Happy Earth Day! Get your garden growing with these 2 titles

A Book Review By Kay Brennan. Hesperia Community Library Director.

Some of you might have started to order seeds for the garden; others may already have the seeds. Then, there are those of us who are still looking for a little advice or maybe some different ideas about using compost.

Joe Lamp’l is the perfect author for advice. Here are just a few things he suggests in “Over the Fence With Joe Gardner”:

– Mound up the soil in the flower beds – it makes them look big, bold and healthy.

– Use real mulch, not shredded rubber or other products.

– Wet foliage contributes to plant disease – water at night or in the morning.

– When dealing with pests, it is better to be proactive than reactive and it starts with good soil.

In “Why Grow That When You Can Grow This?,” Andrew Keys suggests alternatives for planting.  If you can’t stand planting another Arborvitae, this book suggests you try a Rocky Mountain Juniper. It doesn’t require a lot of water and needs little pruning or maintenance. Maybe you just aren’t happy with the performance of that Baby’s Breath you have in your perennial bed. Keys suggests you try a “Chocolate” Snakeroot with its purple foliage and white flowers — it might fill in an empty space.

Maybe you need to find an alternative to Vinca, the ground cover that grows everywhere. Try some “Gro-Low Sumac” or a “Rose Carpet Indigo.” There really are plenty of alternatives to choose from. Replacing a tired-looking or under-performing plant with a different one might be key to changing the look of your garden.

Both titles have plenty of ideas for reducing the maintenance you put into your garden, and give you more time to enjoy the garden.