Lee's Summit's John Knox Village is one of the largest retirement communities in the U.S. For the past year, the Lee's Summit Branch has been "booktalking" at the Village. A booktalk isn't a traditional book discussion group or a Library-To-Go. It's an opportunity for librarians to talk-up some of our favorite titles and introduce readers to books they may have otherwise overlooked. We take regular print, large print, and audiobook copies of at least 10 titles with us to John Knox. Library staff give a short overview of each book and then make it available for checkout.
Winter. The gardener’s down time. That time when we can relax and enjoy our gardens from the comfort and warmth of our cozy homes and easy chairs. Now, what exactly are you going to be seeing when you gaze out your windows this winter? Are you going to be looking at an empty snow-covered landscape, or are you going to be looking at a snow-covered wonderland full of interesting shapes and textures?
America lost a true titan of the 20th century last Saturday. Neil Armstrong passed away at the age of 82 due to complications from a heart procedure. Of course, most people know Armstrong from being the first man to walk on the moon, but he was also an accomplished naval aviator during the Korean War and a successful test pilot before he joined the second group of astronauts in 1962.
It’s time to start thinking about winter. Yes, that’s what I said. Winter! You remember that season when temperatures plunge to the opposite extreme from what we’ve been experiencing lately. The season when white stuff falls from the sky instead of rain (I’m talking about snow of course). It’s also the season when your garden sleeps and gathers its energy for next spring’s growth.
Most all gardeners are aware of the USDA climate zone map for the United States, but did you know that there is also a heat zone map? I didn’t know about it until the other day when I was looking for the climate zone map on Google and found the heat zone map, too. It was compiled by the American Horticulture Society (AHS) to show the number of days per year that the temperature is above 86 degrees for all areas of the US. This is a great new tool for gardeners to use to ensure the plants they choose will thrive in their area.
I have a lot of trees around my yard, so I have a lot of shade. Unfortunately, many of my favorite plants want full sun. Landscaping is a challenge, to say the least. One can only grow so many hostas and ferns before one gets bored. I have noticed that in recent years, there have been many new plant introductions for shady areas, so apparently I’m not the only one with this particular problem.
Each month the Lee’s Summit Branch Photography Forum picks a theme, and the members go out and take pictures of that theme. The theme for July was downtown Lee’s Summit. I am so excited to share with everybody the pictures that were taken. We have selected a dozen photos to display in the Library. Come check them out on the far wall opposite the front doors.
Pruning is one of those garden tasks that I always seem to put off as long as I can. Quite frankly, I’m intimidated by the whole prospect of cutting bits and pieces off of my plants. What if I cut off the wrong branch? What happens if I prune a shrub at the wrong time of year? It’s enough to make me want to hide my pruners in the back of the garden shed for the season.
I’ve been reading a lot of articles lately about gardening for wildlife. How fun would it be to look out and see birds, bees, and butterflies flitting around your back yard? Rabbits playing tag and chipmunks scurrying to and fro are entertaining for people (and pets) to watch. I’ve found that gardening for wildlife is really easy and low maintenance, too.
In this hot dry weather, I’m sure no one is thinking about planting more garden vegetable. But did you know that you can plant a fall crop of certain cool weather vegetables? Many of our favorite spring crops can be replanted in late summer for a fall harvest. Also, many of the pests and diseases that plague early crops are not as much of an issue late in the season.
