Some plants put on a show for a few weeks. Others enhance the garden for two or more seasons.
It’s the latter that Graham Rice spotlights in “Powerhouse Plants.”
The book profiles 510 hardworking plants with multiple-season appeal. They comprise annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, vines and grasses that add interest through their leaves, flowers or other plant parts.
In addition to describing the plants, Rice includes tips for caring for them, situating them to their best advantage and combining them effectively with other plants.
“Powerhouse Plants: 510 Top Performers for Multi-Season Beauty” sells for $24.95 in softcover.
If you’ve ever thought about venturing into beekeeping, “Homegrown Honey Bees” can tell you what to expect.
The book, billed as “an absolute beginner’s guide,” was written by Alethea Morrison and illustrated with photos by Mars Vilaubi.
They’re husband-and-wife beekeepers from Massachusetts who share their challenges, failures and successes to help others get started in beekeeping.
Morrison is clearly a beekeeping cheerleader, but she doesn’t try to make the hobby sound simpler than it is. “Beekeeping is not for the faint of heart,” she writes. “It’s like the extreme sport of animal husbandry.”
The book covers the basic how-tos and answers such questions as how often you can expect to be stung.
“Homegrown Honey Bees” sells for $14.95 in softcover.
Mary Beth Breckenridge
Akron Beacon Journal
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