My Books
Through my books, I hope to break down barriers to gardening, and how to use garden harvests in the kitchen. I also teach aspiring gardeners about saving pollinators with simple steps in their own outdoor space, no matter the size. Nature is something that needs to cohabitate with us. We need to invite it to our homes and backyards, versus have it be a special place we visit elsewhere. If we can be eco-stewards of our own yards, decks, and balconies, imagine the positive impact we can make on the world. I’ve created gardening guide books for adults, and children’s books to help younger generations understand the importance of pollinators in our natural world.
BEE NATIVE! Flower Pot Power
Coast to coast, the best native plants for container gardens and small yards to support pollinators.
40% of all the world’s invertebrate pollinators–including bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects–are at risk of extinction. Urban development causing the loss of natural habitats is largely to blame. Gardeners with small spaces can mitigate the effects cities have on pollinators by growing native plants in containers. Homeowners with small established gardens can also add pollinator power using well-behaved natives. This reference book is a perfect garden-planning tool for these specific scenarios. It organizes plants by “thriller”, “filler”, “spiller” and “climber”, followed by sun needs. It highlights plants perfect for small garden beds and rambunctious natives that can be tamed in pots. No matter your space, or how small it is, you can create a garden haven for pollinators why beautifying your porch, balcony, patio, or garden.This book also teaches container gardening basics for beginners; breaking down potting soil, container garden design 101, watering hacks when away, and winterizing container gardeners. This great gardening reference book also explains how to care for the biodiversity that will come to visit your bee, hummingbird, and butterfly gardens. Lush hand-painted illustrations and native maps accompany each native plant entry. Specific pollinator badges highlight which flowers are a bee, butterfly or hummingbird favorite, making this a functional yet beautiful addition to any garden book collection.
BEE NATIVE! Flower Power-Midwest Edition
An Easy Guide to Choosing Native Flowers for your Garden to Help Pollinators.
Want to help the bee population but don’t know where to start? Interested in native flowers but not sure which one will work in your garden? Feeling overwhelmed as you research native plants for your specific area? I created this Midwest native plant guide to help you easily discover a native plant to suit your garden needs. Adding just one native plant can make a positive impact on your local bee and butterfly population. Unlike other native plant books, I organized these native plants by their height and sun needs. This makes the cumbersome task of garden planning much easier. My hand-painted illustrations and maps accompany each entry, making this a unique and lovely addition to your garden book collection.
Summer’s Flight, Pollen’s Delight
Meet the Bees, Butterflies, Birds and Other Creatures Who Keep Our World Green and Alive.
Pollination is important to our world. It helps grow our food, our flowers, and our plants. Bees and butterflies get most of the attention as important “pollen movers” for our flowers. But you may be surprised at who else does this important job. Come into the garden, and meet these amazing creatures, and find out how you can help keep the world green and alive! Jump into the vibrant world of pollinators with your family, with clever rhyme, pollinator facts, pollinator-helper tips, and lush watercolor illustrations.
B is for Bee, P is for Pollen.
An A B C Book about Nature and Pollination.
ABC’s are a lot more fun to learn when birds, bees, and butterflies can come along for the journey. It’s never too early to get to know our natural world, and the important role each of us plays in it. Celebrate the magical world of plants, flowers, and pollinators with your child. Together we can make the world a greener, happier place, one letter at a time!
Martha Milkweed Has No Friends
Meet Martha Milkweed and other garden plants on a journey of discovery, tolerance and understanding.
Martha Milkweed has no friends, and the other flowers in the garden do not welcome her. But she does have one very special, beautiful friend. This friend relies on Martha Milkweed for many things and visits the garden often. It’s these visits that cause the other flowers in the garden to take notice of Martha Milkweed and realize that she has her own special gifts and beauty. Can you guess who is Martha Milkweed’s special friend? Come to her garden and find out!
Discover the magical relationship between Monarchs and milkweed in this charming story about a misunderstood ‘wild’ flower. Through being brave and simply being herself, she teaches acceptance of others who are unique and different.
20 Bee Native! Butterfly Favorites:
A Quick Guide to Planting Favorite Native Flowers for Butterflies..
Global reports show that 40% of all the world’s invertebrate pollinators–including bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects–are at risk of extinction. Monarch butterfly numbers have decreased by a whopping 90% over the past two decades, because of farming and other human development and bans, eradicating state-size swaths of native milkweed habitat. But enough bad news. Here is the good news! You can do something to help, easily! These quick ‘top 20’ wildflowers in this butterfly garden book will attract more butterflies to your garden. It features easy to grow natives to create a quick butterfly habitat in your own back yard or on your porch. You can help save the butterflies with just a few pollinator-friendly natives and host plants. Each page is adorned with a hand-painted illustration of each beautiful flower with a native map. It is then organized by sun needs and then a plant’s height. This common-sense approach to creating a garden book makes designing a butterfly garden very easy for any gardener- from the novice to the expert.
Savoring Sweet:
My journey to discovering how to use savory herbs and fragrant florals for desserts and drinks.
There is a revival in using savory herbs and edible florals in the kitchen, particularly in cocktails and desserts. This book gives some guideposts as to what herbs and flowers work with what ingredients so that you can get creative with your garden bounty in a smart way. Each herb and flower has a recipe developed by the author to give you some inspiration in the kitchen, from a sage and brown butter apple pie to citrus oregano butter cookies to a cilantro coconut lime cheesecake. You’re cooking muse will be inspired to look at herbs and flowers a little differently. This labor of love took 2 years with many visits to the library, a burgeoning backyard garden, a few baking disasters as well as many successes in the kitchen. You will find that using garden herbs and flowers in this way allows you to really explore your talents in the kitchen, and create some pretty unique, delicious and lovely things.
