By Tiffani Stewart - St. Charles City-County Library

March is a month that allows us to embrace our inner love of green. We wear green clothes, drink green beer, and after St. Patrick’s Day is over, we prepare to use our green thumbs. Gardeners get busy ordering seeds, planning their gardens, and watching the world emerge from its chilly hibernation. While the Library offers hundreds of instructional books about gardening, you can also enjoy books that have a plant-based title, but aren’t necessarily focused on how to grow stuff.

So whether you’re planning to plant this spring or just appreciate those who do, we’ve got books that will inspire you to prepare for a green March. Enjoy the bounty of gardens, flowers, and fresh fruits & vegetables that appear in popular literature - like these books available at the Library!

GARDENS: These titles prove that gardening can be mysterious - and even a little creepy.
The Night Gardener by Johathan Auxier (2014)
Two abandoned Irish siblings travel to work as servants at a crumbling English manor house in this Victorian ghost story. The house and its family are not quite what they seem…
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (2010)
Shots ring out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense?
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1911)
A ten-year-old orphan comes to live in a lonely house on the Yorkshire moors where she discovers the mysteries of a locked garden. (See also Unearthing The Secret Garden : The Plants and Places that Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett by Marta McDowell or The Secret Garden on 81st Street : A Modern Graphic Retelling of The Secret Garden by Ivy Noelle Weir.)
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (2009)
In 1913, a little girl arrives in Brisbane, Australia with no family and no name. Years later her granddaughter takes a journey to solve the puzzle of her family’s origins.

FLOWERS: Flowers appear in fashion, food, fragrances, and your new favorite books.
Daisy-Head Mayzie by Dr. Seuss (1995)
Young Mayzie McGrew becomes a sensation when a daisy grows out of the top of her head and everyone tries to get rid of it. (See also Plant the Tiny Seed by Eric Carle.)
Violeta by Isabel Allende (2022)
Violeta (“Violet” in English) writes a letter to someone she loves above all others, recounting her 100 years of life during times of devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (2011)
After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, Victoria is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their traditional Victorian meanings. (See also The Complete Language of Flowers : A Definitive and Illustrated History by Estee Shoesmyth.)

FRUITS & VEGETABLES: Warning - these novels could make you hungry.
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick (2016)
Arthur Pepper lives a simple life, but on the one-year anniversary of his wife’s death, he finds a charm bracelet he's never seen before. He embarks on an unforgettable journey to discover its origins.
Cherry by Nico Walker (2018)
A young army vet and his wife are both hooked on heroin. They attempt a normal life, but with their money drying up, he turns to the one thing he thinks he could be really good at - robbing banks.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (1984)
Told in a series of vignettes, this coming-of-age classic is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago.
Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke (2008)
When Uncle Gus is murdered following a big family reunion, the only clues to be found at the crime scene are two slices of Hannah's infamous carrot cake. Can she come up with the recipe for catching a killer? (See also A Crime of Passion Fruit by Ellie Alexander.)

Whether you’re planting this summer, or you’re just planning to enjoy seeing other people’s gardens flourish, enjoy these green-themed adventures. While you’re browsing the Library bookshelves, discover these classes & events happening at the Augusta Branch and the Boone’s Trail Branch.

Coffee and Conversation
Thursdays, March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: 9:00am - 10:00am
Augusta Branch - adults
Enjoy a cup of coffee, a sweet treat, and conversation with others in the community.
Canasta - Game On!*
Thursdays, March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: 12:30pm - 4:00pm
Boone's Trail Branch - adults
Need to get out of the house? Learn to play Hand & Foot Canasta!
Crafting Connections - Yarn Arts
Thursdays, March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31: 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Augusta Branch - adults
Other yarn enthusiasts will keep you company while you work on your knit, crochet, or embroidery project.
Book Discussion - "Defending Jacob" by William Landay*
Thursday, March 17: 11:00am - 12:00pm
Boone's Trail Branch - adults
Andy has been an assistant DA for more than twenty years when his fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student. Pick up a copy at the Library and read with us.
Book Discussion - "Simon the Fiddler" by Paulette Jiles*
Monday, March 21: 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Augusta Branch - adults
Discover Simon, a talented fiddler, who meets the lovely Doris in 1965 Texas during a performance of the Confederate Army band. Will he ever find her again? Let’s talk about it.

*Register at myLibrary.org/eCalendar or call Boone’s Trail at 636-398-6200 or Augusta at 636-228-4855 for more information about classes.

The Boone’s Trail and Augusta branches are open Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9:00 a.m.- 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon.