Gardening is something that may have been a part of your life in the last couple of months – across the country people have been planting outside and inside in record numbers. Gardening helps us feel better on so many levels – but perhaps you are new to gardening or want to learn more – We have created a gardening guide for those of us who are experienced gardeners and those who are new to it too! Check out our “Gardening in South Texas” LibGuide. This guide will tell you what and when to plant , link you to gardening videos and articles, and you can even see some pictures of gardens created by some of the people who work at the NVC Library.
Of course, if you want even more gardens in your life there are tons of books where the garden plays a main character! The most classic of all is “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett – but here are some others for you to escape into:
https://nvclibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/926046854
Sydney, Milsons Point, 1926. Entire streets are being demolished for the building of the Harbour Bridge. Ellis Gilbey, landlady by day, gardening writer by night, is set to lose everything. Only the faith in the book she’s writing, and hopes for a garden of her own, stave off despair.
https://nvclibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/926721274
The Lost Garden moves along two parallel lines. In one, we relive the family saga of Zhu Yinghong, whose father, Zhu Zuyan, was a gentry intellectual imprisoned for dissent in the early days of Chiang Kai-shek’s rule. After his release, Zhu Zuyan literally walled himself in his Lotus Garden, which he rebuilt according to his own desires. Forever under suspicion, Zhu Zuyan indulged as much as he could in circumscribed pleasures, though they drained the family fortune. Eventually everything belonging to the household had to be sold, including the Lotus Garden. The second storyline picks up in modern-day Taipei as Zhu Yinghong meets Lin Xigeng, a real estate tycoon and playboy. Their cat-and-mouse courtship builds against the extravagant banquets and decadent entertainments of Taipei’s wealthy businessmen. Though the two ultimately marry, their high-styled romance dulls over time, forcing them on a quest to rediscover enchantment in the Lotus Garden. An expansive narrative rich with intimate detail, The Lost Garden is a moving portrait of the losses incurred as we struggle to hold on to our passions.
Beatrix Potter’s stories featuring adorable animals have the garden as one of the most important locations – during the heat of our summer visit a quintessential English garden full of adventure.
Take a look at these books that talk about the therapeutic power of plants and nature and the history of plants – to inspire you even more!
https://nvclibrary.overdrive.com/media/2666066
Fragrant plants can be as therapeutic as they are intoxicating, and it is easy to add them to gardens large and small. The Aromatherapy Garden reveals the scents, secrets, and science behind fragrant plants, and shows you how to successfully create your own plant-filled sanctuary of health and happiness
https://nvclibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1043555625
Garden writing is not just a place to find advice about roses and rutabagas; it also contains hidden histories of desire, hope, and frustration and tells a story about how Americans have invested grand fantasies in the common soil of everyday life. Gardenland chronicles the development of this genre across key moments in American literature and history, from nineteenth-century industrialization and urbanization to the twentieth-century rise of factory farming and environmental advocacy to contemporary debates about public space and social justice–even to the consideration of the future of humanity’s place on earth.
https://nvclibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/853664816
Today, in a global level, the health sector and social services need alternatives to traditional medical treatment, therapy, rehabilitation, and work training. Green care is the use of agricultural farms and the biotic and abiotic elements of nature for health and therapy-promoting interventions as a base for promoting human mental and physical health, as well as quality of life.
https://nvclibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/769263070
Those suffering from dementia often live in care homes and spend much of their time indoors with little provision for them to enjoy one of life’s fundamental pleasures and necessities, the restorative energy of natural light and nature. This important book sets out the argument for helping dementia patients get the most out of the great outdoors and gives a voice to dementia patients who have felt the benefit of getting closer to nature. It explores different ways dementia patients can experience and interact with nature through pursuits such as farming, gardening and walking
https://nvclibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/777375419
People have always grown food in urban spaces–on windowsills and sidewalks, and in backyards and neighborhood parks–but today, urban farmers are leading an environmental and social movement that transforms our national food system. To explore this agricultural renaissance, brothers David and Michael Hanson and urban farmer Edwin Marty document twelve successful urban farm programs, from an alternative school for girls in Detroit, to a backyard food swap in New Orleans, to a restaurant supply garden on a rooftop in Brooklyn
Just a little taste of all the wonderful ebooks your NVC Library has to offer – take some time to explore and find your passion! And don’t forget we are here to help you with any of your research or leisure reading needs! Just send us a chat!
nvclibrarylowdown.wordpress.com 