Spring is Springing, Yes??

All this sunshine makes me think of spring, despite the brrrrr temperatures. And that makes me think of flowers and gardening (appreciating other's efforts, of course, because I'm essentially useless in the garden myself). If you're starting to think about your own garden, here's a new book for you from local Timber Press: Perennial Companions: 100 Dazzling Plant Combinations for Every Season, written by Tom Fischer with photographs by Richard Bloom and Adrian Bloom (really, I'm not making that up!). The book is designed to provide visual inspiration for creating pleasing juxtapositions of color, form, and texture in your garden using perennials, taking you from spring, through summer and autumn, and into winter. Before moving to Portland in 2004 to become editor-in-chief of Timber Press, Fischer was the editor of Horticulture magazine in Boston. If that's not the book you're looking for, come check out the rest of our gardening section for inspiration, information, and advice (except from me, as I've been known to kill even the most easily tended plants -- not on purpose).