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Have an idea for Subject of the Month?
March's Subject of the Month
Flowers
Selector: Lily Wiest
"The earth laughs in flowers."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
University Art Collection
#2 Lily with Red Flowers
Brenda Goodman
Fear
TYP
Flower 1
Mary Ann Aitken
Tree of Life
Jerzy Korzenowsky
John Sinclair (Detroit Portrait series)
Kurt Novak
Untitled (Flower pot)
Carlo Vitale Jr.
Cerulean Cobalt Floral Forms #2
Mary Jane Bigler
Structurist Sculpture #3 (Winter Flower)
David Barr
#107 - Abrazo de la memoria - Cuajinicuilapa, Guerrero, México, 1990
Tony Gleaton
Untitled Still life (Tiger)
Brenda Goodman
Untitled (Still life 5)
Gordon Newton
#311 - Niña africana, flor blanca - Mango Creek, Belize, 1992
Tony Gleaton
eBooks
Blooming Flowers: A Seasonal History of Plants and People by ISBN: 9780300243338Publication Date: 2020"From the meaning of carnations in Sex and the City to the use of sunflowers in the cleanup of Chernobyl, from Henry VIII's ban on saffron dye in Ireland to the modernist reinventions of roses, this is no ordinary flower book, and Kasia Boddy is no ordinary writer."-- Ali Smith, author of Spring
Field Manual of Michigan Flora by ISBN: 9780472029020Publication Date: 2012Field Manual of Michigan Flora is the most up-to-date guide available for all seed plants growing wild in Michigan. It presents concise identification keys, information about habitats, and completely updated distribution maps for all the seed plants, native or naturalized, that have been recorded from the state, fully treating over 2,700 species.
Tell about Night Flowers: Eudora Welty's Gardening Letters, 1940-1949 by ISBN: 9781621039587Publication Date: 2015Tell about Night Flowers presents previously unpublished letters by Eudora Welty, selected and annotated by scholar Julia Eichelberger. Welty published many of her best-known works in the 1940s: A Curtain of Green, The Wide Net, The Robber Bridegroom, Delta Wedding, and The Golden Apples. During this period, she also wrote hundreds of letters to two friends who shared her love of gardening. Welty's lyrical, witty, and poignant discussions of gardening and nature are delightful in themselves; they are also figurative expressions of Welty's views of her writing and her friendships.
Flowers and Honeybees: A study of morality in nature by ISBN: 9789004428539Publication Date: 2020Can we discover morality in nature? Flowers and Honeybees extends the considerable scientific knowledge of flowers and honeybees through a philosophical discussion of the origins of morality in nature.
A Feast of Flowers: Race, labor, and postcolonial capitalism in Ecuador by ISBN: 9780812298420Publication Date: 2022When Ecuador's cut-flower industry took off in the mid-1980s, it rode a wave of international credit peddling and currency speculation that would lead countries of the Global South into successive debt crises and northern financial firms to fortune and dominion. By the start of the twenty-first century, as the Ecuadorian economy collapsed and its ties with international finance became strained, flower exporters rebuilt their businesses around the profitability of their indigenous labor force, drawing local communities deeply into new plantation systems taking over the highlands. In A Feast of Flowers, Christopher Krupa goes inside Ecuador's booming cut-flower industry to chronicle the ways its capitalist pioneers built a booming export industry around a racial ideology, turning indigenous people's purported differences into resources for industrial expansion.
The Natural History of Flowers by ISBN: 9781623496449Publication Date: 2018In this beautifully illustrated book with over 200 stunning photographs, Michael Fogden and Patricia Fogden draw from existing research and their extensive field experiences all over the world to present a detailed but accessible introduction to the natural history of flowers. They discuss a representative sample of flowering and fruiting strategies, illustrating interactions between plants and their pollinators and dispersers, and conclude with descriptions of their favorite tropical flowers.
All About Flowers: James Vick's nineteenth-century seed company by ISBN: 9780804012294Publication Date: 2021A nineteenth-century entrepreneur's bold, innovative marketing helped transform flower gardens into one of America's favorite hobbies. Vick's business, selling flower seeds through the mail, wasn't unique, but it was wildly successful because he understood better than his rivals how to engage customers' emotions. He sold the love of flowers along with the flower seeds. Vick was genuinely passionate about floriculture, but he also pioneered what we now describe as integrated marketing.
Flower Production & Gardening by ISBN: 9789390591213Publication Date: 2021Floriculture is a fast emerging and rapidly expanding industry. It covers all aspects related to commercial growing, marketing, arrangement of seeds and bulbs, plants, flowers, etc. In this book important aspects of floriculture are explained in a concise and easy to understand format using simple and lucid language.
A Critical Look at Garden Culture
LISTEN
Ros Gray and Shela Sheikh introduce how planting was central to colonialism and explain why it is vital that we recognize the ongoing effects of colonial botany and the plantation system. They discuss how gardens – from botanical collections to municipal parks – are historical sites of exclusion and labor as well as leisure and enjoyment, detailing the hierarchies that exist within these spaces, and describing how artists have actively sought to decolonize these spaces through planting with reference to ongoing projects in London.
If you prefer to read this content, find an article based on the transcript at The Architectural Review.
When Abra Lee became the landscape manager at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, she sought some advice about how to best do the job. The answer: study the history of gardening. That led to her uncovering how Black involvement in horticulture in the U.S. bursts with incredible stories and profound expertise, intertwined with a tragic past. She's now teaching these stories and working on a book, Conquer the Soil: Black America and the Untold Stories of Our Country's Gardeners, Farmers, and Growers. Abra Lee talks with Short Wave producer Eva Tesfaye about uncovering Black horticultural history and several hidden figures who shaped it.
READ
- Uncle Tom’s Garden: Color, Culture, and Racialization in Garden Plants“This article seeks to understand how material objects act as vehicles for ideas about color and race, particularly Blackness, in the absence of bodies or images of people, by examining the phenomenon of named varieties of dark-colored plants. My data included interviews with daylily breeders and an online database of over 90,000 named daylily varieties. Systematic analysis showed that dark plants were frequently, though not exclusively, given names referencing Blackness. White or light-colored flowers did not receive racialized names. Findings demonstrate that color carries racial connotations even in areas of activity and cultural production that appear to have little or no connection with race, human bodies, or human identities.”
- The Art of Flower PowerIn this editorial piece for The College Hill Independent, Zak Nguyen discusses visual appropriation during the Vietnam War era. Though poet Allen Ginsburg is often credited with bringing "flower power" to American hippie culture, Nguyen argues that the idea of flowers symbolizing peace already had a long history — in Vietnam.
WATCH
This clip from the Central Texas Gardener highlights the work of author Teresa Speight and her book Black Flora: Profiles of Inspiring Black Flower Farmers and Florists.
The Language of Flowers
Image from Royal Collection Trust
In Victorian times, social life in the UK and US was governed by strict rules of etiquette. Prevented from openly expressing their emotions, lovers and friends resorted to sending one another secret messages in the form of floral bouquets. Each flower was assigned a distinct meaning in a Language of Flowers, also known as Floriography. For example, white lilies represented purity, ivy symbolized fidelity, and marigold grief. Senders would carefully select flowers for a bouquet to convey complex sentiments.
The language of flowers is still used today on some ceremonial occasions. The bouquet on Queen Elizabeth II's funeral casket contained rosemary for remembrance, myrtle as a symbol of a happy marriage, and English Oak for strength and steadfastness.
- Public Domain Review: Language of Flowers CollectionLook through this 1884 Kate Greenaway book and two other 19th century floriography dictionaries digitized by the Public Domain Review.
The Complete Language of Flowers by ISBN: 9781577152835Publication Date: 2022The Complete Language of Flowers is a comprehensive and definitive dictionary/reference presenting the history, symbolic meaning, and visual depiction of 1,001 flowers and botanicals from around the world in one volume-now in a pocket-size edition for easy, on-the-go reference.
Smithsonian Gardens
- Interactive Timeline of American Garden HistoryInvestigate the history of the American garden and its transformation from the mid-1600s to the present. This timeline encompasses the development of public gardens, private estates, national preserves, botanical gardens, and the American wilderness.
Image from Archives of American Gardens
- Photo Archive of American GardensThe Smithsonian’s Archives of American Gardens collects, preserves, and provides access to visual resources that document the history of gardens in America.
- Horticultural ArtifactsThe Garden Furnishings and Horticultural Artifacts Collection comprises approximately 1,300 objects, from garden furnishings including benches and urns to artifacts related to the horticulture trade, gardening, decorative arts, and interior home accessories. Most of the objects date from latter half of the Victorian era (1837-1901), an important time-period in the history and development of American horticulture.
Flower Crafts
- 4 Ways to Preserve FlowersLearn how to preserve flowers using four different methods: with a flower press, a book, a microwave, and a hammer.
This video from HGTV outlines the fastest way to dry flowers... in a microwave! You'll also learn how to use your pressed flowers to make a monogram wall hanging, coasters, and gift tags.
- The Ancient Origins of the Flower CrownWreaths of leaves and flowers have had symbolic meaning in Western culture for over 2,000 years.
- How to Make a Fresh Flower CrownAn easy DIY project designed by The Kitchy Kitchen’s Claire Thomas.
In this clip from TODAY, Founder and CEO of Farmgirl Flowers Christina Stembel teaches viewers how to arrange a beautiful bouquet.
- 21 DIY Paper Flower CraftsAs lovely as fresh flowers are, their loveliness is always short-lived. But not the case with faux flowers, which can look delightfully realistic these days. Instead of buying artificial flowers, though, you can DIY them yourself for only the cost of paper, tissue paper, or even coffee filters plus some crafting time.
Databases
- Missouri Botanical Garden Botanicus Collection This link opens in a new windowBotanicus is a freely accessible portal to historic botanical literature from the Missouri Botanical Garden Library. Botanicus is made possible through support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, W.M. Keck Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
- Biodiversity Heritage LibraryThe Biodiversity Heritage Library improves research methodology by collaboratively making biodiversity literature openly available to the world as part of a global biodiversity community. Support and hosting provided by Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.
- PLANTSThe PLANTS (Plant List of Attributes, Names, Taxonomy, and Symbols) Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.
- Native Plants of North AmericaFind profiles and images of native plants in North America's largest native plant database, in addition to native plant suppliers around the country, hosted by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Public Gardens
- Visit Michigan GardensThis page contains a list of Public and Private Gardens open to the public in the State of Michigan. For your convenience, this garden list curated by the Michigan Master Gardener Association is arranged by the area of the state where they are located: Southeast Michigan, Lansing/Central Michigan, West Michigan, Flint, Tri-Cities and The Thumb, Northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula.
Creating a Pollinator Paradise
Butterfly Gardening by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781400889365Publication Date: 2018A lavishly illustrated guide to creating a garden that attracts and sustains butterflies.
Gardening with Native Plants in the Upper Midwest by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781609384081Publication Date: 2016In this book, long-time landscape designer Judy Nauseef shows gardeners in the upper Midwest how to restore habitat and diversity to their piece of the planet by making native plants part of well-designed, thoughtfully planned gardens.
- Xerxes Society: Pollinator Conservation in Yards and GardensThe Xerxes Society for Invertebrate Conservation maintains a helpful list of resources for gardeners wanting to support pollinators. Learn how to create a pollinator habitat, choose the right plants, and provide access to nesting sites. Check out this guide to learn about flowers native to the Great Lakes which are most beneficial for insects.
- Pollinator.orgLearn all about pollinators and the incredible work they do for our environment! Check out this planting guide for the Midwest Region to get ideas for a pollinator-friendly, continually blooming flower garden.
This video from Michigan State University Extension shows you how to protect and support bees, butterflies and other pollinators in your yard and garden. Check out more information at the MSU Michigan Pollinator Initiative.
Local Flower Festivals
- Holland Tulip TimeTulip Time celebrates tulips, Dutch heritage, and the Holland, Michigan community today.
- Traverse City Cherry BlossomsKnown for its summer cherry harvest, Traverse City is beautiful in the spring when cherry blossoms blanket the rolling hills throughout the area.
- Mackinac Island Lilac FestivalThe Mackinac Island Lilac Festival is the largest and most historic festival on Mackinac Island. It’s 10 days celebrating the lilacs and their uniqueness and history to Mackinac Island.
- Ann Arbor Peony SeasonThe W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden at Nichols Arboretum is one of the world’s premiere collections. The garden holds nearly 800 peonies and over 10,000 flowers at peak bloom.
- Imlay City Lavender FestivalSince 2002, The Original Michigan Lavender Festival has grown to become the largest lavender festival on the east coast, showcasing Michigan’s top lavender farms, growers and producers.
Community Gardening
Gardening at the Margins: Convivial Labor, Community, and Resistance by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780816547326Publication Date: 2022Based on four years of field research via a Participatory Action Research project with the people and ecosystems of La Mesa Verde home garden program, Gabriel R. Valle develops a theory of convivial labor to describe how the acts of care among the diverse gardeners--through growing, preparing, and eating food in one of the most income unequal places in the country--are powerful, complex acts of resistance.
- Tips to Start a Community GardenThe Soil Science Society of America offers an overview of community gardens, as well as helpful tips for anyone interested in starting their own shared plot.
- Detroit's Community GardensDenny Scholl suggests a few gardens to check out so you can create your own self-guided tour of Detroit that takes you off the beaten path and out into various Detroit neighborhoods.