Choosing a different path

Just imagine one day you are working at a famous corporation for a famous CEO in busy Manhattan being exhausted by the fast paced life style, and then you're not. You have made the choice to give up a very lucrative job as editorial director of Martha Stewart Onmigraphics so that you can choose " a path towards things they don't necessarily pay you or pat you on the back for."
 In And I Shall Have Some Peace Here: Trading in the Fast Lane for My Own Dirt Road" , Margaret Roach shares the transformation that she underwent as she shed her corporate persona  to recreate her life living in her weekend country house upstate New York. She would immerse herself in her passion for gardening along with  learning how to accept the slower pace of life. Roach became a keen observor of the wildlife on her property and through the lessons these creatures offered, she learned to embrace change and welcomed the shedding of her old identity.
Out of her love of nature and gardening came the creation of her website, http://margaretroach.com/, that can connect one to links for the following:   In the Garden- her horticultural source for organic gardening inspiration,  Finding Peace - a place to find her thoughts about her transformation and hints for the rest of us ,  her  "corporate" link, and more.
  Check out her book and see what  you can discover even if you haven't quit your job.

Home and Garden

February in the Northwest can be dicey at best - rain, snow, sleet, rain...you get the picture.  But one thing we all can look forward to are the two home and garden shows coming up over the next two weekends.  Portlanders are passionate about their homes and gardens and these shows whet the appetites for home renovations and give all of us the spring fever bug.  This is where the Beaverton City Library can help.  We have literally hundreds of books on home improvement, interior decoration, gardening, landscaping and anything that will make a house a home that you will love.  Books start flying off the shelves after these shows so don't miss out!

So you want to be a gardener?

But do you want to become a Master Gardener?

About this time of year, your efforts to begin a garden are paying off. Greens and sprouts are taking off. Beneficial insects and worms are crittering about, and you are learning from our great collection of books on gardening here at the library.

But have you ever wanted to take it further and learn so that you can use those skills or teach others? Exploring a Master Gardener certificate, taught by the Oregon State University Extension service, is a popular endeavor for many people who fall in love with gardening here. That means that the winter classes fill quickly. If you want to lean more, be prepared to sign up for this in September.

That is just around the corner!

Wicked Plants

Did a character in your book die from a poisonous plant? Wonder if that hyacinth blossom really is that toxic? Amy Stewart's book Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities is a "fact-filled, A–Z compendium of nature’s worst offenders offers practical and tantalizing composite views of toxic, irritating, prickly, and all-around ill-mannered plants." (Carol Haggas, Booklist)

Call number: 581.65 STE (adult non-fiction)

Your Garden In Winter

Missing your garden in all this Winter weather? Here are some gardening books that will help you stay inspired until Spring arrives.

The Garden in Winter: Plant For Beauty and Interest in the Quiet Season


by Suzanne Bales


The Winter Garden

by Jane Sterndale-Bennett


The Winter Garden: Create a Garden That Shines Through the Forgotten Season

by Val Bourne

Your Fall Garden

Fallscaping: extending your garden season into autumn. By Nancy J. Ondra and Stephanie Cohen. North Adams, Ma. :Storey Pub, 2007.
635.953 OND


Check our catalog for this title


Don't let anyone tell you that your Fall garden can't be as dazzling as your Spring and Summer gardens. Pennsylvania gardeners Ondra and Cohen bring imaginative ideas, practical techniques and new inspiration to autumn, that often-neglected time of the gardening year.
According to the authors, the main characters in your Fall garden include some of the following: the multicolored foliage of trees, grasses and other plants; flashy seedheads and berries;and so much more.
The authors also offer a number of fall-friendly garden plans, complete with shopping lists, that will cover all kinds of gardens.
Throughout the book you will find Fall Techniques, with practical, down-to-earth information on how to divide perennials and design suggestions on planning paths
The book ends with a Fall Garden Care Primer, sharing ways to evaluate your garden, improve your soil, build new beds, take cuttings, prepare plants for winter, store your tools and care for your lawn.
Ondra and Cohen's vibrant and authoritative guide is a must-have resource for those wishing to maximize their Fall garden's potential.

Oregon Association of Nurseries

The Oregon Association of Nurseries publishes an annual Directory and Buyers Guide. For anyone looking for that special plant or needing nursery-related services and supplies, this directory is your key. With over 34,000 separate listings of plants, products and services, this book indicates whether the company deals as a wholesaler and/or retailer. The plant offerings are grouped into categories with alphabetical listings by botanical name. Codes are then given as to the form that you need such as liner, bare root, seedling, B&B, container or cutting. The growers are listed under the specific plant and detailed contact information can be found in the Membership listings in the front of the directory. The services and supplies section lists consulting, erosion control, landscape services, containers, fertilizer and any other item that would be of interest in the nursery trade. A copy of this directory is located in our Reference Collection under the call number 631.52 ORE. It is also available on the OAN website.

Garden Time!

"Neither snow, nor sleet, nor rain shall stop the Northwest gardener from digging in the mud!" This could be the official mantra of gardeners across Oregon and Washington. The recent home and garden shows in Portland have only sparked more interest in gardening, and the current economy has also made growing your own food and taking care of your own home landscaping a matter of necessity. Beaverton City Library has literally hundreds of books on gardening to help you along. The collection covers all aspects of gardening, including vegetable and fruit growing, flowers, trees, and shrubs, and landscaping and maintenance. Some of my favorites for Northwest gardeners are listed below.

Sunset Western Garden Book, Sunset Publishing Corp., 2007.

American Horticultural Society Northwest Smartgarden Regional Guide, by Peter Punzi. DK Publishing, 2003.

Western Garden Problem Solver, Sunset Books, 1998.

Home Landscaping: Northwest Region, Including Western British Columbia, by Roger Holmes. Creative Homeowner Press, 2002.

Perennials for Washington and Oregon, by Alison Beck. Lone Pine Publishing, 2000.

Month-by-month Gardening in Washington and Oregon: What To Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year, by Mary Robson. Cool Springs Press, 2005.

Northwest Home Landscaping: Including Western British Columbia, by Roger Holmes. Creative Homeowner, 2007.

Sunset Western Landscaping Book. Sunset Books, 1997.