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GAINESVILLE, FL--From University Press of Florida’s crop of spring titles, two lively and informative paperback books on gardening will be available on May 1.

Your Florida Guide to Butterfly Gardening: A Guide for the Deep South, by Jaret C. Daniels, presents readers with all the information they need to begin a butterfly garden. Illustrated with more than 175 color photos, the book tells which plants will attract butterflies, which provide their favorite foods, and which plants will keep them coming back to set up housekeeping.

While describing gardening techniques and how to identify and appreciate the region’s most common butterfly varieties, Daniels also devotes attention to conservation issues, offering advice on how to make gardening choices that can improve the quality and biodiversity of the environment.

Published in cooperation with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, this is the third volume in the popular Your Florida Guide series.

A special treat from the book itself -- complete sample butterfly garden designs for each of Florida’s three primary growing regions (hardiness Zones 8 to 10). North Florida region Central Florida region South Florida region

Another title in the UPF Spring harvest is the reissue of Sara B. Stein’s groundbreaking My Weeds: A Gardener’s Botany. Originally published in 1988, this was one of the first books to advocate the use of native plants in ecologically responsible gardening. On its first publication, the New York Times described Stein as "a sort of jujitsu gardener; in her hands the very strengths of weeds are turned to her advantage."

Stein discusses such issues as using pesticides and combating threats from exotic species, topics that continue to be relevant today. By asking of the common weed, "What kind of plant is this? How does it behave? What is it up to in my garden? Can I thwart its plans?" she demonstrates that understanding the enemy is the gardener’s best weapon.

From the UPF Fall greenhouse, Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies of the Lower South, by Marc C. Minno and Maria F. Minno, offers an attractive and useful companion to the Your Florida Guide. According to the Fairchild Tropical Garden News, "Anyone who wants to identify butterflies or plant a butterfly-attracting garden will find all the information they need here."

 

For another look at how to cultivate Florida’s natural beauty, Gardens by the Sea: Creating a Tropical Paradise describes the multitude of plants, trees, and exotic species that thrive in subtropical seaside conditions. Written and assembled by inspired amateurs from the Garden Club of Palm Beach and featuring more than 300 color photos, the book is both a complete reference and an exquisite book for browsing. According the Palm Beach Daily News, it is "a handsome coffee-table garnish but also a very practical text."

Your Florida Guide to Butterfly Gardening: A Guide for the Deep South, by Jaret C. Daniels, $14.95 - (AVAILABLE MAY 1, 2000)

My Weeds: A Gardener’s Botany, by Sara B. Stein, $16.95 - (AVAILABLE May 1, 2000)

Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies of the Lower South, by Marc C. Minno and Maria Minno, $34.95 (AVAILABLE NOW)

Gardens by the Sea: Creating a Tropical Paradise, by The Garden Club of Palm Beach, $34.95 - (AVAILABLE NOW)