I think coneflowers are yummy. I heart them. They are sturdy, and chunky, and come in a bunch of lovely colors. They bring wildlife to your yard and are very drought–tolerant thanks to a fabulously deep root system extending 6 feet or so underground. They fit the criteria for anything that is going to stay in my yard for more than one season: I am not going to baby it and it needs to look good in the process.
 

So it has been with great restraint that I’ve allowed others to leaf through the August issue of Fine Gardening magazine (available in our very own library). The cover is plastered with orangey-red coneflowers, enticing you to read the featured article all about “the best of the best” of the genus. And of course they talk about last year’s hottie, ‘Tomato Soup.’ I tried buying this last year from the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes’ plant sale, but they ran out, so I have not been able to obtain this beautiful, red coneflower. Anyone out there have one they want to share?

I’ve been able to twice sneak up on a chipmunk in my backyard while he was on the birdfeeder and pet his butt. Watching him turn around, look at me, freeze for one second, then FLY off the birdfeeder isn’t why I do it. I have a thing for chipmunks. I think they are adorable. And it bothers me why so many homeowners with gardens don’t like chipmunks. Many go beyond not liking them; I’ve known some people are convinced the chipmunks in their yard are conspiring against all of their bulbs, lettuce, flowers and shrubs in a strategic effort to completely denude their landscape. These people are convinced that chipmunks lie in wait, watching for daffodil planting time. Once the bulbs are planted, these same folks know — they just KNOW — that these 5 ounce beasts then pounce on the freshly turned soil to devour every last bulb within microseconds. So these people seek to destroy this enemy of their estate by any means possible.

This is all wasted energy and time, in my humble opinion, as well as the authors of Living With Wildlife: How to Enjoy, Cope with, and Protect North America’s Wild Creatures Around Your Home and Theirs. I have personally owned this book for over 15 years, find it incredibly useful, and was very pleased to see we have it in our very own library.
 

Here are a few reasons why we can all just chill out about chipmunks in our yards: 

1. The natural diet of chipmunks consists of acorns, nuts, berries, and seeds. They readily climb up on birdfeeders

2. Most chipmunks find the taste of daffodil bulbs yucky and don’t eat them.

3. I guess chipmunks may go after crocus or hyacinth, but I’ve got lots of them in my yard and lots of chipmunks and have had zero problems.

4. Chipmunks prefer to live in brush or wood piles, or will burrow underground. The burrows typically do not harm landscape or structures. If you have extensive burrows in your yard you probably have moles which are not NEARLY as cute.

5. Chipmunks are not as prolific as a lot of people think. Chips have 2 litters of 4-5 babies per year. Compare that to mice (8 litters of 4-7 babies/year) or voles (10 litters of 4-5/year), and it’s not so bad.

And really, let’s keep this all in perspective. This book was put out by the California Center for Wildlife, so there are sections on living peacefully with bears, mountain lions and moose. At least we aren’t fighting those out of our Cleveland yards, right?
 

What’s there not to love about a book with a foreword by ‘HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF WALES’!? Prince Charles and hostas … who knew?

The book is big and heavy, but still useful enough to carry over to our Hosta Hill and immerse oneself in shady perennials. Dig through this practical tome and see if you can find your own new favorite. Available in our Eleanor Squire Library.

Here is one more book review written by one of our four high school seniors completing her time with us, Katie Kinkopf. She chose a book from our Rare Book Room:

Herbarius Latinus, incipit tractatus de uirtutibus herbarum

When I think of field guides I picture a colorful Peterson’s guide full of everything you need to know about a plant accompanied by glossy and attractive photographs. Today I had to opportunity to flip through one of the most unusual and interesting field guides I have had the privilege of viewing. Arnoldi de Nova Villa’s 1491 Latin field guide, titled Herbarius Latinus, incipit tractatus de uirtutibus herbarum. Touching a book that was printed 519 years ago feels incredible and humbling. The intricate drawings feature German woodcuttings and are accompanied by frequent notes (in Latin) by a previous owner.

Incredibly I find that my life is a mere 20 years of those 500 that have passed since Leonardus Achates published not only this book, but also the first printed folio of Virgil’s works, Euclid’s findings and calculations, and Crescenzi’s manual on agriculture, some of which are now stored in Britain’s Royal Library.

In the past 500 years many wars have been fought, inventions integrated into our everyday lives, and empires have crumbled and new ones built to replace them. The magnitude of this realization profoundly astonishes even the most experienced bibliophile.

Cleveland Botanical Garden acquired the guide in the mid 20^th century, through the generous donation of Warren H. Corning, whom had previously had an extensive collection of rare horticulture books. The Warren H. Corning Collection of Horticulture Classics was split among the Cleveland Botanical Garden, The Holden Arboretum, and the Allen Memorial Medical Library at the Case Western Reserve University.

In contemporary horticulture and biology Arnoldi’s book may seem outdated for science research and practical application, however as a sociological artifact, readers and anthropologists can unravel the ways in which scientific knowledge was spread throughout Europe in the 15^th and 16^th centuries. Books such as Herbarius Latinus are invaluable as collector’s items, as anthropological artifacts and as interesting reads for bibliophiles that enjoy Latin field guides.

Every May, we host two or three high school seniors during their senior projects. This year we have four! Here are two of our students doing book reviews of books found in our library. 

By Rose Egelhoff

I am a high school senior volunteering at the Botanical Garden for my senior project. I love old books, so Your Garden caught my attention. Also I do not know very much about gardening but Your Garden made the process seem fun and completely doable. Your Garden, for Amateurs and Garden Club Members by Donald Gray is perfect for anyone who wants to revamp their yard, or who just needs a few pointers on planting or lawn care. This old-fashioned gardening primer gives information that beginning gardeners need, but also provides landscaping advice that more seasoned gardeners could find useful. The author, a landscape architect, provides detailed diagrams of different layout possibilities for a variety of lots. As the preface reminds us, "A Garden Makes a Home." This book puts gardening on a personal level and makes a sometimes confusing process understandable and fun. It also teaches amateurs that what is underground is just as important as what is above. The condition of the soil is vital to growing healthy plants, and Gray shows the reader how to improve the drainage and pH of the soil and keep it rich in nutrients with humus, peat and fertilizer. With hand drawn diagrams by Franklin Bossart and little illustrated reminders like "First Plan, Next Plant, Then Care For and Finally Enjoy!", this book is as charming as it is informative. The quaint vocabulary and pictures make Your Garden useful and engaging.

By Anu Thakur

My name is Anu Thakur and I am a high school senior doing my senior project at Cleveland Botanical Garden. I plan to attend Case Western Reserve University in the fall so working at the Garden was the perfect way for me to get to know the campus better. I picked a book of wildflowers because of its colorful illustrations that caught my eye. The book was comprehensible for someone who does not know much about wildflowers. Interested in wildflowers but don’t know much about them? A Book of Wildflowers by Dr. William A. Niering is a great place to start. The book contains beautiful illustrations by Anita Marci. It has 55 species of common wild flowers that are listed in alphabetical order. It gives the scientific and common names of the flowers. On the page next to the illustrations are short, interesting and informative descriptions of the plants and their uses. Though concise, it contains unexpected facts that keep the reader’s attention. For instance, did you know Impatiens is an anecdote to poison ivy or that Leonurus (Lamiaceae cardiaca) was used as a heart stimulant by herbalists since the Renaissance? Sometimes it seems that we do not have time to experience nature in the way we would like but with A Book of Wildflowers, even walking through you backyard can become a chance to learn something about a common blossom you never took time to really notice.

It’s raining today. And cold. It makes me want to nap. But it is also so beautiful outside right now that it makes me want to garden. I think the colors outside are amazing during this kind of weather and I spend a considerable amount of time staring out windows during spring showers.  I may not want to admit that during the work day, but it’s the truth.  So considering the weather, rain gardens come to mind. If you have an area in your yard that regularly holds standing water, you may want to consider installing a rain garden. Good old Wikipedia says that “a rain garden is a planted depression that allows rainwater runoff from impervious urban areas like roofs, driveways, walkways, and compacted lawn areas the opportunity to be absorbed.” A rain garden prevents soil erosion, decreases the water emptying into storm sewers and looks great in the process. The Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District has fantastic resources on their website for rain garden installation and has a kit with all the plants needed for a 100 square foot garden available for purchase. The manual from their website is the best I’ve seen on rain garden installation.  In our library, we have a book called Rain Gardens: Managing water sustainably in the garden and designed landscape. (Why do all books nowadays have to have such long titles? What gives?) In looking through this book, I realize that I need to be careful about information I take from books. This is potentially a very useful book. In Great Britain. The two authors hail from the UK and give many examples and pictures from rain gardens in Europe, which is all fine and well and good. My problem lies in the chart of rain garden plants at the back of the book. At first, I’m all excited – I love lists! And they tell me exactly what I need to know without a ton of reading. But then I see they recommend purple loosestrife, even noting that it can be incredibly invasive. So why are they recommending it? I would never, ever recommend planting purple loosestrife so this book’s value and credibility decreases tremendously in my opinion.  Lastly, we have just broken ground on our very own rain garden here at the Garden which will be complete by the end of May. It is located adjacent to the Woodland Garden and will be a great visual enticer for you to install one of these beauties in your own landscape. This rain garden is being installed as I type this; stop by the check it out, or stay tuned to this space for enticing documentation of this important new garden.

Papermaking with Plants: Creative Recipes and Projects Using Herbs, Flowers, Grasses, and Leaves

By Helen Hiebert

I love making paper. It is a messy, creative, relaxing activity. I bought all of the stuff needed for it several years ago from Arnold Grummer and pull it all out and destroy the kitchen a couple of times a year. I feel pretty good about myself when this happens too.

This book, found in our library, can take papermaking to another level. Typically, I just throw leaves or grasses into my slurry of papery goodness, dump it into the mould and let everything settle out thusly.  My slurry base is made of newspaper, shredded scrap paper or tissue paper, etc. Using this book, you can cook the fibers down to actually use only plants to create paper.  

If using just plant fibers for papermaking, the plants need to be processed and broken down, either through cooking, weathering, beating, steaming, or stripping. It may sound brutal and difficult but the directions given are very straightforward and easy to follow.  After these initial steps, you can begin unleashing your creativity by adding dyes, experimenting with different types of plants, adding flowers, or whatever you feel like throwing in. The book outlines several different projects you can tackle, such as making a lampshade or collage, and gives great examples of various plants and what the resulting paper looks like. Using hosta leaves gives you a very dark gray paper!

Feels like I’ll be pulling those papermaking supplies out tonight…

Posted by Renata Brown

Gardening can be serious business. You need to choose the right plant, know the pH of your soil, identify and destroy harmful insects while promoting and encouraging their beneficial counterparts. You need to time blooms for the best combinations and seasonal interest at the same time as incorporating texture, rhythm and balance in order to instill envy in your neighbors.

It is this seriousness that causes me to enjoy Slug Bread and Beheaded Thistles: Amusing and Useful Techniques for Nontoxic Housekeeping and Gardening by Ellen Sandbeck. First: Great title. Second, she is so fun to read. Some of her claims seem outlandish, but here are a few tidbits that I would like to prove/disprove. Has anyone tried any of these?

•  “Cucumber peelings will get rid of black ants. Spread the peels around ant trails in your house; the ants eat the peels and die.” (kinda makes me want to peel my cukes prior to adding to my salad)
•  “Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gym is fatally attractive to moles.” Roll it up, drop it into mole holes – they eat it and it binds up their insides, killing them. (I wonder if it would fix a hole in my bike tire?)
•  Attract woodpeckers to your yard by hanging suet. They’ll stick around to eat borers.

 For the slug bread recipe, you’ll have to look it up for yourself. This book is available in our library.

Did you know we have a FANTASTIC rare book room in our library? It is currently not accesible to the general public and I consider it a little perk of working here when I get to rummage through the shelves in it. I recently asked our librarian, Gary Esmonde, if he could write on one of these treasures. Gary, take it away:

A Woman of Flowers

In the 19^th and early 20^th century, many female botanical artists devoted their creative talents to faithful and artistic reproductions of plants and flowers. One of the finest examples was Floral Belles From The Green-House And Garden, Painted From Nature by Clarissa Badger. This embossed parlor book (note from Renata: How cool is the inside cover of this book?!) was published in 1867 and features 16 exquisite hand-colored lithographed plates accompanied by poetry. As described by horticultural writer Jack Kramer in his book Women Of Flowers the plates are valued for their complex colors and exceptional shading. These hand-colored plates were executed in an era when chromolithography was fast replacing hand coloring, making these plates all the more valuable. Clarissa Badger’s work is considered a milestone in American botanical art of the period. The Eleanor Squire Library has two copies of Floral Belles in very good condition. The colors have maintained their richness and deep shading. Our Rare Book collection features nearly one thousand titles and can be accessed through the online catalog on the library page of the Garden website. Although the rare books cannot leave the library, appointments can be made for research and viewing by calling Librarian Gary Esmonde at 216-707-2812.

Last time, I wrote a little bit about Joe Lamp’l’s book the Green Gardener’s Guide: Simple, Significant Actions to Protect & Perserve Our Planet.  Let’s finish up, shall we? The chapter that really got my attention is Chapter 7: Gardening to Protect the Ecosystem. Now here, I thought, Lamp’l could start to lose the casual gardener. This has potential to get preachy maybe, or so scientific as to turn people off. Nope. He very easily explains our garden food webs and their importance.  He also explains why monocultures are bad, why heirloom plants are good, why you shouldn’t use bug zappers, and a whole lot more.

I often see lists on websites or in magazines about what gardeners should or shouldn’t do to protect the environment. What is lacking in most of those is the background information as to why something is either good or bad for the planet. And that is why I give high marks to this book; the easy way he explains why you should avoid invasive non-native plants (they are one of the biggest threats to biodiversity in the US), and the reasons why you should leave dead trees standing (they provide homes for native wildlife, among others).

Do yourself or a loved one a favor: Come to our Sustainability Symposium, hear Joe speak, get a copy of this book, and read it. You will be glad you did.

And just keep counting down the days ’til spring…