Dare I say… spring is here! I’m worried I might jinx it.

Ever since I moved to New Ulm many years ago, I’ve been impressed with the pride New Ulm residents take in their homes, lawns and gardens. Especially noticeable are the beautiful flowers around New Ulm in the summer. Window boxes full of geraniums, colorful flower beds, hanging pots overflowing with petunias in the downtown area, and even the little crescents between the sidewalk and the curb sometimes have flowers planted in them.

We have some beautiful flower books coming soon at the library. When I was considering ordering these books, the flower photography on the covers gave me hope that winter would indeed end and flower season would follow. Stop in and take a look for some fresh spring inspiration.

“Dahlias: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden” (635.9339 Slade) by Naomi Slade is a book dedicated to 65 types of Dahlias. “Dahlias” has easy to understand plant characteristics for each variety, including gorgeous pictures to go with every description. I don’t know about you, but I want pictures!

The next two books aren’t here quite yet, but they will be coming soon. Get your name on the hold list for these; I think you will want to take a look at them.

“Tulips: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden” by Jane Eastoe will tell you everything you need to know about growing tulips. It promises to have spectacular photography as well.

“Best Perennials for Sun and Shade: Easy Plants for More Beautiful Gardens” by Houghton Mifflin. The blurb for this book says “a quick reference guide to planting perennials for gardeners with little experience and time.” Sounds like my kind of flower book.

I’m looking forward to seeing New Ulm start to bloom. We have the books that can help make that happen. See you at the library!

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Marcus Tullius Cicero