Our local library has two book sales every year. I always look forward to rummaging through the discarded and donated books and magazines for gardening and landscaping books, and I am happy to support the local library.

When it comes to gardening books, sometimes old sources have valuable information and forgotten plant lists that merit fresh consideration. Some obscure books can offer personal insights not included in the popular publications sold at national garden stores or chain book stores.

This year I added the following to my gardening bookshelf:

Xeriscape Colorado by Connie Lockhart Ellefson and David Winger- This one is recent and well known in my area, but I didn’t have a copy. For the most part, very applicable to Wyoming.

Landscaping With Nature by Jeff Cox -Twenty years old, but a good idea generator. It also contains some good projects for the DIY. Some interesting ‘favorites’ lists.

The Practical Rock and Water Garden by Peter Robinson- I needed this book and it’s perfect for my plans to incorporate a small, natural, rock lined pool into my landscaping.  Full of just what it claims; practical plans that real people with real budgets can implement.

Old Man’s Garden by Annora Brown- A quirky book from 1954.  I enjoy these little treasures. This kind of book is sure to yield some little known and interesting plant facts and folklore. The chapters are based on native Rocky Mountain plants and their uses or characteristics such as early blooming, medicinal, fragrant, edible, showy, berries and trees. This is the kind of book I’ll set nearby and pick up and read in bits and pieces, digesting the information over time.

A year’s worth of Garden Design Magazine– A pleasure to browse.