A Guest Blog for Pollinator Week by Emily Murphy

Climate change, habitat loss, and pesticide use are just a few of the challenges pollinators currently face. Fortunately, there are a number of simple, everyday things we can do to help these creatures and it starts with our gardens.

Grow a Variety of Flowering Plants & Grasses

Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds are just 3 of many essential pollinators. Beetles, lizards, bats, and flies along with a host of other insects rank up there as key species. Growing a diverse selection of flowering plants and grasses creates a diverse ecosystem that is more likely to support a range of pollinators.

“Grow For Flavor immediately grabbed my attention by the unique way that it promised to ‘turn the tables on conventional gardening advice’ by dispelling common garden myths such as ‘home-grown always tastes better’ and ‘heirloom vegetables always taste better than hybrids’… the perfect book for a foodie-gardener.”
— AZ Plant Lady blog

Our book of the month for April 2018 is Grow For Flavor: Tips and Tricks to Supercharge the Flavor of Homegrown Harvests by James Wong.

Wong is an ethnobotanist who trained at Kew Gardens in London, as well as a garden designer and TV and radio personality with the BBC. He is also a five-time Royal Horticultural Society Medal winner, so he knows about beautiful looking  — and tasting — plants. Grow For Flavor is the result of his research into improving the flavor and nutrition of homegrown produce. 

With beautiful images and delicious recipes for readers to feast their eyes on, the book is full of innovative yet simple organic methods for growing tastier home harvests.
 

Every reader has, from time to time, found themselves in the situation where you finish a great book and are left wondering: what next? With so many great nonfiction reads out there, we're here to help you find the right book — one that suits you perfectly and that you'll want to recommend to your fellow bookish friends.

Do you love a challenging read about science? Are animals and natural history more your thing? Are you a foodie looking for some kitchen inspiration? Whatever the case, we have a book for you from our spring list. 

Take the quiz below to find the perfect spring read for you.