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May 2026 Focus: Florida Gardens [Ruth Tuder, Betty C. and Pearl Foster looking at shrubs at Turner’s Sunken Gardens]: St. Petersburg, Fla., 1948 PA 15121 |
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FEATURED BOOKS FROM THE FLORIDA COLLECTION: |
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by Victor Lazzari 100 Roses for the South Florida Garden by Victor Lazzari is a guide for growing roses in South Florida's climate, featuring 100 recommended varieties with photos, history, and care tips, plus general advice on rose cultivation and garden design for the region. Published in 2023, it's a resource for both beginners and experienced gardeners, filling a gap in information for tropical climates. |
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by Kenneth Treister The first book on Bok Tower Gardens, the exceptional National Historic Landmark in central Florida designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and Milton B. Medary. Built in 1929 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1993, Bok Tower Gardens is not only an architectural and landscape masterpiece, it is also the embodiment of a fascinating moment in American history. Publisher, philanthropist, and naturalist Edward Bok commissioned two esteemed designers, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and architect Milton B. Medary, to create a sanctuary that would preserve the natural beauty of the state. Located on 600 acres, the historic garden is centered on the beautiful Pinewood Estate and the 205-foot-high marble and coquina Singing Tower, which houses one of the world's finest carillons. One of the great achievements of America's golden age of architecture, Bok Tower Gardens is a complete work of art that is also an extraordinary public monument. |
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by David A. Berry Stunning, intimate photographs bring orchids to life in this showcase of the extraordinary collection of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida. Stunning, intimate photographs bring orchids to life in this showcase of the extraordinary collection of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida.As a leader in the study and conservation of orchids and other epiphytes, Selby Gardens is home to the best scientifically documented collection of living orchids in the world.A fascinating and accessible text by their botany and horticulture experts explores the remarkable beauty and diversity of one of the largest and most admired families of flowering plants, examining their vibrant colours, elegant lines, and sometimes other-worldly shapes. |
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by Ginny Stibolt Sustainable gardening is a broad topic that includes best practices in gardening, organic gardening, making the best use of local resources, growing your own vegetables, saving water, and doing the least amount of damage to the environment. In Sustainable Gardening for Florida, Ginny Stibolt presents easy money-saving projects that help to reduce Floridians' collective ecological footprint. The state's unique features and climate provides both challenges and opportunities for gardeners. Stibolt provides detailed instructions for various projects that promote a successful gardening experience within the tropical climate. She includes interesting and doable projects and property management techniques that should have a significant beneficial effect on Florida's environment.. |
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Transforming Florida Yards: a Regional Forest Guideby Amanda Alders PikeTransforming Florida Yards offers readers not only key knowledge on the benefits of food forests and the basics of creating them, but the best plants to grow in any Floridian's backyard, community garden, or other environment. With 200 easy to follow, one page reference sheets for each plant (that includes recipes, cultural information, and much more), readers will be able to actively use the text as they prepare for planting their food forests.
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Your Florida Guide to Butterfly Gardening: a Guide for the Deep Southby Jaret C. DanielsFull-color images show common butterflies and their caterpillars, as well as food plants and host plants. Daniels also discusses current environmental threats to butterfly species, with a special focus on the monarch butterfly, describing how humans can play an important role in sustaining native wildlife populations and promoting biodiversity through our yards and home gardens.
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No other book offers such colorful, complete, and reliable information about all aspects of selecting, growing, and maintaining the shrubs and small trees that thrive in the Florida landscape. Written for everyone from the homeowner with limited gardening skills to the landscape professional or property manager, the new edition of this photo-filled guide includes a hardiness-zone map and all the information you need to help create a beautiful landscape! |
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LIBRARY AND TAMPA BAY AREA EVENTS: |
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Kotler Gallery Presents - Photographs from the James J. Lunsford Law Library May, 2026 John F. Germany Library, 900 N. Ashley Dr., 2nd floor. The collection is composed of photographs which hung in the Law Library in its previous location. |
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Meet the newest Library now located at the John F. Germany Public Library. The James J. Lunsford Law Library has moved from the courthouse to 900 S. Ashley St. It will be open normal library hours: Monday -Thursday from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm; Friday - Saturday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Law books and services are located on the library's second floor. |
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Cecil Beach Conference Room - 4th floor Meeting is a hybrid meeting. The speaker is Renate Yarborough-Sanders on “Essentials Strategies for Researching People of Color.” The meeting will be in the Beech Conference Room in the Florida History and Genealogy Library at the John F. Germany Public Library. Alternately, you can attend via Zoom webinar. |
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Wednesday, May 27, 4:00 am to 5:00 pm Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Public Library - Gallery on the Avenue Explore the historical and genealogical materials related to our local African American communities. Learn about online library resources that complement these collections. Recommended for adults. Registration recommended. |
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Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative is excited to partner with Florida Master Gardener and Florida-Friendly Landscaping, two agricultural programs from the Hillsborough County Extension Service to bring in-depth Gardening Workshops to a library near you. |
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by Judith Ann Bense A leading authority on the archaeology of Florida tells the story of the state's past as a Spanish colony. Florida is the state with the oldest recorded history of European contact, beginning with the arrival of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León more than five centuries ago--but many people don't know the full story of Florida during this momentous time. Engagingly written and extensively illustrated, Early Spanish Florida delves into archaeological discoveries to uncover the 250-year history of Spanish colonization on the peninsula. Judith Bense, a lifelong archaeologist and expert on Spanish Florida, traces the story from 1513 when Ponce de León accidentally landed on "La Florida" to 1763 when Spain lost the land to Britain after the Seven Years' War. Bense explores how the first Spanish settlers tried to colonize Florida with aims to take over the entire Southeast, encountering harsh weather, competing colonizing nations, and Native resistance. |
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This book offers an unparalleled history of the pivotal legal battle that established the right to a public defender and reshaped the American justice system, written by the lawyer who argued and lost the case before the Supreme Court. The author, Bruce R. Jacob is professor emeritus and dean emeritus at the Stetson University College of Law. In 1963, as assistant attorney general of Florida, Jacob argued and lost the Gideon v. Wainwright case before the US Supreme Court. He then became a law professor and dean of two law schools, taught constitutional law, founded legal assistance programs, and taught law students how to represent defendants in criminal cases. |
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The Himalayans have the Yeti, Native Americans have the Sasquatch, and Floridians have skunk ape. “They’re just so elusive and so rare,” said Dave Shealy, a skunk ape researcher. Skunk ape is a creature described to be similar to bigfoot, named after its smell and appearance. It’s said to be a man-sized ape. The skunk ape has been reported on since the early 1800s, with a family in Key Largo going to the sheriff’s office in the 1970s, claiming the skunk ape was stalking them. A bill was even penned in 1977, calling for the protection of skunk ape. It did not pass. Skunk ape reports have been issued in the Miami suburbs throughout the years. The skunk ape is said to lurk in Florida swamps and forests. |
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A Punkhouse in the Deep South: the Oral History of 309by Aaron CometbusTold in personal interviews, this is the collective story of a punk community in an unlikely town and region, a hub of radical counterculture that drew artists and musicians from throughout the conservative South and earned national renown. The house at 309 6th Avenue has long been a crossroads for punk rock, activism, veganism, and queer culture in Pensacola, a quiet Gulf Coast city at the border of Florida and Alabama. In this book, residents of 309 narrate the colorful and often comical details of communal life in the crowded and dilapidated house over its 30-year existence. Terry Johnson, Ryan "Rymodee" Modee, Gloria Diaz, Skott Cowgill, and others tell of playing in bands including This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb, operating local businesses such as End of the Line Cafe, forming feminist support groups, and creating zines and art. .
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Return to Launch is the story of how one state reshaped the trajectory of the US space program and helped usher in a new era of spaceflight. Stephen Smith takes readers behind the scenes of Florida’s Space Coast, revealing how local leaders, federal policymakers, and entrepreneurs transformed a region once bracing for economic collapse into the center of the NewSpace revolution. This is the first book to spotlight Florida’s role in the rise of modern reusable space technologies and the shift from government-led missions to collaboration with private and commercial enterprise. |
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The Sunshine State Monsters: Cryptids Legends of Floridaby David WeatherlyFlorida--The Sunshine State. A tourist mecca with shining beaches, theme parks for children and adults alike, and monsters! Water monsters are everywhere from sea serpents to lake monsters, to a famous creature said to lurk in the St. Johns River. The vast Everglades are home to invasive snakes, massive alligators, and the elusive Skunk Ape. Big cats prowl, strange things fly overhead, and lost species may still thrive in hidden corners. Grab your sunglasses and join in as we investigate Sunshine State Monsters.
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ON DISPLAY IN THE FLORIDA HISTORY & GENEALOGY LIBRARY, 4TH FLOOR OF THE JOHN F. GERMANY PUBLIC LIBRARY
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 Hillsborough State Bank |
Florida Banking Records Collection The Florida Banking Records give insight and context to the history of Florida's economy. They date from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. The records come from several banks of historical significance and include Hillsboro State Bank, Bank of Dunedin, First Savings and Trust Co., and SunBank. The records were stored for several years in a warehouse and were scheduled to be destroyed. In 2014, a SunTrust bank employee asked the Florida History & Genealogy Library if they would accept the donation. In 2021 the library started an in-house preservation project. This includes cleaning, repairing, and cataloging the records.
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Timeless Advertising: Signs and Advertisements from the Burgert Brothers Photographic Collection, 1920-1964 The video display features photographs of advertisements in the Burgert Brothers Photographic Collection for over four decades. |
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