Spring gloriously sprang into our lives a few weeks ago here in central Mississippi, but the calendar says the first actual day of spring was Sunday, March 20! Hurray, hurray, hurray for all of us gardeners, and a double hurray for the beginning of daylight savings time, which started a week ago! For avid gardeners, that gives us one whole extra hour of daylight to get home on weekday afternoons and work in our gardens!
My garden, which I designed several years ago, continues to change and evolve. I try new perennials and annuals. I move plants around. I experiment. That is half the fun of gardening. When I hear of a flower, previously unknown to me, or if I happen to see a new one in a garden center, I usually go home and research it in one of my Southern gardening books before I buy it. For instance, last summer I planted green zinnia seeds and was very happy with the results. This year I have planted the most gorgeous blue and white lobelia in a container, as well as the newly cultivated tiny profusely blooming petunia. I also have gotten my tomatoes going now.
Although the tried and true Southern gardening books, of which we have many here at Lemuria, still jump from my bookshelves as references, specialty gardening books give us gardeners more information on specific species of flowers. I, personally, consult Lemuria’s garden section often. Having been “in charge” of the gardening section since I began work at Lemuria almost five years ago now, I have asked John to order more and more specialty gardening titles. I believe that we have the best gardening section anywhere in the South! Below follows a list of some of Lemuria’s specialty flower books:
The New Book of Salvias: Sages for Every Garden by Betsy Clebsch: over 150 species and significant hybrids are described and photographed
Impatiens: The Vibrant World of Busy Lizzies, Balsams, and Touch-Me-Nots: descriptions and photographs of over 200 impatiens
Timber Press Pocket Guide to Shade Perennials by W. George Schmid: not only hostas and ferns but 1000 other shade loving perennials
Hibiscus: Hardy and Tropical Plants for the Garden by Barbara Perry Lawton: tropical and subtropical plants of over 200 hibiscus species
Begonias: Cultivation, Identification and Natural History by Mark C. Tebbitt: hardy and semi-hardy species identified, descriptions and photographs
A Book of Blue Flowers by Robert Geneve: 150 photos of various blue flowers from gardens around the world
Hydrangeas for American Gardens by Michael A. Dirr: a true reverence guide to propagation, pruning, breeding, drying, designing of hydrangeas
Clematis for Small Spaces: 150 High-Performance Plants for Patios, Decks, Balconies and Borders by Raymond J. Evison: exploration of new cultivars
Fuchsias by John Nicholass: a guide to cultivation of over 450 fuchsias
Green Flowers by Alison Hoblyn: green annuals, perennials, bulbs and orchids with planting schemes
Happy Gardening! If I may ever help you in any way with gardening books, please contact me at nan@lemuriabooks.com, or come into the store,and I’ll show you our specialty flower books. I encourage you to branch out (not a pun) this year and try some green or blue flowers! -Nan
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