May 2019 Leaflet ~ Elisabeth C. Miller Library, UW Botanic Gardens

College of the Environment | University of Washington

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Volume 6, Issue 5 | May 2019

Borrower favorites since the dawn of automated circulation:

an annual feature by Laura Blumhagen

What do Miller Library borrowers read? Each spring we look at the most popular items since our automated circulation system began in 2012, gaining insight into how our collections are used. As in past years, the majority of your favorite books are locally produced and about topics of special interest here in the Pacific Northwest. This year we see a wide range of special topics that are of global interest, including restoration, wildlife, rain gardens, children's books, and winter vegetable growing, along with basics like design, propagation and pruning. For the first time this year, a book on supporting native pollinators with your landscape rounds out the top twenty. Here are our borrowers' top picks:

1. Encyclopedia of Northwest native plants...	11. Landscaping for wildlife in the Pacific Northwest
2. Planting the dry shade garden	12. The botanical garden
3. Trees of Seattle	13. Conifers for gardens
4. The flora of Seattle in 1850	14. Restoring the Pacific Northwest
5. Native plants in the coastal garden	15. Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest
6. Cass Turnbull's guide to pruning	16. Winter gardening in the maritime Northwest
7. Penguin and Pinecone	17. Plant propagation (Toogood)
8. Rain gardens (Dunnett and Clayden)	18. Second nature: tales from the Montlake Fill
9. Field guide to the rare plants of Washington	19. Mossy
10. Encyclopedia of garden ferns	20. Attracting native pollinators

Visit the library to see what all the buzz is about!

Miller Library exhibits featured in The Botanical Artist

Readers interested in how the Miller Library curates art exhibits will want to read Rebecca Alexander's story in the March 2019 issue of The Botanical Artist (journal of the American Society of Botanical Artists). Rebecca highlights the benefits of displaying art in the library, such as drawing in new people and giving fresh perspectives to all who visit. Exhibits enrich the visitor experience while complementing the subject matter of our many resources.

Find The Botanical Artist on display in our periodicals area, near the north windows.

Try our new enhanced resource guide on growing food

Are you growing fruit and vegetables this spring in your pea patch plot, window box, or home garden? Will this be your year to start a kitchen garden, or the year you finally grow tomatoes without blossom end rot? We’ve collected some of our favorite tips, reference questions, recommended websites, videos and books to help you get started growing food.

You'll also find our short list of the best fruits and vegetables to grow at home in the Pacific Northwest.

Children's Collection favorites this year

The annual top twenty books featured in the May Leaflet for Scholars (archived on our website) are the most-borrowed items this past year from our Pacific Northwest Connections Collection and our Lending Collection as a whole. With children's books more popular than ever, we are proud to present the top ten books from our Children's Collection (in terms of borrowing) since March 2018:

1. Bees: a honeyed history	6. How does my garden grow?
2. Ellie's log	7. Du iz tak?
3. The princess and the peas	8. The lost words
4. Picture a tree	9. Diary of a worm
5. Nest	10. Quiet in the garden

Teachers and families with children can find these and many more beloved titles on low shelves just to the right of the new book display shelves.

visit the library

The Miller Library is open for browsing and research 49 hours each week.
You'll find our hours and information for visitors on our website.

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