If you live in Hennepin County, run -- don't walk -- to your computer and order a compost bin. The bins are made of recycled black plastic, have a capacity of 13 cubic feet, two harvesting doors, come disassembled and -- at $35 a pop -- are dirt cheap. (A similar composter at retail prices could set you back more than $100.)

Of course, as with any great deal, there are a few catches:

• You must be a Hennepin County resident.

• Bins (one per household) must be ordered by April 1. To order, go to www.hennepin.us/compostbinsale.

• You have to pick up your bin at one of three locations during store hours and only on the following days:

Bachman's, 6010 Lyndale Av. S., Minneapolis. Pick up April 19-22.

The Reuse Center, 2801 21st Av. S., Minneapolis. Pick up April 19-22.

Lakewinds Natural Foods, 17501 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka. Pick up April 19-21.

If you miss the deadline to order, a limited number of bins will be available while supplies last at Hennepin County's Drop-Off Facility in Brooklyn Park from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays. For more information, call Hennepin County Environmental Services at 612-348-3777.

Other counties -- including Anoka, Carver and Dakota -- also are selling compost bins at a discount. For more information about prices and pickup locations, go to www.greenguardian.com and search on "compost bins."

CONNIE NELSON

Foliage as flowers As a gardener who does rather than dreams, I am no fan of expensive photo books that deceive gardeners with pretty pictures of plants that can't be grown in Minnesota. So I rolled my eyes when I picked up a glossy copy of "Foliage" by Nancy Ondra and Rob Cardillo (Storey Publishing, $24.95).

And then I opened it, and realized I was wrong.

While the book features gorgeous photography, it's perhaps the most intelligent and comprehensive guide I've seen to plants that light up the garden with their leaves rather than their flowers. Smartly organized by leaf color and then subdivided by leaf shape, this is a great book for gardeners who want to add something unusual to their pots and gardens.

MARY JANE SMETANKA