This week Pitts Theology Library’s Reference & Instruction Librarian, Brady Beard, takes the class outside for his reading and listening recommendations! When he’s not answering research questions at the Reference Desk or providing library instruction for Candler classes and beyond, Brady enjoys ‘playing in the dirt’ and gardening at home and in Atlanta’s green spaces. Let’s see what he relies on for his own instruction in the horticultural field!

Brady’s first recommendation is A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future by Benjamin Vogt, PhD (New Society Publishers, 2017). Dr. Vogt is a passionate advocate for creating sustainable and native focused perennial gardens. Trained in poetry and fine arts, his writing is both passionate and artful. Brady especially “appreciate[s] the urgency with which Vogt writes and his optimism that we can, together, make small, positive impacts for our world in our own yards, parks, and shared spaces. A New Garden Ethic will radically change the way you think about the landscapes around you.” Find a print or electronic copy of this book at a library near you!

Brady’s second recommendation is The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden (Timber Press, 2014) by Roy Diblik , a garden designer, plant grower, and nursery owner. He specializes in perennial garden design and takes much of his inspiration from paintings and other visual arts. While this book focuses less on native plants, his garden plans, especially “Monet’s Water Lillies” is easily adaptable for native plants and incredibly beautiful. Roy simplifies gardening. Brady notes “I especially love that each plan comes with plant suggestions, color and foliage schemes, and an approximate number of plants needed. Each plan is for a 10 x 14 foot plot, but can easily scale up or down!” Visit your local library to get a copy of this must-have for gardeners.

Finally, Brady suggests tuning into the podcast Nature Revisited, hosted by Graham Noorden. In each 30 minute episode Noorden interviews guests with unique insight into the natural world. His guests include NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver,  who discusses the Highline Park in NY; Doug Tallamy, entomologist, author, and creator of Homegrown National Parks; Meg Lowman “Canopy Meg” who is the executive director of  The Tree Foundation. Brady explains “I’ve learned so much from Graham (including some of my new favorite authors) and find Nature Revisited incredibly enlightening. The most important thing I’ve learned is how closely we relate to our natural world. To quote Graham, ‘Remember we are nature.'”

Like what you see? Check out all Summer Reading Recommendations here, and don’t miss next week’s issue with top picks from Pitts’ Coordinator of Resource Sharing, Kailyn Middleton!