Looking for tasty, fresh ingredients? A smaller grocery bill? A smaller carbon footprint? A smaller waistline?

Summer flowers are in abundance right now. Come see floral designer Collette Bielat of Sparr's Florist (at 42510 Joy Road, Plymouth) share the secrets to a spectacular arrangement. See the dressier look for those summer bridal showers and the more casual BBQ picnic table look. Collette will take us through all the steps and a lucky winner or two will go home with the finished arrangements. Saturday, July 23 at 2:00PM — no registration is required.

Modern vintage style by Emily Chalmers ; words by Ali Hanan ; photography by Debi Treloar — Do you have an appreciation for items that have been around for awhile? For furniture that was carefully designed to fit a certain era or aesthetic? This book can help you pull it all together, including furniture, lighting, textiles, decorating, and collections, and displays. Even better, the second half of the book is dedicated to making a beautifully curated home actually livable for day-to-day use.

Give us your tired, your poor, your worn out magazines, newspapers, and catalogs; your huddled masses of school and office papers; the wretched refuse of your teeming junk mail yearning to be recycled! Place your recyclable papers in our large bright yellow and green bins (in the southwest corner of the library parking lot), and the library will receive money from Paper Retriever Recycling. You'll not only help the library, but you'll also make a positive impact on the environment.

Landscaping for your home by Catriona Tudor Erler — Curb appeal is extremely important to many homeowners. Buyers look for good landscaping when scoping out a possible purchase, and attractive exteriors help raise property values even if you're not planning to sell anytime soon. This book is a how-to DIY guide for many projects, as well as offering inspiration and ideas that can be as easy as adding a sundial or a container garden. Whatever the scope of your landscaping project, you will likely find this book helpful.

Quilt Show opens on Wednesday July 6in the Community Room

• Wednesday, July 6, 7:00-8:30PM
• Thursday, July 7, 3:00-8:00PM
• Friday, July 8, 4:00-5:30PM
• Saturday, July 9, 2:00-5:30PM

Door Prize drawing at 4:00PM Saturday
People's Choice Award: Vote for your favorite quilt.

Great fruit & vegetable guide by writers, Ann Baggaley ... [et al.] — This book is fairly small, but it packs a ton of information into its pages. Many varieties of many categories of edibles are included: tree fruits, soft fruits, root vegetables, brassicas, leafy vegetables, stem vegetables, salad vegetables, fruiting vegetables, and more. Also throughout are tips and hints for growing particular types of fruit and veg.

Twilight garden : a guide to enjoying your garden in the evening hours by Lia Leendertz — Sorry, Twihards, this book isn't about Bella and Edward, though perhaps they might enjoy hanging out in a garden like this book describes: one that can be enjoyed at night as well as in the daytime. Covered here are techniques for using color, light, scent, and water to make your garden a sensory experience that is pleasing no matter what time of day. Many plants flower at night, and Leendertz focuses on those, as well as on those that stay in bloom overnight. Most of the flowers recommended are white or are especially pleasing under moonlight.

Children, ages 5 and under, and caregivers, join us Monday, June 27 at 10:00AM for a family storytime all about gardens. We will share stories of vegetables and flowers outside by the library garden (weather permitting). We will also make a beautiful craft and enjoy a special treat. Registration begins Monday, June 13.

Honey bee hobbyist : the care and keeping of bees by Norman Gary — Have you ever thought about keeping your own bees? If you'd like to, this book is a terrific overview of the basics of what a home beekeeper needs to know and might wonder about. The book even starts with a section that will help you decide whether beekeeping is right for you.

Organic gardening by Geoff Hamilton — Gardening using organic principles has really gained in popularity over the past few years. Making the choice to limit the use of chemicals gives the gardener some control over what ends up in their produce. Gardening organically doesn't mean giving up on all fertilizers, though! There are a host of natural soil amendments that can help your plants flourish. This book goes over all this and much more, focusing primarily on vegetables but also covering fruits, herbs, and ornamentals.

Gardening step by step by Phil Clayton, Jenny Hendy, Colin Crosbie, Jo Whittingham — This book runs the gamut of things you might want to know how to do in your garden. From designing to planting to maintenance, it's all included here. The section on pruning is extensive and includes color photographs showing just how to go about it for various type of plants. Both beginning gardeners and those with more experience will certainly find something of interest here.

How to grow food : a step-by-step guide to growing all kinds of fruit, vegetables, salads and more by Richard Gianfrancesco — It's not too late to start growing your own food this season! Though some gardeners started earlier, you can plant seeds directly in your garden right now and be enjoying fruit and veg in a matter of weeks. This book is a terrific guide to the many edibles you can grow at home. With color photographs and detailed information, this is truly a one-stop-shop of edible gardening information.

Ultimate guide : walks, patios & walls by senior editor, Kathie Robitz — One of the things that really brings a professional look to a landscape is the use of stone and other mediums that contrast with plants. This book offers step-by-step instructions and design inspiration for a wide variety of walks, patios, and walls, with skill levels ranging from easy to challenging to difficult.

Tomorrow's garden : design and inspiration for a new age of sustainable gardening text and photographs by Stephen Orr — Many people are embracing the opportunity to DIY rather than hiring a landscaper, and lots of folks are increasing their awareness of the lasting impact that garden design choices make on the overall landscape. Maybe you choose to grow edibles to cut down on your grocery costs, or perhaps to plant an ornamental garden instead of maintaining a lawn that requires a lot of water. These and other sustainable choices are covered here by garden expert Orr.

Extraordinary gardens of the world by Monty Don — When I think about where I'd like to travel, places with beautiful gardens rank high on my list. This book is a virtual travelogue of all types of gardens located in places all around the globe. The large format suits this book well, as the photos are big and colorful, inviting the reader to get the feeling of being in each garden. Gardeners and travel buffs alike will enjoy this book.

Kitchen garden: month by month by Alan Buckingham — Month-to-month advice on growing produce in your backyard and obtaining a degree of sustainability. Useful illustrations and plant information are included. Vegetable, herb, and flower care instructions in a format that is easy to follow.

Flower Day 2011 at Detroit's Eastern Market will be this Sunday May 15th. The annual event draws over 150,000 people and is one of the largest shows in the country. Hundreds of flower growers from Michigan, Canada and other area states will be offering annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, etc. Bring the whole family for a variety of activities like the Wacky Wagon Contest, Craft Fair, Ask the Experts and the Children's Merry Market Land. Eastern Market is open from 6:00AM to 5:00PM on Flower Day. After purchasing your plants check-out some of CPL's material for gardening ideas. (Image by Sandra:Flickr)