The Oklahoman

New books for garden and home

- BY STATEPOINT

With longer days and shorter nights come warm weather opportunit­ies to make home and garden improvemen­ts. Become inspired to start working on projects, both indoors and out, with these new seasonal books.

Caring for cacti

There’s much more to your little green plants than just keeping them alive, according to “Happy Cactus: Cacti, Succulents, and More.”

Unearth the secrets of different cacti and succulents with profiles of more than 50 popular varieties, from the cute, flowering pincushion cactus to the wacky prickly pear.

Discover what makes your plant unusual and find out where to put it, when to water it, what to feed it, what to look out for and how to encourage its distinctiv­e traits, from flower stalks to fast growth.

Simplify your life

Living simply can mean living better, according to “Less: A Visual Guide to Minimalism.”

Using flow charts, icons and other graphics, the book demonstrat­es how to apply minimalism to your home, wardrobe, decor, cooking, cleaning and finances, to give you more time, space, money, clarity and overall enjoyment of your experience­s.

Understand­ing tools

Are you a DIY’er or aspire to be

one? Get a better handle on tools with “The Tool Book: A Tool Lover’s Guide to Over 200 Hand Tools.”

This visual guide highlights how to use, understand and properly care for over 200 hand tools, and includes a foreword by Nick Offerman, host of NBC’s “Making It.”

Discover why each tool is perfect for the job, through step-by-step illustrati­ons and scientific explanatio­ns, and why it deserves a prominent spot in your shed, workshop or studio.

Gardening indoors

Learn where to place houseplant­s for the best effect in your home and how to properly care for them, with the trusted advice, creative inspiratio­n, strong visual aesthetic and step-by-step detail found in “Practical Houseplant Book.”

Two hundred plant profiles provide informatio­n and care instructio­ns for a variety of plants, including ferns, orchids and succulents, while a dozen photograph­ic projects offer ideas for using plants to decorate your home or greenhouse, from eye-catching terrariums to a living succulent wall.

With informatio­n on plant care, propagatio­n, pests and diseases, pruning and problem-solving, this is a useful guide for any indoor gardener.

Growing food

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned grower, “Grow Something Different to Eat: Weird and wonderful heirloom fruits and vegetables for your garden,” can give you confidence to grow, cook and preserve some unusually tasty crops.

Learn to grow unusual fruits, vegetables and grains, such as orange eggplants, quinoa, chia, and white strawberri­es. All plants can be started indoors and kept as houseplant­s, or grown outdoors in the garden.

This summer, discover creative ideas for improving your indoor and outdoor spaces with DIY projects and more.

 ?? [PHOTO PROVIDED BY LUKESW/STOCK.ADOBE.COM] ?? “Happy Cactus: Cacti, Succulents, and More” profiles more than 50 popular varieties.
[PHOTO PROVIDED BY LUKESW/STOCK.ADOBE.COM] “Happy Cactus: Cacti, Succulents, and More” profiles more than 50 popular varieties.

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