There’s a palpable vegetal excitement in the air, now, as spring springs forward flora-ly. When the green wave arrives in Kentucky, gardeners get as excited as kids on a beach.
If you’re dreaming of fresh greens and snap beans, now’s the time to come to the library to “cultivate” your interests in our gardening section (635 in non-fiction).
The library has books about growing everything, from micro-greens to sycamores, using conventional, organic, biodynamic, vertical, container or guerilla methods. The library’s collection contains gardening books that span the centuries, from Culpepper’s “Complete Herbal” to Gayla Trails’ “Grow Great Grub.”
For after gardening entertainment, pick up a few of Beverley Nichols’ memoirs full of humorous tales of horticultural travail and wicked gossip about his associates and neighbors. Got a curious bug? The library has Whitney Cranshaw’s “Garden Insects of North America,” the buggiest! In fact we’ve got an identification book for just about anything you can place or find in your garden, including UFO’s (cataloged and shelved in the 001’s).
Need help? That’s why we’re here. Just ask. The library has some pretty competent gardeners on staff. We’ve also got some pretty wonderful programs in store during the next week.
On Wednesday, April 11, at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Kentucky Picture Show presents a Hollywood blockbuster that dares ask: “Que es mas macho? Matt Damon or The Plan?” Yes, there’s a romance, too. Intrigued? If so, come on in and enjoy a weird thriller.
Thursday evening, April 12, at 6:30 p.m., library director Julie Maruskin will present a new gardening class called “A Taste of the Wild: Landscaping with Kentucky’s Forest Trees.” You’ll learn how to propagate and care for Kentucky forest trees like the paw-paw, persimmon, black and white oak, walnut and hickory, as well as naturalized fruit trees like black cherry and crabapple. In spring, there are few trees more vivacious than a flowering crabapple.
Those who attend “A Taste of the Wild” will receive a young, live persimmon or black cherry tree to take home and plant. This program is free and open to the public, but please register to attend.
On April 16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Robert “Doc” Jones, Winchester’s premier numismatist (coin collector), will be in the library board room appraising coins and currency. Want to find out if Uncle Zed’s Liberty half-dollar really is worth a mint? Bob can tell you. There will be no sales or trading. This is strictly an informational program, and Bob is graciously donating his time. If you have any questions about the appraisal session, please call Bob at 749-5924.
That same evening at 6 p.m., Bob will give a program in the library community room about historic currencies. This talk is in conjunction with his wonderful display about currencies throughout history that is located near the library computers. Be sure to stop by and see it.
Next Tuesday, April 17, at 6 p.m., outreach librarian, Wendy O’Connor, will be presenting a handmade paper workshop. Wendy will teach participants how to recycle magazines, newspapers, even bits of thread and flowers into pulchritudinous paper.
Finally, next Thursday, April 19, at noon, for Book Lunch, Winchester resident Wayne Hall recounts his experience walking all 2,160 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Wayne was the subject of Katie Perkowski’s great feature article in the March 23 edition of the Sun. If you love a daring travelogue, dream of hiking the AT, or just want to hear some really good stories, come to Wayne’s Book Lunch talk. You must register to attend Book Lunch.
Who knows, a journey of 2,160 miles may start at the doors of the library.
