Think Spring

What better time to think spring than in the depths of winter--such as it has been. I was looking through the Old Farmer’s Almanac and spotted a great article on what to plant to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. There is a list of 24 flowers known to attract hummingbirds and 43 that will attract butterflies. A lot of them do double duty.
It seems that the choices range from allium to zinnia and everything in between. So what happens if, like me, you are flower challenged? I have to admit, I don’t know an allium from a zinnia. To the rescue comes Lone Pine Publishing. It recently sent me a couple of books for review, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians, and Perennials for Ohio. (This is the same company that published Jim McCormac’s great book, Birds of Ohio.)
Don’t dismiss the first book based on its rather lengthy and pinpointed geographical title. The 496-page volume covers 16 states, including much of Ohio. More than 1,200 species in 90 families are covered in 800 color photographs. The best part, for folks like me, is the color key for finding a species by flower color. This type of quick-finding color helper is great for beginning birders and invaluable for a flower book.
The book also includes information on history, medicine, Native American traditions, folklore and name origins. This is a great book to have even before the flowers bloom. It took the authors 14 years to compile the information in this book so it’s a steal.
The second book, on our state’s perennials, is more tightly focused. Grouped into 89 entries, these species, varieties, hybrids and cultivars range from the easiest to grow to challenging flowers that will expand your gardening triumphs. The book is loaded with personal comments, common sense and garden wisdom. The flowers-at-a-glance section in the front of the book is better than any written index, ever. More than 500 color photographs make this a great read even if you’re not a gardener.