April Showers Bring…

A few weeks ago, my young grandson and I eagerly ran outside when there was some nice weather and planted some flower seeds. Surprisingly, we now have some snapdragon and sweet pea seedlings that are about an inch tall, so we’ll watch them daily as they continue to grow.

Sadly, my gardening experience has been more optimistic than skilled. I’ve mostly just reused the same containers from year to year, stuck some plants into potting soil, and crossed my fingers. However, this year, I’d like to start our youngster off right and encourage his enthusiasm! So, I’ve enlisted the help of the Library’s online resources to give me a hand (and hopefully a green thumb!).

While Universal Class offers five courses on gardening, I think I’ll start with Introduction to Gardening and then carefully study the Butterfly Gardens course. You may also be interested in All About Herbs, Vegetable Gardening 101, or Tropical Gardening 101.

Don’t forget to look for our other fantastic resources as well. For example, OverDrive has “flower garden” eBooks for everything from edible flowers to fairy gardens to raised flower beds. Don’t forget to pick up some flower-themed fiction along the way, so you can enjoy some light reading while you spend some time in your personal secret garden!

RBdigital Magazines offers current (for some titles) and back issues of magazines such as Better Homes & Gardens, Country Gardens, Rodale’s Organic Life, Birds & Blooms, and Mother Earth News. Be sure to also look for flower garden-themed videos available through Access Video on Demand. Start with Gardening: Confidential, and then go on to learn about The Queen’s Garden (Buckingham Palace Gardens). In Plant Odyssey: Part 1, learn about the iris and the tulip; in Plant Odyssey: Part 2, learn about water lilies and roses.

Ready to walk on the scientific side? Watch the very short but fascinating Nanoflowers Grow in Tiny Garden in Access Video on Demand to learn about microscopic flowers that can only been seen using a microscope. At some point, if you need assistance with bugs, overwatering, or other common gardening issues, watch gardenRx: Top Ten Garden Remedies as well.

Happy gardening!

Terri M.
Consumer Technology Specialist