etc. Fall crops, such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, Brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, and second plantings of some early crops, can extend your harvesting season. Vegetables gardens can be decorative and including companion flowers not only adds color and form, but also may help to deter some pests! A front border of annuals, and a back border of sunflowers, creates a sign of welcome as people come to explore the vegetables.

A pollinator garden brings life to your yard, and the busy pollinators are important in order to harvest a bountiful crop of vegetables. Providing annuals and perennials that attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds is strongly recommended. These insects, and the hummingbirds, are fascinating to watch, delight young children, and are critical for our food production. Some favorite pollinator plants include: tithonia (a monarch butterfly magnet!), lavender, gaillardia, asters, bee balm, coneflowers, and sunflowers. Choosing plants that have a long blossom time, or planning a succession of blooms on different plants, will assure that pollinators will spend a long time in your yard.

There are many types of flower gardens that can be enjoyed by all. Some may like to use perennials, plants that will remain in the garden for years, dying back in the fall, but popping to life again when the weather warms up in the spring. Planning according to blossom time, colors, heights, and growth habits, allows the garden to have a succession of blooms from spring to fall. Annuals are great for long lasting spots of color, and can be integrated into the perennial garden. Spring and fall bulbs should not be forgotten. They pop up and provide a burst of color, and some have a wonderful fragrance. Many bulbs, such as daffodils, hyacinths, some tulips, lilies, crocus,, will remain in the ground and provide color for many seasons without replanting, unless of course, you have a family of voles that may enjoy them for a meal.

The Daytime Gardeners encourage families to involve their children in gardening activities from a young age. When children help with the planting, watering, and, yes, weeding, of vegetables, they are often more willing to eat them and to try new vegetables that they have personally helped to grow. When ordering seeds, include the children in selecting what to plant so they have some choices. Some flowers, such as marigolds, zinnias, and sunflowers, are particularly easy for children to start from seed and then plant in the garden. Learning that living things require consistent care is an important lesson, so be sure to motivate the children to take responsibility for their plants.

Xeriscape gardening is becoming very popular and is recommended if you have less time and energy to spend in the garden, but still want to enjoy the benefits of gardening. Xeriscape gardens focus on plants that require less maintenance, and are more drought tolerate, thus conserving energy that would be used for watering the garden. The use of mulch, or various types of stone, reduces the need to water, and helps keep the weeds under control. Many of the plants recommended for xeriscape gardens, such as yucca, lavender, sedums, butterfly plant (Asclepias tuberosa), and coneflowers (Echinacea), are excellent for attracting pollinators.

Container gardening is perfect for those who don’t have space, or just prefer a small amount of garden to manage. There are containers of all sizes and styles that can be used for a wide variety of plants, including your vegetables! Now is the time to start preparing for your gardening season. Stop in to the library to get some ideas from the books displayed so you will be ready to plant when the soil is warm!

Daytime Gardeners of North Haven is a member of the Federated Garden Clubs of CT, Inc., New England Garden Clubs, and National Garden Clubs, Inc. New members are always welcome. For information on our activities and membership, call Daytime Gardeners at (203) 239-1557, and be sure to visit us on Facebook!