“Who arrr-re you?”

If you haven’t experienced the “empty nest” syndrome yet — I thought I’d clue you in. It’s a strange experience when the children move out. You suddenly realize you don’t know who your spouse is. The house has becomes way too quiet. And you have a problem. How to use the extra bedroom? Machine-Man and I don’t agree. I see it as a guest room. He wants a man’s hobby/work room. So the room sits with freshly painted bare walls.

“Empty nest” also means extra income. You no longer need to fork over money for field trips, school supplies, pizza parties and bail. (Oh, just kidding about the bail!)

Still, the strangest aspect of the “empty nest” syndrome is that you suddenly realize you’re alone with your husband. You have been too busy raising your children (or child in our case) that you forgot what it’s like to be alone in your own home, just the two of you.

Machine-Man and I really didn’t know what to say to each other. We made an attempt. “What did Slash do in school today?” he asked me. “He’s no longer in school,” I reminded him. “Remember, he’s married.”

Machine-Man’s eyebrows rise. “He’s married!? Is that what his principal told you? Did Slash cut class and get married? Well, he’s grounded now.”

“No, remember. He graduated. He got married. He’s gone.”

Then it hits us. We have to find something new to talk about. This is difficult when the two of you have spent years of discussing teachers, PTA conferences, the way Slash’s little friend dumped the whole bottle of maple syrup on his pancakes at the last sleepover. So, out of desperation, we talk about the good ol’ days. “Remember when we drove Slash to Disneyland in that old rattling RV?” “Oh yes, poor little guy. That was a long, bumpy trip …”

As we look back on the days we spent raising our son, we realize there are things we did right. And there are things we’d do differently if we had to do it over. And when we look at our son now as an adult, we see the positive influences we’ve had on his life. But I have one regret. I never spent much time instilling a joy of planting seeds and cultivating a garden with our son. I came to gardening too late.

For those of you with young children, you still have time. And one great way to begin the process of inspiring horticultural wonder is to rev up their imaginations through books with gardening themes.

The Elisabeth C. Miller Library in Seattle has a couple hundred garden-themed books for children. And Karen Preuss, library manager, knows the books children love.

When I spoke with Karen earlier this week, she named some of the favorites among the 5 to 8-year-old crowd. First on her list — “Plantzilla,” an entertaining picture book by Jerdine Nolan. The story tells of Plantzilla, an out-of-control houseplant, who develops an insatiable craving for meat. Soon the pet Chihuahua goes missing.

“I love Plantzilla,” Karen told me. “It’s a hysterical, fun and silly book. It’s sort of a ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ for the young set, but not in a scary way. The book teaches a lot about how a plant grows. It gets kids engaged in the plant world.”

Karen named a few other favorites for the same age group. “‘Linnea in Monet’s Garden’ (by Christina Bjork) is a many-layered picture book with art history and Monet’s water lily paintings,” she said. “And my personal favorite is ‘The Gardener’ by Sarah Stewart. It’s set in the Depression era and it’s just charming. The illustrations are charming too. Young children like ‘Counting Wild Flowers’ (by Bruce McMillan). It’s a simple counting book and teaches children how to count with flowers while also identifying colors and plants.”

Karen noted the time-honored garden-themed favorite, “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, continues to rank high for third graders. “Also, ‘Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots’ by Sharon Lovejoy is a really good family-directed book, specifically with activities to get the whole family involved in gardening,” she explained. “The book is fun and off-center. It shows activities the family can do together in the garden, such as planting sunflowers in an old pair of boots. The book shows you that you don’t have to spend a ton of money.”

Karen added, “I don’t think any age is too young to get children in the garden and get their hands in the dirt. It teaches them to appreciate nature. And you know—these are our next generation of horticulturists.”

If you’d like to know more about garden books for children, give the Miller Library a call at (206) 543-0415. Or go to www.millerlibrary.org, click “collections/services,” then the children’s book list link. Also, the Miller Library will host “Jungle Stories” for children 3 to 7 years (older and younger kids also welcome) on Saturday, June 10, 10 to 10:45 a.m. In addition to the story time, children will enjoy glue-stick fun and make a wild collage.

The Elisabeth C. Miller Library is part of the UW Botanic Gardens located at 3501 NE 41st St., Seattle, 98195.