Friends of Montclair Library

It’s spring, Tuesday was Earth Day, and if you’re a gardener your mind is on plants and soil (along with how to make every drop of water count this summer).

If you’re ready to get your hands dirty, this Saturday, April 26th, from 10am-1pm, you’re invited to come help with the next phase of turning the library’s wild backyard into a low-water-use, bird- and butterfly-friendly garden featuring native plants. Volunteers will be weeding and discussing the next steps and the design process. There may be some trees to plant as well. If you can help, please RSVP with Lynne Cutler at lcutler@oaklandlibrary.org. The event is part of Oakland’s Earth Day celebration, when over 3,000 volunteers will help clean and green over 90 locations throughout Oakland.

If you’re looking for some inspiration for your own garden, check out one of these books about gardening from the Montclair branch:

Golden Gate Gardening: The Complete Guide to Year-Round Food Gardening in the San Francisco Bay Area & Coastal California by Pamela Peirce (e-book)

Sunset Western Garden Book edited by Kathleen Norris Brenzel (635.9 SUNSET 2007)

Strawberries in November: A Guide to Year-Round Gardening in the East Bay by Judith Goldsmith (635 GOLDSMITH)

Plants and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates of the San Francisco Bay Region by Nora Harlow (OVERSIZE 635.9525 HARLOW)

Designing with Succulents by Debra Lee Baldwin (635.9525 BALDWIN)

Eat Your Yard!: Edible Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Herbs and Flowers for Your Landscape by Nan K. Chase (635 CHASE)

Community Gardening by Ellen Kirby and Elizabeth Peters, editors (635 COMMUNITY)

Gardening Weekends: Strategies for the Busy Gardener by Olwen Woodier (OVERSIZE 635 WOODIER)

Seed Sowing and Saving: Step-by-step Techniques for Collecting and Growing More than 100 Vegetables, Flowers, and Herbs by Carole B. Turner (OVERSIZE 635.0421 TURNER)

The Backyard Parables: Lessons on Gardening, and Life by Margaret Roach (635.01 ROACH)

P.S. – Did you know you can check out garden tools with your library card from the Tool Lending Library, and get free seeds at the Chavez branch’s Seed Lending Library? How cool is that?!

Photo: “Somers Middle School Planting Native Garden” by Forest Service Northern Region via Flickr/Creative Commons