School Gardens

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

School gardening began in 1890 for political reform and to improve society. Leaders saw gardening as a way to get city children out of the tenements into a healthier environment and with healthy activity. School leaders thought it would also increase good moral character and teach appreciation of nature. The war garden movement eventually joined with the school garden effort. In the 1970s school gardens started to resurface as environmental concerns grew. Today schools encourage children to get involved in growing and appreciating healthy food to help teach them to eat better.

Victory Gardens

Photo by Alexandr Podvalny on Unsplash

During WWI the government recruited farm workers to fight, which greatly reduced food production. To supplement food supply the government promoted war gardens or victory gardens that were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens on private and public. Americans planted more than 5 million gardens after the U.S. National War Garden Commission was launched in March 1917. Again in WWII the government promoted war gardens and 18 million victory gardens were in use by May 1943. Eleanor Roosevelt even planted one on the White House lawn. After the war, few people kept home gardens and more people enjoyed processed food. Today victory gardens are back in style to help with tough economic times and concern over healthy food.

Community Gardens

Photo by Anna Earl on Unsplash

A community garden is defined as any piece of land gardened by a group of people including school gardens and victory gardens. Community gardening brings people together and benefits everyone. As agricultural land decreases and food deserts expand, urban and home gardens become more and more important. Community gardens provide healthy food and nurture social connections. The Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners and Topeka Common Ground provide information and support for local community gardeners. There are at least 31 community gardens in Shawnee County.

View complete list

The post Gardening with Purpose appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

Plants are good for indoor air, tending and nourishing them is therapeutic, and indoor gardening still provides a connection to nature. You could grow fresh herbs for cooking and fresh pesticide-free fruits and vegetables year round inside. There are several options if you want to try your hand at indoor gardening. We recently added several new books on the subject.

Houseplants

Houseplants are perfect for the beginning “plant parent.” You can have as many or as few as you want. In her book How to Make a Plant Love You, Summer Rayne Oakes teaches us to approach caring for plants as we would a relationship. She expands on a favorite theme of mine, the human-nature connection. Oake’s book is more a love story with lots of anecdotes, hers and other people’s, on the joy of living with plants.

Terrariums

If you’re feeling creative, try your hand at terrariums. Terrariums are self-contained ecosystems that need minimum care once established.  You can use any combination of stones, moss, wood, glass beads, miniatures and of course plants. You can build a tiny fairy habitat, seascape, Japanese-themed, desert or anything you can imagine. In Creative Terrariums Enid Svymbersky shows her flair for design with 33 delightful plans for mini-gardens. A popular craft blogger, Enid gives detailed instructions for each garden and for terrariums in general. I especially loved the “Darling Dino” and “Concharium.”

Growing under lights

If you like to cook or just love fresh vegetables, you might consider an indoor herb or vegetable garden. There are indoor garden kits you can buy, but you can also make your own with a little space, containers to fit and a grow light. You can grow anything indoors from edible crops to flowers to succulents. Leslie Halleck in her book Gardening Under Lights will enlighten you on what you need to know about light and plants.  She also gives expert advice on other aspects of a growing environment, handling pests and diseases, and tips for individual plants.

View complete list

The post Contain Yourself appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

Who says gardening is just for grown-ups? Kids enjoy playing in the dirt and can reap just as many benefits as adults do from gardening. Teachers are using school gardens to spark curiosity about many subjects like science, the environment, nutrition and even math.

Gardening is a learning experience in all kinds of ways. It’s an opportunity to get kids interested in how what they eat affects their growth and health. They’ll enjoy eating what they’ve grown and have a better understanding of how the environment affects our food.

Gardening has physical and mental benefits. Working the soil, planting, weeding, watering and harvesting use large and small muscles. Studies have shown that children who help in a garden have improved moods and decreased anxiety.

Kids get outside in the sunshine and away from technology while they garden. It also fosters a special relationship between adult and child. Adults who have fond memories of a gardening in childhood often recall a parent, grandparent or neighbor who worked with them in the garden.

Here are some ideas to help get your child interested:

• Give them an area of their own where they can choose what is grown and experiment. You can use a small part of an already established garden, or a container or two, or prop a trellis against a wall.
• Plant crops that grow quickly or have strong smells or bright colors. Large seeds are easier for small fingers to hold. Snack foods can be picked and eaten on the spot.
• Be creative. Grow a theme garden, like ingredients for pizza or salad. Maybe flowers or herbs would appeal to your child more than vegetables.

These books and DVDs can help you get started:

View complete list

Photos courtesy of Carrie Cummings

The post Kids in the Garden appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

Try something new!

It may seem to make sense to stick with what has worked for you in the past, but it can be so satisfying to try new techniques and new plant combinations. You don’t need to make a complete change; just try one new thing.

Hang a birdfeeder.

Photo of male and female cardinals courtesy of Lok52.

This is one you can do right away! Soon you will get to know the birds in your area that are so fun to watch. Different birds show up at different times of day and in different seasons. It doesn’t take long before they feel like cherished friends and you watch for their arrival.

Start a garden journal.

Garden journal photo courtesy of Andrea_44.

During the growing season, I always think I will remember what worked, when things bloomed, and so on. I’ve learned these things slip from my mind over time. Keeping a garden journal allows you to review your observations and make good choices about managing your garden based on real information.

Build a compost bin.

There are lots of ways to approach composting. Seeing your kitchen and yard waste turn into nutrient-rich compost seems like magic.

Switch to organic fertilizers.

Nothing is better than organic fertilizer or your own compost. No worries about your pets or other wildlife. Your garden – and the Earth – will thank you.

Plant native plants.

Monarch butterfly on Swamp Milkweed in the library’s pollinator garden. Photo by Travis Garwood.

Native plants have evolved to survive the conditions in your area. They will require less maintenance and grow more successfully than plants that evolved for a completely different climate or soil.

Rethink all that lawn.

Pollution from lawnmowers and the chemicals that are often used to maintain a lush lawn are terrible for the Earth and the beings that live here. Xeriscaping techniques and edible landscaping are just two methods that can help you pare back how much lawn you need to maintain.

Grow plants from seeds and/or learn to harvest the seeds.

It’s fun to watch baby plants growing from seed. It’s best to choose open-pollinated seeds if you want to harvest them for the next year. I love the feeling of self-sufficiency that comes from saving seeds to plant next year.

Use natural solutions to manage pests.

There are lots of natural pest management solutions including attracting birds and beneficial insects that will prey on the bad guys.

Grow and cook a new vegetable.

Photo courtesy of cristina.sanvito.

I love this one! Take a walk on the wild side; you may find a new favorite.

If the weather outside is frightful – or even if it’s not – you can dream of spring and all the great things you will accomplish in your garden. The library has some enlightening books that can help with these resolutions. They are full of beautiful photos and ideas. Just browsing through them is fun! Check out this book list:

View complete list

Here are links to some of the other lists of resolutions I found online:

Chicago Botanic Garden

Gardener’s Supply Company

Mother Nature Network

Old Farmer’s Almanac

The post New Year’s Resolutions for the Gardener appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

If you’re considering adding a tree to your home landscape, pay attention to various tree species this fall and throughout the year to help you find what appeals to you and may be a good fit for your property. Research the benefits of native tree species, determine the size of the tree desired and what birds and other wildlife you want to attract. Some of your research can be rooted in personal observations–make it fun!

Pin Oak. November 13, 2017. Douglas County, KS.

As autumn begins to wane, deciduous trees have released their leaves or are bursting with remnants of fall color. Osage orange fruit are dropping and providing nutrition for wildlife, with some fruit still grasping to leafless branches like early Christmas tree ornaments. A statuesque Pin oak I admire daily is full of firmly attached leaves of tinted green, amber and russet, shimmering after the recent rain. Their leaves won’t fall and migrate to my yard for some time. Unlike the Pin oak, the non-native ginkgo tree may drop all its leaves within hours in the fall when the temperature dips resulting in a sudden, photogenic assortment of golden fan-shaped leaves beneath the tree.

What trees are you noticing this fall?

It’s easy to add color, life and intrigue to your yard by planting a new deciduous tree native to our region. There’s something out there for every yard–rural, urban or suburban. Visit the Lawn and Garden Neighborhood inside the library for ideas and venture into the science and nature section to explore one of my favorite books featuring incredible photography, Seeing Trees: Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Everyday Trees by Nancy Ross Hugo and photographer Robert Llewellyn. It’s the book that enlightened me to what’s hidden inside the Sweetgum tree’s famous (or infamous?) spiky fruit. Did you know that each chamber of the Sweetgum’s gumball holds two small winged seeds? Check it out the next time you meet a Sweetgum. There are some of these trees very close to the library. Can you find them?

The post Trees for color, life and intrigue appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

Cranbrook House & Gardens, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

By definition, herbs are any plants that are used for food, flavoring, medicine or fragrance. They can be perennial, biennial and annual. Some have striking flowers, interesting leaf colors or patterns and others are quite fragrant making them a great addition to a border or flower garden. You can also grow them in pots inside or out for easy access. Formal herb gardens are designed with small beds of herbs, planted in a decorative pattern with paths throughout allowing easy access to each bed for maintenance.

Catmint (nepata) photo from Gardenia.com

Most of my gardening experience is with herbs and I always seem to get more involved with these plants than any other. There’s something mystical and absorbing about tending and nurturing herbs. Maybe it’s because of their reputation of having magical qualities in myths and folklore. I’ve grown catmint and spearmint in a large tub by my front door and I love the fragrance and delicate flowers I see first thing in the morning. I’ve also grown lime thyme, lemon balm and basil in containers. Lavender is something I would love to be able to grow, but haven’t had much luck at.

Photo: jamieoliver.com

If you’d like to try your hand at growing herbs, first decide what you’d like to do with your herbs – cook, made home remedies or add fragrance to your garden. If you like to cook, the Food Network recommends these top five herbs for healthy cooking: parsley, tarragon, chevril, basil and oregano. If you want to try some home remedies, the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine recommends growing these five herbs for minor complaints such as indigestion, muscle soreness and headaches: calendula, motherwort, echinacea, meadowsweet and southern ginseng. If you want some sweet-smelling herbs, Home Depot’s Garden Club recommends these five fragrant herbs that also make great tea: chamomile, mint, lemon balm, bee balm and lavender.

Here are just some of the library resources to help you get started.

View complete list

The post The magic of herbs appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

We’ve all grown used to the ideal of a lush green lawn surrounding our homes, but is this really the best choice? Maybe not. Even if you are careful not to use chemicals on your lawn, you likely still have to water the lawn – and water is a valuable resource that should be conserved. Plus, the gasoline and pollution involved in mowing the lawn are harmful to the environment – not to mention all the labor and cost involved!

Photo from The Water-Saving Garden by Pam Penick.

As it turns out, there are exciting new landscaping alternatives to having a lawn. Xeriscaping is gardening or landscaping that reduces the need for watering. Done right, you can also eliminate the need for mowing! There are lots of beautiful and lush drought-tolerant plants and flowers, and native plants and grasses have evolved to grow and thrive in local conditions. There are also methods for creating gardens that actually capture and hold the rainwater so it seeps into the ground slowly providing much more moisture for thirsty plants and protecting the topsoil and nutrients from washing away. There are even very clever ways of dealing with paths and patios that help to save water.

Here are some excellent books with more ideas and information:

Beautiful No-Mow Yards by Evelyn J. Hadden challenges the traditional idea of a manicured lawn with new ideas for your yard. This book covers a broad range of related topics including living carpets, xeric gardens, play areas, patios and more. It has a section to help you design and convert your lawn to a garden – and maintain it as well. This book also includes a section about plants to use in different situations.

The Water-Saving Garden by Pam Penick has creative ideas for large or small scale projects and loads of practical suggestions such as grouping plants with similar water needs together and using berms (mounded soil) and swales (shallow gullies) to make the most of the rain. She also includes ideas for creating the illusion of water and a chapter devoted to water-saving plants. The Water-Saving Garden is also available as an ebook.

Dryland Gardening by Jennifer Bennett focuses on the plants that thrive in low water conditions. The first chapter gives an excellent overview of why and how someone would create a dryland garden. After that, it’s all about the plants – with separate chapters for herbs, grasses and groundcovers, bulbs, perennials and vines, annual flowers, and shrubs. The photographs in this book are gorgeous!

Rain Gardens by Nigel Dunnett and Andy Clayden focuses on capturing rainfall from buildings and sealed surfaces, and then storing and releasing the water within a landscape. Most of the projects covered in the book are larger than individual homes. I included this book because I was especially intrigued by the chapter on green roofs. Vegetation on the roofs of buildings reduces and slows water run-off. It also provides insulation that helps to keep the inside cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

These books are chock-full of beautiful photographs and creative ideas. They’re fun to browse even if you don’t have a yard. These are just a few of the books in the library’s collection on these topics. Browse our online catalog or stop by and check out the Lawn and Garden Neighborhood for more great ideas! The following websites also offer great information:

eartheasy: Solutions for Sustainable Living

the spruce: Xeriscape Landscaping

Rodale’s Organic Life: Top 10 Ways to Save Water in Your Garden

House Logic: Top 10 Tips for Saving Water in the Garden

The post Dryland Gardens and No-Mow Yards appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

Trend #1

While using native plants in gardens is nothing new, they’re becoming more popular than ever as climate change affects the different regions and sustainability becomes the watch word. There’s also an increased use of endemic plants, those native to an ecosystem. More people are getting away from the thirsty, fussy flowers that need copious amounts of water and chemicals to survive and looking for drought tolerant plants, like succulents. Locaflorism, the practice of buying locally grown flowers, in season, instead of the commercially, showy displays flown in from around the globe is gaining approval. (reading list)

Trend #2

Growing your own food used to be fairly common decades ago. Then the convenience of grocery stores came along and gardens for food became the exception. Backyard homesteading is becoming popular again and with it special purpose gardens like herbal remedies, tea and dye plants for coloring yarn and textiles are appearing. People want to know how their food was grown and that it’s chemical free, hence the popularity of edible gardens and farmers’ markets. (reading list)

Trend #3

People want to spend more time in their gardens, doing other things besides gardening. They want play spaces, places to entertain, quiet places to re-group and escape today’s technological overload. Outdoor living has been popular for years, giving birth to outdoor living magazines, clothing, products, TV shows and stores. Your own backyard, or front yard or side yard, is a perfect place to be during the spring, summer and fall. (reading list)

Trend #4

Easy-care and smaller gardens are becoming popular, especially with the space-challenged and older gardeners. While that’s nothing new, the practice of using smaller versions of popular plants is an idea on the uprise. Dwarf shrubs, mini-roses, shrubs and others are a great answer for more manageability and lower maintenance. Vertical and container gardening can make the most of a small space. Air plants are very low-maintenance and an interesting way to bring plants indoors. (reading list)

Trend #5

Designers report more clients want more natural materials in their gardens. The trend seems to be away from the stark, minimalist look and toward a more organic design. Old-fashioned and DIY looks are also popular. (reading list)

Those are the trends we found. Are you incorporating any of these trends into your garden this year? Let us know!

The post 5 Gardening Trends for 2017 appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

Photo credit: Chiot’s Run / CC BY-N

Get ready for spring with programs on everything from starting seeds to new plants for 2017, to perennials and evergreens presented by Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners. If you’re already counting down the 96 or so days to the predicted last frost date, you need this!

The first program coming up in January is Starting Seeds presented by Extension Horticulture Agent, Jamie Kidd. Starting seeds indoors is a great way to give your plants a head start and save money. Come join us at either session,  10 a.m. or 7 p.m.,  Thursday, January 19 at the library.

The Master Gardeners are people who have a love of gardening and enjoy sharing their knowledge with their community. In fact, their motto is “Improving our community through horticulture.” Anyone who is interested can become a Master Gardener, whether you already know a lot about gardening or want to learn more. Find out how at any program or by contacting the Extension office at 785-232-0062.

2017 Master Gardener Programs

All programs are at 7–8 p.m. on Thursdays unless otherwise noted

• January 19 – Starting Seeds (at 10-11 a.m. and 7-8 p.m.)
• February 16 – Recycled Materials
• March 2 – Trees
• March 30 – Spring Lawn Care (at 10-11 a.m. and 7-8 p.m.)
• April 6 – Grandma’s Tomatoes
• April 13 – Planting for Curb Appeal
• April 27 – Herbs: Growing and Using
• May 4 – Vegetable Gardens
• May 18 – Gardens of the Master Gardeners
• June 1 – Exciting New Plants, Roses and Shrubs for 2017
• June 15 – Master Gardeners History
• July 13 – Bees and Butterflies
• August 17 – Monarchs, Milkweeds and Waystations
• August 24 – Fall Lawn Care
• September 7 – Composting
• September 14 – Bulb Planting for Spring
• October 5 – Perennials & Evergreens
• November 9 – Winter Interest: Landscape for the Holiday

Additional photo credit: Eden and Josh / CC BY-NC-SA

The post Growing in a New Year appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

You can use bulbs to design a beautiful landscape and compliment your property. Plant single colors in drifts or large swaths for an eye-catching display, or in contrasting or similar colors.

Master Gardener Elsie Gibeson in her Bulb Planting for Spring program recommends planting in different heights for interesting layers and different blooming times so there’s always something coming up – February through May.

Fall planting bulbs are some of the easiest plants to grow. They are perennial and will come up again and again. They’re hardy so there’s no need to dig them up each year.

Here are some planting basics:

• plant before first hard frost (usually around the end of October, first of November for our area, but looks like this year it will be later)
• plant in well-drained soil and where they’ll get 6 hours of sun
• dig down 3 times the length of the bulb, put the pointy side up, fertilize and water well

If you want to grow bulbs on a much smaller scale or you just can’t wait for spring, you can plant in containers or force bulbs. A single red amaryllis or small bunch of fragrant, snowy paper whites make a nice holiday accent for inside your home. You can plant the bulbs in soil or use other mediums like colored beads or sea shells. Plant in a clear glass container to let these decorative mediums be seen.

If you have gardening questions, the Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners run a Response Line through October 31, 9:00 am to Noon and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. They’ll be happy to offer expert advice and encouragement.

The post Plant Now for Wow Later appeared first on Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.