Niagara Falls Public Library celebrating spring in most flower-forward way it can

As we get closer to the spring equinox, we can’t help but recall the words of Miranda Priestly in the film “The Devil Wears Prada.” After being shown a very flowery spread for the spring issue of her magazine, the fashion maven remarks, in a scathing tone, “Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.”

We’re ignoring her judgment and have rounded up items from our Niagara Falls Public Library collection that celebrate the new season in the most flower-forward way we could manage.

A novel that immediately comes to mind is “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The classic tale was published in 1911, but it’s one that’s still loved by readers of all ages. It’s a great novel to read together with kids and — bonus — you can borrow one of the movie adaptations to watch after you finish the book.

If you want your flowers to be more artistic, “Botanical Art Techniques” from American Society of Botanical Artists is for you. This book will teach you how to create your own flowers using watercolour, graphite, pencil crayons, oils and more.

You can check out Creativebug for other flowery arts and crafts projects. There are online tutorials for all ages and interests, so there’s sure to be a lesson to suit your particular flower needs.

For the younger readers who are curious about the natural world, we suggest “Flowers” by David Burnie and Mike Grant. This book is full of photos and information about flowers, all presented in a fun and engaging way that’s perfect for kids.

Interested in growing your own flowers? There are tons of gardening books in our catalogue, of course, but you can also stay up to date on all the trends with various magazines available on PressReader. There are no borrowing limits or due dates, so you can keep referring back to the magazine on your computer or mobile device while you grow your perfect garden this year.

If herbs are more your speed but you don’t have a green thumb, check out Herbaceous. It’s a board game that allows players to collect and plant an assortment of flavourful herbs in their garden. This game is good for one to four players eight years old and older and takes just 20 minutes to play.

Want to watch some flowers on screen? The 2017 film “Tulip Fever” tells the story of an artist who falls in love with his married, female model during the tulip mania of 17th-century Amsterdam. The movie stars Alicia Vikander, Judi Dench and Christoph Waltz.

And, of course, you can always borrow the movie that inspired it all and judge for yourself if florals are overdone. Meryl Streep is not to be missed in the 2006 film “The Devil Wears Prada.”