hPlants pass test to be included in book

hPlants pass test to be included in book

Toughness, beauty and durability. That’s the test the plants in this book had to pass in order to be included.

“50 High-Impact, Low-Care Garden Plants: Tough-but-Beautiful Plants That Anyone Can Grow” by Tracy Disabato-Aust (Timber Press; paperback; $16.95) offers readers ideas for creating beautiful gardens with long-lasting plants.

Each plant featured has multi-season interest, colorful foliage, is heat- and humidity-tolerant and not invasive or aggressive, among other desirable characteristics.

Plant lovers will find tips for gardening for busy lifestyles, high-impact, low-care plants and the top 10 plants to inspire passion.

Read up on roses

Roses are arguably the world’s most popular flowers.

But what else do you know about them?

“A Rose by Any Name: The Little-Known Lore and Deep-Rooted History of Rose Names” by Douglas Brenner and Stephen Scanniello (Algonquin Books; $19.95; hardcover) examines the origin of this beloved flower.

Covering more than 1,200 rose names (yes, there are that many), the book is packed with photos, facts and anecdotes from the authors.

A few of the interesting facts include that roses in the 15th and 16th centuries were mainly raised for medicinal purposes and that rose-naming rights are quite complicated because of copyrights and patents.

Classic goes modern

QuelObjet.com is an importer and retailer of items from France.

And we all love items from France, don’t we?

The makers of the products on the site have taken traditional items — ceramic chickens and flower vases — and given them modern looks. Leave it to the French to be so sophisticated.

New featured products include a bold tablecloth and several colorful new tea towels, including three that feature the poets Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Verlaine.

Check out the site’s collection of linens, gourmet items, tabletop pieces, home accessories, bath products and more.

Get a grip on footwear

Green, Ohio, resident Russ Pier has invented a simple way to carry and store sport and work footwear.

The Smart Grip is a bar that clips onto skates, boots, shoes and other footwear, so up to two pairs can be carried in one hand.

The device also can be hung from a nail or hook or clipped onto a sturdy hanger for storage.

Pier, an eighth-grade science teacher at Bolich Middle School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, said he developed the device to make it easier to carry roller skates for his six-member family of skaters.

The Smart Grip can be ordered for $14.99 plus shipping at smart-gripmfg.com.

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