CHECK IT OUT:

From Michelle Obama to Newport Beach, planting a garden is in the news.

Whether you have a gardening preference for vegetables, flowers, trees or shrubs, spring is the time to get back to the earth. Celebrations at this time of year range from Earth Day to Arbor Day, and even on Administrative Professional’s Day flowers are often given for recognition, reminding us that spring is in the air.

“The Way We Garden Now” by Katherine Whiteside highlights 41 do-it-yourself projects based on skill level, size of your space to work with, climate and even how much time you have to devote to a given project. Each entry contains a recipe of “ingredients” you will need, including tools and step-by-step installation instructions. Whiteside prefaces the recipes with a “What’s the Payoff?” section to clearly state the end results and goals of the project.

Bob Flowerdew’s “Organic Garden Basics” shows gardeners how to successfully grow healthy plants without using chemicals, pesticides, fungicides or insecticides. Flowerdew breaks down the method into five easy steps covering improving your soil, making your own compost, avoiding chemicals, choosing the right plants and encouraging wildlife.

To further assist you with your organic gardening skills, “The Complete Compost Gardening Guide” by Barbara Pleasant and Deborah L. Martin serves as a detailed guide to composting. The book begins with informative facts and definitions as well as an inventory of tools and materials a composter needs. The second section follows with compost gardening techniques and the concluding segment reviews plants for the composter’s garden.

If you are having problems maintaining a healthy, thriving garden, “Rodale’s Vegetable Garden Problem Solver” by Fern Marshall Bradley is here for the rescue.

A no-frills comprehensive guide to help ensure success in your garden, it is appropriate for new gardeners or those with experienced green thumbs. Bradley supplies advice for beating pests, diseases and weeds as well as helpful tips for preventing and troubleshooting problems.

Let’s talk color with “When Perennials Bloom” by Tomasz Anisko. Anisko describes what perennials are and includes complete timelines for planning and planting these blooms. This 500-plus-page almanac contains an abundance of color photographs and entries are listed alphabetically.

Nancy Ondra’s “Foliage” is organized by color and within each color palette further subdivided by texture. Ondra explains how to use leafy foliage to create an attractive outdoor landscape perfect for mixing and matching with flowers and ornamental grasses. She includes heights, leaf size, sun/shade requirements, growing tips and alternatives for each entry.

“P. Allen Smith’s Bringing the Garden Indoors” by Smith himself, does just that. Learn how you can enjoy your outdoor garden and blooms by creating gorgeous indoor arrangements. Smith details 65 projects to help you showcase your outdoor green thumb efforts utilizing a variety of unique supplies, materials and your outdoor garden that you’ve tended to with the help of these proceeding books.

These titles are only a small sample of the library’s gardening resources. Whether you are a neophyte or an green thumb you can find a range of planting guides best suited for your specific needs, from container gardening to water gardens to shade-loving plants and even indoor terrarium gardens, checkout the vast garden of books awaiting you at the library.

CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library.