Saturday, March 14, 2009

Birthday Books

I recently celebrated my birthday!


March seems to be a very busy birthday month for Blotanical bloggers! My birthday just happened to fall on the day Blotanical was having 'technical difficulties', so emails weren't sent out...but that's ok:-) I'd like to mention some other March bloggers who had their birthdays right around mine (and there were many!).

Let's see: Helen (Green Thoughts) and David (A Photographer's Garden Blog) shared a birthday on March 2nd, both Robin (Robin's Nesting Place) and Jared (Pleasant Hill Ramblings) had a birthday on March 4th, Susan's (Garden Chick's Design Tips) birthday was on March 7th, Linda (Crafty Gardener) had hers on March 12, and Nancy's (Soliloquy) is today, March 14th!

There are a lot of us Pisces out here in cyberspace;-) A collective Happy Birthday to all of us!!

On my birthday, I decided to go to Home Depot and buy some books--gardening 'self-help' books! Here's one by Pamela Crawford, Easy Container Gardens:


So far, this book has given me some great ideas, and I've already purchased some new containers to add to my collection. I am going to place large containers (with a mix of perennials and annuals) throughout my gardens and backyard this year. I'm looking forward to getting started!

I picked out this book from Home Depot, Gardening 1-2-3, simply because it looks like a good reference book for advice and ideas:



Perhaps the 'best' one will be the Month-By-Month Gardening in the Mid-Atlantic (revised edition), by Andre and Mark Viette. It covers 'what to do each month to have a beautiful garden all year', in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.:

Lastly, Annuals (A 'SmartGuide) by The Creative Homeowner, will give me planting tips and other information on annuals:
So, not only have I been getting ideas and helpful advice--I've been getting my 'fix' of blooms and color by pouring through all of these pages!!

I'll have another post out tomorrow for March's Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, sponsored by Carol, at May Dreams Gardens. Don't forget to post what's blooming in your garden this month! I'd love to come by and see!
PS: Thanks to everyone who stopped by when I was M.I.A.!! I went 12 days without a post! A record for me!

--Today I am thankful for birthdays and books!

39 comments:

  1. Happy Belated Birthday! I usually get e-mails about Blotanical members' birthdays, but if that was when Blotanical was having problems, no wonder I didn't know.

    Looks like you bought yourself some great birthday gifts. I've just spent an hour cutting back perennials--beautiful weather here, it's great to be able to work in the garden.

    Hope you had a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy belated birthday! I love gardening books that have oodles of photos - looks like you'll have lots to read - it's just a matter of finding time now that there's so much to do in the garden.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well, a Happy Birthday to you! And remember to celebrate all month. That's what we women like to do!
    Brenda

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy Birthday Jan, and what fun to be able to go out and choose these "bouquets" for your own enjoyment!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy Birthday to you Jan. Lovely books. I HOPE Blotanical has technical issues when my birthday comes around, as that is not for public info from my viewpoint. I asked Stuart about it and he is working to make it optional-hopefully soon.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jan, Can't remember if I wished you a Happy Birthday or not(probably not). So Hapy Belated Birthday!!

    Those books look like such fun. I really like the Easy Container Gardens. I think I will look for that one. I've thought about putting containers around in the gardens too. Add some bright spots where nothing is blooming at the time.

    A great birthday present to yourself! And thanks for sharing them with us.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great books to get some ideas! Welcome back to the keyboard. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Happy Belated Birthday Jan! Horticulture-related birthday presents are the best. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good to see you posting again. I believe I've already left a b.d. greeting on Blotanical, but here's another,
    Have a wonderful birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Happy belated birthday! Looking forward to your photos when the garden is up and running.

    ReplyDelete
  11. A belated happy birthday to you, Jan! Looks like you celebrated in grand fashion. I look forward to hearing about the ideas you garner from all those fabulous books. Glad you're back in the swing of things!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Jan girl ! Happy Happy Happy post Birthday girl ! .. I have to get to the bookstore and have a good browse myself : )

    ReplyDelete
  13. Happy birthday a little late!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Happy Birthday! March is a great month for birthdays, my husband's was yesterday.
    Gardening books are a great present! You'll have lots of fun looking through them and before you know it, it'll be time to take your inspiration into the garden and plant!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Happy (belated) Birthday! Hope you had just a fabulous birthday. Love your selection of books!

    Cheers,
    Cameron

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a fun trip, love those books. They remind me of a bunch of books I've been checking out from the library lately.

    Happy belated birthday by the way.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Happy Belated Birthday! Oh that is
    terrible about Blotanicals was down
    on your birthday.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Happy Belated Birthday! Some new garden books sound like just the way to start a new year. May you have your best garden ever!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Happy Belated Birthday! :) Looks like you got some inspiring reading ahead of you. I am completely addicted to container gardening and have been for years now. Look forward to what you plant in the coming months!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Jan- Glad you are back. I love the new blog header, a very pretty combination of colors. And, last but not least.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (late, sorry) Hope your birthday week was a great one:D
    -Heather
    I also loved your book selection.

    ReplyDelete
  21. It sounds like you had a good birthday. I like the books you treated yourself to. With blogging, I haven't been reading as much as I'd like.

    Happy belated birthday,
    Sue

    ReplyDelete
  22. Happy Belated Birthday Jan! Looks like you found some wonderful new gardening books. See ya tomorrow for GBBD!

    ReplyDelete
  23. What great choice of books, Jan. Happy Birthday! Pisces.... That reminds me that it's arch 15 and I should be getting my Monthly B'day post ready...
    I'll be looking forward to your GBBD.

    ReplyDelete
  24. happy sunday jan and belated birthday well wishes.

    the garden books look interesting... the easy container plants might be one i need to purchase :)

    and, i suppose one of these days i need to purchase one for our region. maybe then i'd have more success with what i put out? i've a ton of containers that i want to put together this spring but...haven't a plan yet of what i want to put in them. all i know is i love the color once they are completed :)

    have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  25. That first book seemed like a good one: For anyone who has ever killed a plant...Well that's me!
    (at the moment trying to kill a clivia)

    Hilde :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Oh, belated but heartfelt birthday wishes, Jan! Blotanicals woes were so exasperating, and I'm sorry we missed your birthday. But it was definitely a fruitful one in terms of books!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Happy birthday to all the garden bloggers that celebrate in March.

    Books are a wonderful gift .. you will have lots of reading and planning to do in the weeks ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Jan

    Gardening books are real retail therapy.

    Belatedly, Happy Birthday.

    Rob

    ReplyDelete
  29. Well, Happy Belated! I hope you enjoyed your time off- we all need it from time to time! I love the books you purchased! The month-by-month will come in handy!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Happy belated birthday Jan! Belated wishes that you had a great day filled with friends, family and flowers.

    The Easy container Gardens book looks like one I definitely need. Maybe its the subtitle"For Anyone Who Has Ever Killed A Plant" :)

    Happy Birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Wishing you belated birthday greetings Jan ! I hope that your special day was filled with fun and flowers xxx

    ReplyDelete
  32. happy belated birthday to you!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Rose! Barbara! Brenda! DP! Tina! Beckie! Janet! SweetBay! Alice! Bonnie! Donna! Joy! Anne! Catherine! Cameron! Cinj! Cathy! Connie! Cynthia! Heather! Sue! Raquel! Chandramouli! Erin! Hilde! Jodi! Linda! Rob! Tessa! Lona! WOW! Thank you all for your wonderful birthday wishes! It made my day to read them;-) In fact, today we actually 'celebrated ' my birthday at home! Up until now, it wasn't really officially celebrated'...because hubby was out of town. But today we had cake while our daughter was home from college for spring break...and with all of your wishes, I now feel 'officially' 52. All of your wishes are special to me!!!

    ReplyDelete
  34. What a fun way to spend your birthday gift money! Exactly something that I would do. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Happy happy happy day, Jan, even if I'm way late! The books look wonderful, especially the container gardening one. I do lots of large containers on the patio, and am planning them now. Just remember though that they take a LOT of water! Every year I forget this little fact, and by August I am swearing and sweating as I water them twice a day! But I just can't resist those wonderful coleus.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Happy (belated) birthday Jan! Sounds like you had a very nice fmily celebration, and how nice that your daughter was able to be there.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Jan~~ I'm so sorry I missed your birthday. Not such good timing on Blotanical's part. You're such a friendly, joyful person and it saddens me that you didn't get to hear from all your "fans" aka friends on your day.

    It looks like with your birthday acquisitions you've got a lot of inspiration at your fingertips. Although the Internet has a lot of great information, nothing beats a tangible hardcopy, in my opinion.

    Happy Belated Birthday, Jan.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Happy belated birthday, Jan! It's good to see Blotanical working smoothly again.
    You certainly spent your birthday money well. Happy reading and gardening!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Happy Birthday! I wanted to add your blog to my list of favourites blogs (on my blog, on blotanical I have it already) and I don't know what it happened. Anyway, I will add it now! And next year I will know when your birthday is!

    Happy birthday, be healthy and smiling!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for visiting and taking the time to comment! Please enjoy your TODAY and all of the gifts in YOUR garden of life!

Jan

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Post Topics

17 year Cicadas...Enough Already! 2011 Official Post 2012 4th of July collage 5-lined skink A Certain Kind of Light A Cozy Fire A Dusting of Snow A Family Meal A Hawkish Tale A Little Bit of Winter A Visit From Miss Glad on Blooming Friday A Visit With The Queen A Warm Cup of Tea Acorns African Violets African Violets:Kitty Style Agastache Allium Am I too late for GBBD Amaryllis Amazing Zinnias American Beautyberry American Hazelnut American Lady American Robin Anemone Anenome Anglewings Anise Hyssop Another Birthday aphids April 2010 April blooms Arbor Day Are Words Really Necessary? Artemesia Asarum Asclepias Asiatic lilies Aster Aster Yellows Audubon-at-Home August 2009 GBBD August 2013 Autumn Autumn Reflections Awards Awesome Azaleas Azalea on Ice;Picture This Photo Contest;Winter's Beauty Azaleas Azealea Back Yard Backyard Bird Series backyard birds Backyard Makeover Bald Eagles Balloon Flower Bee Collage Bee-Balm Bees Bees Busily Buzzing on Blooms Before and After Being Settled berries Big Eyes Bird Collage Bird Conversations Bird Itch Birdfeeding Birds Birds Before Blooms Birthday Books Black Swallowtail Black Swallowtail Butterflies Black Swallowtail butterfly cats Blackeyed Susan Bleeding Heart Blog Anniversary Blogger blogging blogging friends Blogiversary Blooming Friday Blotanical Blotanical awards Blotanical's 2009 Best Virginia Award Blue Blooms Bluebeard Bluebird Bluebird Fledglings Bluebird in Snow Botanical Interests Boulder Bouquet of the Month:April 2010 Bouquet of the Month:March 2010 Bright Flowers broad-winged damselfly Brown Creeper Brunnera Buddleia Bugbane Bulbs BulbsSproutinginPot Bumblebees Butterflies BUTTERFLIES LIVE Butterfly on Salvia Butterfly weed Calorie-Free Candy Camera-less in April Can You Guess What This Is? Can You Please Identify Me Can't Get Enough Cosmos Cancer Experience Cardinal Cardinal (Female) Cardinal (Male) Cardinal Flower Carolina Wren Carolyn's Shade Gardens Carpenter Bees Carpet Rose Caryopteris Caryopteris x clandonensis Catmint Cedar Waxwing CedarWaxwing celandine poppy Celebrate Your Freedom Cercis canadensis Certified Wildlife Sanctuary Chelone Cherry Blossoms Chickadee Chris McLaughlin Christmas Fern Christmas Rose Chrysanthemum Cicada's Ahead of Schedule Cicada's May 2009 Cicadas May 2013 Cinquefoil Clematis CobraHead Collage Collages Columbine Common Buckeye Common Whitetail dragonfly Composter Coneflower Containers Cooper's Hawk Coral Red Honeysuckle Coreopsis Corona Corydalis Cosmos Covered Hellebore Plants Cozy and Warm Cranberrybush Vibernum Crepe Myrtle Crested Iris Crocus Crocus 'Romance' Crow Cut Flowers From My Garden Cutleaved Coneflower Daffodil Daffodils dainty blue flowers Dayflower Daylilies December 2010 December Birds Deer Poop Desert Island Plant Challenge Desperate for Color on Bloom Day Devastation in the Garden Devotion Dicentra Digitalis purpurea Does This Outfit Make Me Look Fat? Dogs Dragonflies Dragonfly or Damselfly Dried Blooms ducklings Dutchman's Breeches Dwarf Nandina Dwarf Sumac e-Bird e.e.cummings e.e.cummings:i thank You God for most this amazing Earth Day Eastern Bluebird Eastern Comma butterfly Eastern Redbud Eastern Tiger Swallowtail eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly Ebony Jewelwing Echinacea Elderberry Emily Dickinson End of the Line Epimedium Euphorbia Evening Primrose facebook Faith Fall Color Project Feasting on Seeds Feb 2010 GBBD Feb 2010 monster storm Feeling Blue Feeling Blue? Finch Fire Pink First Day of April First Snow First Snowfall Project Fiskars Flame Azalea Flat Tire Basket Flick'r photo large sizes Floral Collages Focal Black and White photo Foliage-Followup Forsythia Fourth of July Foxglove Foxy in November Free Will Friends Fritillaria Frozen Blooms Galanthus Garden Garden Blessings Garden Blogger Bloom Day:November 2008 Garden Blogger Muse Day November 2009 Garden Blogger Muse Day:December 2008 Garden Blogger's Bloom Day:January 2009 Garden Bloggers Garden Bloggers Bloom Day Garden Bloggers Muse Day Garden Bloggers Muse Day (April 2009) Garden Bloggers Operation Christmas Child Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day Garden Bloggers' Muse Day: June 2009 Garden Books Garden Give Away Garden Give Aways Garden Give-Aways Garden Product Give Away Gardening Gone Wild photography contest Gardening Nude Gardening-by-Letter project GardenShoesOnline Garter Snake Ingests Toad GBBD Febrary 2009 GBBD July 2009 GBBD June 2010 GBBD March 09 GBBD:December 2008 GBMD May 2009 GBMD:January 2009 Geese in a Row--and Ducks too Giant Hyssop Give-Away Winner Gladiola Gloves Go Native Goblins and Pumpkins and Snakes oh my God in the Garden Golden Groundsel Goldenglow Goldenrod Goldfinch Goodbye March Graham Rice Gramma's Afghan Grapes Grasshopper Grateful Great Backyard Bird Count Great House Plant Census of 2010 Green and Gold Green Cure fungicide Hairy Woodpecker Happy Father's Day Haven Brand Manure Tea Hawk hawks Heated Birdbath Heather Heliopsis Heliotrope Hellebore Hellebore Collage HelleboreHover Hellebores Hellebores Book Give-Away Helleborus Helleborus niger Help Identify Animal Tracks Henry David Thoreau: Hepatica Heron Heuchera High School Orchestra Concert Highbush Blueberry Hip Mountain Mama Holiday Stress Holiday stress: How Much is Self-Imposed Holly Honored and Humbled Hornworms House Finch Hummingbird Clearwing Hyacinth Hyacinths Hylotelephium I Am Truly Thankful! I'm a bit Bee-hind Iberis Ice on Stream Ice Storm Ilex Impatiens Indentifying Butterflies Iris Iris reticulata It's Here Its Grown On Me Jacob's Ladder January 2010 snow January 2011 January 2013 Japanese Anemone Joe Pye Weed John Keats July garden 2010 Junco June 19th 2009 Just Be Gardens Kerria Kerria-Japanese Rose Keter Dynamic Composter Kombi Ladybird Johnson Lake Anna Lake Anna June 2009 Lake Vacation Lamium Lantana Late to the Party Again lavender Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Leyland Cypress Liatris Life Experiences Light Lilac Bush Limestone Liriope Liverwort Lobelia Lonicera sempervirens Luna the Greyhound Lungwort Lyme Disease Lyme Disease has gone to my Head Macro in a Mason Jar Mallard ducks March Birthday Bloggers March GBBD mention master gardener May 2010 May Apple Meaning Memorial Day 2010 Memories Mertensia Mid Summer's Eve Mid-June Blooms MidMarch Blooms and Foliage Milkweed Miniature Dachshund mishmash wednesday Mistflower Mites Monarchs Monarchs and Milkweed Monarda Monkshood Monthly Garden Bouquet Moon More April Bouquets Morning Light Mountain Laurel Mourning Doves MuhlyGrass Mums Muscari Muscle My Cat Smokie My Daughter My Dog James My Family My FIRST Enlarged Photo My Husband My Mother My Son My Yard Mystery Tracks Nandina Nandina berries National Cherry Blossom Festival Native Ginger Native Honeysuckle native plants Natural Habitat Nepata New York Fern Non-Natives Northern Flicker Not The Best Notecards November 2009 GBBD Now that's an 'ice picture Obedient Plant Oct 2008 GBBD Almost Ready Oct 2009 October 2009GBBD Of Gloves and Shovels Oh Say Can You See Okay so who or what is eating my plants Oliver Herford:I Heard a Bird Sing Operation Christmas Child Pain Management Techniques Pansies Pansy paperwhites Pay It Forward Project Pay-It-Forward gift-giving exchange Peanut Feeder Peonies by Mary Oliver Peony Perennials Perennials in my garden Perovskia Personal Poetry Personal Poetry: Petunia Phlox Phlox paniculata photo contest Photography Contests phytoplasma Pieris Pieris Japonica Pileated Woodpecker Pine Siskin Pink Azalea Pink Peony Planting Natives Plants on Ice Poetry Pollinators Polymonium Pond Critters Poppy Potentilla Potomac River Pretty Pink Peony Has Popped Prize Winners Product Reviews Project FeederWatch Pulmonaria Pumpkin Carving Purple Coneflower Purpose Questionmark butterfly radishes Rain Rain Barrel Rainbarrel Rainbow Project Rainy Days Raspberry and Lemon Sherbet Reasons I Garden red admiral Red Winged Blackbird Red-Bellied Woodpecker Red-Spotted Purple Red-winged Blackbird Redbud Relaxing Remember Renee's Garden Revised GBBD February 15 Richmond VA Robert Frost Robin Robin'sNestingPlace Rock Soapwort Rock Solid RockSoapwort Roly-Poly Squirrel Rose hips Roses Roses with Thorns Rosy Maple Moth Rudbeckia Rudbeckia lanciniata Russian Sage S.A.D. Salvia Salvia greggi Samuel Taylor Coleridge:The Nightengale Sanguinaria Scilla Seagulls Seasonal Affective Disorder Security Blanket Sedum Sedum Autumn Joy Seed Planting Experiment Seed Starter System Seed-Planting Experiment#1 Seed-Planting Experiment#2 Seed-Planting Experiment#2 (cont.) Seeds Sense of Humor September blooms September Blooms:A Series of Surprises September Surprises #3 Serviceberry Shades of Blue Shady Gardener:Gladsome Be? sharing Sharp-shinned Hawk Shawna Coronado Shirl's Garden Watch Siberion Buglose Skink Slaty Skimmer dragonfly Snake Snake skin Snow Snow in Spring Snowdrop Anenome Snowdrops Snowstorm Solomon's Seal Sounds of the Birds Speedwell Spicebush Swallowtail Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly cats spicebush swallowtail caterpillar Spider Webs Spiderwort sprained ankle Spring Buds and Bulbs Spring Has Sprung Spurge Squirrel Squirrels stainless steel water bottle Standard Poodle Starling Steam on Fence Strawberries Succulents Summer Flowers SunRays Sunrise Sustainable Living project Swallowtail Butterflies Sweaters Hoods and Coats Sweet Allysum Sweet William Teacup and Teapot Tete-a-Tete Thank You to Phillip Thanksgiving The Best Christmas Gifts The Complete Idiot's Guide to Composting The Gardener's Guide to Growing Hellebores The GGW photo contest I 'almost' entered on time The Multi-Hued Greens of Spring The Ocean The Seed Keeper Company The Sun Shines at Night The Thrush This Ain't No April Fools Joke This aMayzing Day Thyme Tiarella Titmouse Toad Lily Tools Toulouse goose Tradescantia Tree Sparrow Trees Trillium Trout Lily Tufted Titmouse Tulips Tulips in Spring Tulips on Thursday Turtle Crossing turtle garden Turtlehead TX-Bluebonnet Umbrella VA Gardener Magazine Valentine's Display variegated foliage Verbena Veronica Vinca Violas Virginia Bluebells Virginia Gardener Magazine Wake Robin Walt Whitman:Miracles Washington DC Water Fountain Water Garden Waterfall/Stream WBBS Wednesday Words Weeping Willow West County Gardener What Are You Waiting For What d'ya think Janet What's Happening? What's New in November White Embden geese White Peony White-Breasted Nuthatch Wild Geranium Wild Ginger Wildflower Wednesday Wildflowers Will the Real Turtle Please Come Out William Wordsworth William Wordsworth:The Daffodil's Willow Leaved Sunflower Window; Death; Personal Photography Winter I Am So Over You Winter is for the Birds Winter Light Winter Solstice winter storm slide-show Winter Walk-Off 2014 Winterberry Witch Hazel Woodfern Woodland Pinkroot Woodpecker WORDLESS Friday Wordless Wednesday: Wren X-Rated Yellow but not Mellow Yesterday and Today Zinnia Zinnia Bud (Plan B)