Kanawha County Public Library Book Program
By Sara Hoblitzell, KCMGA
A group of our master gardeners has been very hard at work for the last eighteen months working to further the opportunity for education for gardeners in our community. In June 1999 a committee formed to select gardening books, videos and CDs to contribute to the Kanawha County and South Charleston public libraries. KCMGA approved, by vote of the membership, spending $1500 for the purchase of these materials and a committee was formed to coordinate the purchase with the library system. Beverly Wright has chaired the committee and members are Dee Smith, Sharon Comer, Deirdra Halley, Connie Leshon, and Sally Hamrick. This group worked with Sara Sue Wright, Julie Spiegler, Linda Wright, and Pamela Coyle at the libraries to select and purchase materials.
The committee met starting in June 1999. First, a list was made of suggestions from members of the library committee, suggestions from any of our association members, titles from catalogs provided by the county extension office, and the wish lists from both the Charleston and South Charleston libraries. The library system then deleted items that they could not include for various reasons – space constraints, quality of material, duplication or availability. The list was pared down to fit our budget. The money was divided according to numbers of library patrons serviced, keeping in mind that the library systems observe a reciprocity agreement between their two systems and with the 11 branches of the Kanawha County Public Library. The same process was followed for phase II which was to select materials for the AV departments. The first purchases were made for both libraries on September 9, 1999 and additional purchases were made for Kanawha County on September 20, 2000.
Kudos to Beverly Wright for supplying the material to write this article – it is easy to see after reviewing all of the information she sent me that this project involved a huge amount of time and effort. Thanks to the entire committee for taking on this project and helping provide these materials to be available to our community. It is now a responsibility of all the Kanawha County Master Gardeners to help spread the word that these materials are available. Please give your local garden clubs a copy of the list for their files and remind them these books may be obtained from any branch of the Kanawha County library system. (*Note: The interlibrary borrowing service is mentioned for those people living outside of the Charleston/South Charleston area. If you live in the Charleston metro area and want a book right away, then go to that respective branch to check out the book you want as it may take several days to a week for the interlibrary transfer.)
Books & Videos Donated By KCMGA
Kanawha County Library
A Gardener's Encyclopedia of Wildflowers, C. Colston Burrell, Rodale Press
1997 Taylor's Dictionary for Gardeners, Frances Tenenbaum, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997
Hollies: The Genus Ilex, Fred C. Galle, Timber Press, Inc., 1997
A Celebration of Heirloom Vegetables: Growing and Cooking Old-Time Varieties, Roger Yepsen, Artisan, 1998
The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation: From Seed to Culture, Michael Dirr, Varsity Press, Inc., 1987
The Zone Garden - Zones 5, 6 & 7, Charlotte Frieze, Simon & Schuster, 1997
Indian Herba1ogy of North America, Alma R. Hutchens, Shambha1a Publications, Inc., Reprint 1991
Gardener's Latin, Bill Neal, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1992
The Native Plant Primer: Trees, Shrubs and Wildflowers for Natural Gardens, Carole Ottesen, Hannony Books, 1995
Shaker Medicinal Herbs: A Compendium of History, Lore & Uses, Amy B. Miller, Story Communications, Inc., Revised 1998
The Complete Guide to Using Color in Your Garden: How to Combine Perennials, Annuals, Trees, and Shrubs for a More Beautiful Landscape, David Squire, Rodale Press, 1991
Xeriscape Plant Guide, by Denver Water Staff; American Water Works Association Staff, Fulcrum Publishing, 1999
Perennials for Dummies, National Gardening Association Gardening for Dummies series, IDG Books Worldwide, Feb. 1997
Annuals for Dummies, National Gardening Association Gardening for Dummies Series, IDG Books Worldwide Jan. 1998
Flowering Bulbs for Dummies, National Gardening Association Gardening for Dummies series, IDG Books Worldwide, Aug. 1998
Vegetable Gardening for Dummies, National Gardening Association Gardening for Dummies series, IDG Books Worldwide, Second Edition, Jan. 1999
Roots, Shoots. Buckets & Books, Sharon Lovejoy, Workman Publishing Company, June 1999
Garden of Conifers: Introduction and Selection Guide, Robert A. Obrizok, Firefly Books, 1999
Japanese Maples: Momiii and Kaede, Second Edition, 1. D. Vertrees, Timber Press, 1989
Conifers, The Illustrated Encyclopedia, D.M. van Gelderen, Timber Press, 1996 Pruning of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers, George E. Brown, Timber Press, 1995
Taylor's Master Guide to Landscaping, Rita Buchanan, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000
Country Gardening: Design Ideas and a Practical Guide, Theodore James, Jr., Harry N. Abrams Inc., 2000
Armitage's Garden Perennials: A Color Encyclopedia, Allan M. Armitage, Timber Press, 2000
VIDEOS:
Yardening Video Series Jeff Ball Kvc Entertainment
How to Design a Flower Garden
How to Grow Flowers
How to Care for Your Lawn
How to Grow & Cook Herbs
How to Grow Coolweather Vegetables
How to Grow Warmweather Vegetables
Landscaping Video Guide Series Tom Lieb Anderson Video Communications
Design, Soil Preparation & Planting
Garden Steps/Landscaping Steep Slopes
Lawn Installation and Maintenance
Low Maintenance Landscapes
Selecting Fruit & Shade Trees
Stone & Wooden Walls
Miscellaneous Videos:
RHS Water Gardening
My Amazing Garden
Square Foot Gardening Video Series: Basics, Getting Started, Small Space Gardening
The Pruning Series: 2 videos - Elements, Advanced
CD-ROM:
House Plants Made Easy
SOUTH CHARLESTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Planting Companions, Jill Billington, Stewart Tabori & Chang, 1997
American Horticultural Society Pruning & Training, Christopher Brickell, DK Publishing, 1996
Garden Primer, Barbara Damrosh, Workman Publishing, 1988
Gardening for Dummies, National Gardening Association for Dummies series, IDG Books Worldwide, 1997
Flower Finder, Jacqueline Heriteau, Simon & Shuster, 1992
Tough Plants for Tough Places, Pete Loewer, Rodale Press, 1996
Rodale's Chemical Free Yard and Garden, Anna Carr & Fern Marshall Bradley, Rodale Press
The Front Garden, Mary Riley Smith, Houghton Mifflin, Company, 2000
Easy Care Shade Flowers, Patricia A. Taylor, Fireside Publishing, 1993
Xeriscape Plant Guide, by Denver Water Staff; American Water Works Association Staff, Fulcrum Publishing, 1999