Grow with Gardens
Marissa Creamer
That harbinger of spring, the Southern Spring Home & Garden Show, recently made its annual visit to the Charlotte Merchandise Mart. Each year I look forward to seeing the beautifully landscaped gardens and discovering new plants. This year the North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association and North Carolina Cooperative Extension introduced Showstopper Plants. These promising new cultivars or iron-clad plants are known to thrive in all regions of North Carolina. This year’s selections consist of three shrubs: Kaleidoscope Abelia, Limelight Hydrangea, and Chindo Viburnum. The tree selection is Oklahoma Redbud, and the Showstopper perennial is Lenten Rose. With the exception of Lenten Rose, which requires moist soil to excel, these plants are quite tolerant of drought, an important distinction in these days of water restrictions.
You can learn more about plants and gardening by checking out some of these new books from Rowan Public Library:
Learn more about the diverse world of viburnums with Michael Dirr’s “Viburnums: Flowering Shrubs for Every Season.” This comprehensive work celebrates viburnums with the first volume devoted exclusively to this beautiful and versatile hardy shrub. Renowned plant expert Dirr has said that a garden without viburnums is like a life without the pleasures of music and art. He provides a wealth of information about the various species and cultivars, with detailed information about each plant’s characteristics and appraisals that make it easy for the gardener to choose the right plant for the right situation.
If you are interested in organic gardening, check out “The Elements of Organic Gardening” by Charles, Prince of Wales with Stephanie Donaldson. This lavishly illustrated volume provides an inspirational guide to organic gardening as practiced at Highgrove Estate, which over the past twenty-six years has been transformed into a garden that is both beautiful and environmentally sound. Also featured are the Prince’s gardens at Birkhall in the Scottish Highlands and Clarence House in London, where organic principles are also being applied. The Prince expresses his deeply held beliefs about sustainability and responsibility: “Gradually, as you look further and deeper into the processes of Nature, you begin to realize that we ourselves are a microcosm of that vast all-encompassing—essentially ordered—living entity. And the remarkable thing is that nothing is ever wasted. There is a constant process of renewing; of death followed by rebirth; of valuable materials being provided on a constantly sustaining basis, if managed with sympathy and continuity.”
A vacant city lot, filled with garbage, doesn’t look like the place for a garden. But one day, a young Vietnamese girl takes a spoon to the hard soil and plants some bean seeds in an attempt to connect with the deceased father she has never known. Gradually, a neighborhood filled with strangers from diverse ethnic backgrounds comes together to find healing and hope in the soil of a community garden. “Seedfolks,” by Paul Fleischman, is a slim Young Adult fiction novel with an inspiring message about the transformative power of gardens.
Find your own gardening inspiration with books from Rowan Public Library.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
XERISCAPING
Dr. Betty Middleton
March 28, 2008
The statistics about the impact of global warming on our planet are very alarming. According to all local forecasts, Rowan County is in for another hot, dry summer. That leaves all of us, who love to plant and enjoy flowers, in a dilemma because it will be
impossible to maintain these lovely flower gardens if we have water restrictions placed
upon us again.
Xeriscaping may be our solution. Originally developed for drought-afflicted areas, xeriscaping has become increasingly popular as a way to conserve water through creative landscaping. The principles of xeriscaping can be used in any yard, in any geographic region of North America.
The secret, of course, is proper soil preparation; attention to the layout of the garden; and adhering to the proper planting times for your location. Choosing indigenous plants, or plants native to other regions with the same climate, will require less fertilization and less pest control measures.
There are many books available to help you establish a new look for your garden while dealing with the global warming factor. Publishers Weekly points out that Xeriscape Gardening : Water Conservation for the American Landscape written by Lockhart Ellefson, Thomas L. Stephens, and Doug Welsh, explains how to conceive, design and install a Xeriscape home landscape anywhere in the country.
Also for gardening in this new unpredictable climate, Jennifer Bennett discusses water conservation measures and lists plants suitable for low water landscapes in her book Dryland Gardening: Plants That Survive and Thrive in Tough Conditions. She includes all-time favorites and color photographs from botanical gardens in North America.
It is not necessary to live in a Mediterranean town to enjoy the book Gardening the Mediterranean Way: How to Create a Waterwise, Drought-Tolerant Garden by Heide Gildemeister. Mrs. Gildemeister, a founder of the Mediterranean Garden Society, discusses a wide variety of topics, from choosing native species, labor-saving methods and places for fruits and vegetables. The book is well illustrated with color photographs.
If you would like to add some drought-tolerant plants to your garden this year, it is well worth looking at the many books available at your local branch of the Rowan Public Library.
STUDY GUIDES
PAUL BIRKHEAD
Everyone take out a pencil. Where’s the best place in town to get study help? If you wrote down ‘the library’, give yourself an ‘A’. The rest of you should pay attention.
I recently had the pleasure of taking a four-hour test called the GRE. GRE stands for Graduate Record Examination and it is a standardized test generally used for admissions to graduate school. When I first began studying for the exam and looked through a few sample questions, it was clear that I would need some help. As usual, Rowan Public Library came to the rescue!
Rowan Public Library has some excellent resources for those needing help studying for tests of all types. On the shelves, there are study guides for the GRE, the GED, the ACT, the SAT, the Postal Exam, the U. S. Citizenship Test, and more. Two of the study guides that helped me the most in preparing for my exam were “Cracking the GRE” by Princeton Review and “GRE/GMAT Math Workbook” by Kaplan, Inc.
Another resource Rowan Public Library offers is 24/7 access to an online learning platform called the Learning Express Library. The Learning Express Library has dozens of searchable electronic study guides so don’t worry if all the books on your subject happen to be checked out or you get the sudden urge to study after hours. Learning Express also offers hundreds of online practice tests that prepare users for several types of exams including the GRE. For younger students, there are scores of elementary school, middle school, and high school skill building tests.
To access the Learning Express Library, you’ll need a valid Rowan Public Library Card number and PIN. If you don’t have a PIN or can’t remember what it is, stop by the library and ask for a new one. Make sure you bring your card or an ID with you. You’ll get to the Learning Express through a link on our website – www.rowanpubliclibrary.org. Once at our home page, click on the ‘Online Tools’ button. Then, click on the ‘NCLive from Home’ link. Follow the instructions for obtaining the current password for NCLive. Once at the NCLive site, click on ‘Test Preparation’ under ‘Browse by Type’ and you’re almost there. Click on the Learning Express Library link and you’re in. One more caveat, first-time users will need to set up a Learning Express user name and password from a computer at the library. The reason a user account is required is that it allows the site to instantly score practice tests, record your strengths and weaknesses, and make personalized recommendations.
Whether building academic skills or studying for a particular exam, don’t forget that Rowan Public Library may just be the best study partner you’ll ever have.
PAUL BIRKHEAD
Everyone take out a pencil. Where’s the best place in town to get study help? If you wrote down ‘the library’, give yourself an ‘A’. The rest of you should pay attention.
I recently had the pleasure of taking a four-hour test called the GRE. GRE stands for Graduate Record Examination and it is a standardized test generally used for admissions to graduate school. When I first began studying for the exam and looked through a few sample questions, it was clear that I would need some help. As usual, Rowan Public Library came to the rescue!
Rowan Public Library has some excellent resources for those needing help studying for tests of all types. On the shelves, there are study guides for the GRE, the GED, the ACT, the SAT, the Postal Exam, the U. S. Citizenship Test, and more. Two of the study guides that helped me the most in preparing for my exam were “Cracking the GRE” by Princeton Review and “GRE/GMAT Math Workbook” by Kaplan, Inc.
Another resource Rowan Public Library offers is 24/7 access to an online learning platform called the Learning Express Library. The Learning Express Library has dozens of searchable electronic study guides so don’t worry if all the books on your subject happen to be checked out or you get the sudden urge to study after hours. Learning Express also offers hundreds of online practice tests that prepare users for several types of exams including the GRE. For younger students, there are scores of elementary school, middle school, and high school skill building tests.
To access the Learning Express Library, you’ll need a valid Rowan Public Library Card number and PIN. If you don’t have a PIN or can’t remember what it is, stop by the library and ask for a new one. Make sure you bring your card or an ID with you. You’ll get to the Learning Express through a link on our website – www.rowanpubliclibrary.org. Once at our home page, click on the ‘Online Tools’ button. Then, click on the ‘NCLive from Home’ link. Follow the instructions for obtaining the current password for NCLive. Once at the NCLive site, click on ‘Test Preparation’ under ‘Browse by Type’ and you’re almost there. Click on the Learning Express Library link and you’re in. One more caveat, first-time users will need to set up a Learning Express user name and password from a computer at the library. The reason a user account is required is that it allows the site to instantly score practice tests, record your strengths and weaknesses, and make personalized recommendations.
Whether building academic skills or studying for a particular exam, don’t forget that Rowan Public Library may just be the best study partner you’ll ever have.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Library Notes
Sara Grajek
February 24, 2008
This February we’ve all been granted an extra day –Leap Day. In the same spirit, the children’s room at Rowan Public Library offers something extra in books that are more than just your average book. These are chock full of information, pictures and sometimes gross facts. These are the kinds of books that kids (and boys especially) will grab off the shelf and devour, even if they don’t like to ‘read.’
“Guinness World Records” has more information crammed into one volume than the average person might be aware of. There are records for amazing things like the thickest piece of ice on earth (15,699 ft and equal to 10 Empire State buildings) and the record holder for the most push-ups in an hour (Roy Berger of Canada with 3,416). There are also gross records such as the longest fingernails: 28 feet 10 inches for a man and 24 feet 7.8 inches for a woman! These even come with a picture, just in case you can’t imagine what that might look like. There are also sports records, scientific records and many, many more. You won’t believe what you find in the “Guinness World Records” book.
Another book that is more than a book is called, “Do Not Open.” Despite the title, this book is well-worth opening and taking home. Called an encyclopedia of the world’s best-kept secrets, this book can definitely live up to that description. Have you ever wondered how barcodes on products work? I mean, really work? This book explains what each line of the code means. Did you know there is a secret world underneath the city of Paris, France? There is one layer for the subways that are used today, another layer for tunnels used during WWII, and even another for mines that date all the way back to the ancient Romans.
“The World Almanac for Kids” is published each year and is similar in some ways to the adult’s almanac. It is full of facts about country and state populations, land area, currency, and flags. It also has fun facts like Odd Holidays (Bubble Gum Day – Feb 1; and Talk Like a Pirate Day – Sept. 19) and how to say ‘Happy Birthday’ in five different languages. With one quick glance through the book you can find out: which quarterback won the Superbowl last year; the world’s smallest animal; a bio of children’s book author Roald Dahl; how to read a map; and even jokes and riddles – that’s all within the first 100 pages. There are still 240 to go. With all of these books in the library filled with extras, you’ll be glad you’ve been given an extra day this year to read them.
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