Spring Notebook: Garden, Hearth, Traditions, Home

Combining lovely scrapbook pages with a wealth of inspiration, recipes, and design suggestions, the Spring Notebook from Carolyne Roehm is the last seasonal title in her series. With a gorgeous matte cover disguising a practical spiral binding, you can refer to this frequently, and for years to come, without affecting its sturdiness one bit.

Separate areas focus on individual types of blooms--all the spring classics are here, including daffodils, tulips, pansies, and peonies. Discussion is mainly about the arranging and choosing of plants--for details on such practicalities as pest control or bulb rot, look elsewhere. Even a few favorite seasonal edibles are addressed--recipes for rhubarb, strawberries, and asparagus will have your mouth watering, and most, such as simple Rhubarb Bread, are straightforward and without a lot of extra steps. In all sections, the photographs are lush and light-filled, and seem evenly mixed between close-ups full of incredible detail and larger shots that provide a sense of a plant's overall effect in a garden. Detailed lists of possible plant choices are given for each category, limited to the author's favorites from her own gardens--with 3,000 tulips in the world to choose from, you'll be glad for the restraint Roehm shows in including only 62. A delightful way of containing all of spring's bounty into one book, this scrapbook will provide you with one special place for keeping your ideas, notes, and memories of the season. --Jill Lightner