Author Lucy Hardiman will speak at Lakewold Gardens at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 on "Voluptuous Vignettes: The Art of Making Plant Combinations."

Hardiman is a garden designer and author in the Portland area.

In order to get a sense of her style check out a video of her winter garden here. (Skip the first two minutes of ads)

Members of the Northwest Perennial Alliance get in free but nonmembers pay only $5.

Lakewold Gardens is at 12317 Gravelly Lake Drive S.W. in Lakewood.

A new book about container gardening showed up in my mail last week. I've always been pretty sucktastic at growing things in a pot, at least annuals that require a lot of water in the hot summer months. I don't like doing accessory watering. If it's a waterwise perennial or ornamental grass, I'll grow it in a pot. That's probably why most of my container plantings are pretty boring (unlike the fabulous container plantings of my fellow Get Growing blogger, Craig Sailor).

As I flipped through "Easy Container Gardens," it made me really want to get better at container plantings (not that I will, it just made me want to be). The book certainly makes it look easy. Author Pamela Crawford organized the plant information in a really smart way, with each page devoted to a different container planting, including instructions on how to put it together. It's like a fun little gardening recipe for each container planting.

My favorites:

Silvers: pg 106. This light shade planter is all about shade of silver. Plants are echeveria, begonia, dicondra 'silver falls,' and euphorbia 'diamond frost.'

Weekly Water Only: pg 116. Now we're talking, a container I only have to water once a week (in theory anyway). This box planter is a combination of begonia 'cherry blossom," a spiky ti plant, coleus 'kong rose' and creeping jenny. Take a look at it here:

Find the book here.

I like to grow veggies. I'm kinda sorta good at it. Some years I have so many zucchinis I throw them on my neighbor's porch and run (they're on to me, though).

Yet sometimes things go terribly wrong. Last year, it was my brandywine tomatoes that seemed as if they were doing just fine, but then they blew into blossom end rot within what seemed like 10 seconds. Then there was the year my Atlantic Giant pumpkin that was supposed to grow to 400 pounds was a whopping 10 (give or take a pound or two). Ugh.

So along comes a new book from Storey Publishing that I'll keep around for reference during the veggie growing season. "The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book" at first glance has "keep it handy" written all over it.

Begin snarky editors note: The book is subtitled "solutions to every problem you'll ever face," which made Craig Sailor and I do a giant jaded eye roll. Seriously? Every problem? We will stop consulting our magic 8 ball immediately. This book has all our answers! (end snarky editors note).

By the way, if I had this book last summer, I would have known that my blossom-end rot was probably the result of a combination of chilly weather and a calcium deficiency. The giant pumpkin that never was? Well, the book really doesn't say anything about that. Sigh. I guess it doesn't have all the answers, despite its subtitle. On a less snarky/skeptical note, the book has great advice for practical problems that many veggie gardeners struggle with. I like, also, that the book is divided into crop-by-crop sections. It's super easy to navigate and a very quick read. Kudos for that.

Book cover here (see, look at the subtitle and smirk):

I drove through Olympia this weekend and was admiring all the flowering trees there. Then, I had a self-realization: I'm bad when it comes to knowing trees.

Sure, I know a strawberry tree from a strawberry plant and a redbud from a rosebud but there are a whole lot of trees that just look like plums and maples to me.

My ID rate goes way up when it comes to Northwest natives. But, there's a book out there that shows me I still have a lot to learn.

Stephen Arno and illustrator Ramona Hammerly show how to distinguish one tree from another in their guide to identifying and appreciating Northwest trees. Arno, a forest ecologist, will talk about his recently updated book - "Northwest Trees: Identifying and understanding the region's native trees" - in a free book talk, slideshow and signing 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22 at the Wheelock Library (3722 North 26th Street in the heart of the Proctor District).

Books will be available for purchase at the event. For additional information contact the Tacoma Public Library at 253-591-5666.

The guide provides an easy to use illustrated identification key based on the most reliable and non-technical features of each species, and features the latest knowledge on the ecology and human history associated with all (over 250 species) of Northwest trees.

Each tree featured has a story about its history and use and Hammerly's detailed black-and-white drawings of needles, cones, leaves, twigs, and fruits.

Hey urbanites with itty bitty patios. Sick of that sickly little palm tree stashed in the corner of your living room, right next to the halogen lamp?

Have I got a book for ya.

"Down & Dirty" takes newbie gardeners through the baby steps of how-to small-space gardening. Container herb gardens, recycled container gardens and dinosaur gardens seem to be the easiest projects in the book. There's a great section on dividing plants, which is great for all you good-hearted peeps who want to share your garden love with yer fellow apartment dwellers.

The book, by Ellen Zachos, comes with pretty pictures and detailed how-to directions. A great starter garden book for any fledgling green thumber on your Xmas list.

Book cover here:

Veggies in December? From your garden? For real? Uh huh.

The sixth edition of "Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades: The Complete Guide to Organic Gardening" is in stores now. The book, from Sasquatch, tells you all you need to know to grow a nearly year-round vegetable garden. Much of the book is based on an Oregon climate, but there's much for South Sound gardeners to learn from the techniques outlined in Steve Solomon's book.

Solomon gets a bit preachy, especially when he criticizes a neighbor's sloppy garden (the neighbor sounds like about half the gardeners I know -- well intentioned, but not good with follow-through). But the information is a solid resource for anyone who wants to eat homegrown fresh veggies – even in the dark of winter.

Why stop gardening in August? At least that's the question asked in a press release for a new book called "Fallscaping."

I'll give you one good reason to stop gardening in August: STUPID RAIN!! I was fully drenched and had to do two wardrobe changes while finishing my garden path with hubby on Friday. Ugh.

Ok, I've got that rant out of my system. It's actually a beautiful day today (or at least it looks that way out the newsroom windows). But man, the month has been such a rainfest, hasn't it? And a windfest too... but I digress.

So this book is all about gardening in the fall. It comes with 10 garden plans for autumn-loving gardens. It even has a pretty landscape for gardens that get a lot of fall rain (like ours this year). The book recommends wet-loving plants in its "Wet and Wild" garden plan. Think Helianthus 'Lemon Queen,' Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips' and Eupatorium dubium 'Little Joe.'

A very cool book. It comes from Storey Publishing and is available at many bookstores and amazon.com.

Here at the Tacoma Fall Home & Garden show, be sure to stop by the WSU Pierce County Master Gardeners booth. It's located on Aisle 800, near the really cool Marenakos rock exhibit (more on that later).

Master Gardener volunteer Ben Brossard just told me that all books are 10-20 percent off and there's no sales tax. Seriously, this is a good place to buy your garden books.

I saw a few of my favorites, including the Northwest Gardeners Resource Guide, which gives you a HUGE list of specialty nurseries and other places where you can find things you didn't even know existed.

There is a big pile of books from Northwest authors like Ed Hume, Mary Robson, Deb Prinzing and Ann Lovejoy, among others.

Ben just opened up a copy of "Washington and Oregon Proven Plants" and showed me that the book was even signed by Mary Robson. It retails for $25. You can pick it up at the show for $20.

And while you're at the booth, have a chat with the volunteers. They are all knowledgeable garden volunteers who might be able to help you solve any gardening problem you're having.

Believe it or not, the Northwest is a great place to grow succulents. I grow succulents in hanging pots in my back yard and they thrive in our climate.

So I plan to add this book to my garden book collection:

Here's a description from the publisher:

Featuring over 50 species of cacti and more than 10 families of succulents, including their ideal locations, natural habitats, and care and feeding needs, Cacti and Succulents helps readers find the best plants for their interior and outdoor decorating needs. Complete descriptions, including color photographs, will help readers identify their plants and detailed care instructions will help them make sure that their plants thrive. Gideon Smith highlights plants from six garden collections the world over, from Zurich to Phoenix.

Book Details:
Title: Cacti and Succulents, A Complete Guide to Species, Cultivation and Care
Author: Gideon F. Smith
Available: At bookstores everywhere, or at Ball Publishing.

I've always wondered how to, um, "borrow" clippings from my neighbor's garden to add to my plant collection.

A book that tells me all: "How to Propagate: Techniques and Tips for Over 1000 Plants," by John Cushnie.

Some publisher propaganda on propagation:

In clear step-by-step instructions and photographs, How to Propagate details how to sow seed, take cuttings, divide, layer and graft in the best method possible for over 1,000 plants. The detailed information on plant hygiene, temperature and humidity, and care of newborn plants until they’re ready to go out into the garden and fend for themselves provides insight for the novice and accomplished gardener alike. Revel in the excitement of propagating your own garden for the upcoming spring!

The book is set for release next month. Details: