Home and Garden

Here are a few new titles we recently ordered. We also have pathfinders for more resources on home improvement topics or gardening. Ask at the reference desk for more information.


Spring Cleaning (subject keyword: "house cleaning" or "housekeeping")
10 Minute Housekeeping by Rose Kennedy
This is a great little guide for inspiration when you feel overwhelmed by the amount of clutter and dust that always seems to magically appear in the spring.
Complete Idiot's Guide to Cleaning by Linda Formichelli
The title says it all.

Home Projects (subject keyword: "dwellings-Maintenance and repair - amateurs' manuals" or "do-it-yourself work")
Chix Can Fix: 100 Home Improvement Projects and True Tales from the Diva of Do-It-Yourself by Norma Vally
I personally am really looking forward to checking out this book. My TLC house needs all the help it can get.

Gardening (subject keyword: "gardening" or "low maintenance gardening")
Armitage's Native Plants for North American Gardens by Allan M. Armitage, who is a genius and all of his books are absolutely fabulous.
Best Garden Plants of Pennsylvania by Ilene Sternberg. I haven't looked at this one yet. Someone checked it out when I wasn't looking.
P. Allen Smith's Colors for the Garden: Creating Compelling Color Themes by P. Allen Smith
Wow. This book is really packed full of vibrant colors just waiting to be added to your own garden's color scheme. The library owns two other equally impressive books authored by Mr. Smith - P. Allen Smith's Garden Home and P. Allen Smith's Container Gardens.
Shade: Planting Solutions for Shady Gardens by Keith Wiley
For both inspiration and instruction, this title is an invaluable addition to your garden reading list. Tips for evaluation and preparation of the different types of shaded areas are included as well as techniques for incorporating hardscaping. The book also includes a catalog of shade loving plants and their textures, shapes and colors. Very nice.
Spare Time Gardener: Tips and Tricks for Those on the Go by Barbara Hill Freeman
Yardwork can be so tedious, although I love gardening. There's a very fine line between the two. The author provides tips and tricks she gathered from various sources and, in many cases, tested in her own downeast Maine garden.