January 18th, 2012

Soon to come....Snowdrops!

It’s the depths of January……are you suffering from garden withdrawal? Do you long to plunge your hands into warm moist April dirt, sniff the intense fragrance of May lilacs and savor the sharp, crisp taste of spring radishes?  Well, my friends, it may be way too soon to garden with any practicality here in the Northeast, but there’s a substitute…garden blogs!

The best of the blogs carry content that is useful for our New England plots, with clear pictures, informative articles and tidbits concerning the gardening life. It doesn’t hurt if they’re funny, or even a bit outrageous. Oh, and one more thing, friendships have been known to burgeon from following blogs.

Here’s a few of my favorite web logs:

Kathy Purdy’s Cold Climate Gardening, Hardy Plants for Hardy Souls, (www.coldclimategardening.com ) aims at those of us who relish the challenge of growing plants in treacherous northern climes.  Kathy resides in the Southern Tier of New York State, at least a zone colder than my garden. Yet her photos, advice and vivid prose are Johnny-on-the-spot in terms of hardiness, interest and beauty. One of the pioneers of garden bloggers, she’s experienced in the  ways of web logging, and freely admits that her 9-year old blog contains not only information on plants she’s grown, but also knowledge distilled from others. Her specialties are narcissus, colchicum, cottage gardening, native plants and gardening with children. This is a real “get your hands dirty” type of blog; nothing highfalutin about it. But if you’re up to the challenge of growing in unpredictable winter temperatures, check out Cold Climate Gardening. And for further adventures in blogging, be sure to peruse her blog directory.

Garden Rant ( www.gardenrant.com)  is one of the best known garden blogs out there, written by four well-known professional horticulturalists from different regions of the USA. Elizabeth Licata is from Buffalo, Amy Stewart resides in Northern California, Susan Harris hails from the greater Washington, DC area and Michele Owens lives in upstate New York. Their enormously popular blog, Garden Rant, is a fast-paced, irreverent look at aspects of the gardening world. Don’t miss their Manifesto on the Homepage, where they profess their love for “real, rambling, chaotic, dirty, bug-ridden gardens”.  Sound like any plots you know?

Barbara Pintozzi gardens at her suburban Chicago, aptly named Squirrelhaven. The area boasts a climate similar to ours, and her rapid-fire blog, Mr. McGregor’s Daughter, (www.mcgregorsdaughter.blogspot.com) encompasses many gardening viewpoints which resonate with those of us who garden in the northeast. She leavens her writings with wit (don’t miss Involuntary Plantslaughter). Always well-written, Mr. Mcgregor’s Daughter was recently awarded a gold medal for photography by Gardening Gone Wild, (www.gardeninggonewild.com),  another fabulous blog.

Margaret Roach  (www.awaytogarden.com )  spent years in Martha Stewart’s employ, initially as the garden editor of Martha Stewart Living, then as its editorial director.  She retired (at a young age) to her farm on the New York/ Massachusetts line where she gardens on ample acres and can indulge her plant lust while educating the rest of us via her edifying blog. Complete with podcasts, gardening FAQ’s and photos of Jack the Demon Cat, A Way to Garden is replete with information, advice and gobs of horticultural lore suitable for onlooker, amateur, or professional gardener.

Despite the fact that the average American now needs tech support to run the living room, these blogs are easy to find, simple to navigate, and will teach, entertain and enlighten us gardeners  until the gentle breezes of Spring waft our way once more.

this first ran a couple of years ago in my column, but alas! It’s still pertinent.

It’s that time of year again, when we gardeners make heartfelt resolutions to do better by our patch of Mother Earth. We may fall by the wayside come May, but a spanking-new January lures us in. Here’s my list for 2010

1.      I won’t dig up any new gardens. Been there, done that, way too many times. And since I already have more yard space under cultivation that I can handle, and my husband won’t help me dig anymore, this should be an easy one. We’ll see.

2.      I won’t wear my good jeans in the garden. This means I’ll take time to change into work gear before I leap into the pond to excavate the slime. This means I won’t wear my Sunday-go-to-meeting blouse when I prune the roses or turn the compost. But darn it, I get distracted on the way to the mailbox or driving into the driveway. There are chores that have to be done with no time to change clothes!

3.      I will sharpen my tools this winter while I have time to do this necessary but boring chore.

4.      I will use up those old bags of fertilizer in the shed. But what kind of fertilizer are they? I thought I was being so clever by putting them in varmint-proof containers. I should have labeled them. Too late now; they’ll probably end up being used in the compost pile.

5.      This is the year to organize the gardening books!  I must have hundreds, and I use them for research, relaxation and remedies.  But they’re helter-skelter on the shelves. In 2012 I’ll put them into categories, so I can find what I’m looking for.

6.      I won’t insist on extracting garden compliments from my kids when they visit. Sure, I may think the azalea bloom is the best since 1997, and the grass paths have filled in beautifully, but I betcha my 20-something children will just roll their eyes. (Some blissful day the tables may be turned and they’ll want compliments from ME on their gardens).

7.      I will do more garden shopping locally. Most everything my garden needs and wants can be purchased at Danbury area nurseries and it makes sense fiscally and ecologically to support them. This includes going to the Farmer’s Markets and local produce purveyors.  (made progress w/ this one)

8.      I will not get so lost in my garden work that dinnertime passes and I forget (once again) to feed my long-suffering husband. Enough with the cereal for supper.

9.      I will grow at least one new perennial.  (success, here!)

10.  I will learn to identify at least one new seedling and one new wildflower. (ditto)

11.  I will think about using the color red. (nah, scratch that)

12.  I will finally take my friend Paul Young’s advice and properly label all my hosta.

13.  Pruning will be done by March this year, before real growth starts. (See resolution #3, above)

14.  I’ll keep on with my bittersweet-destroying campaign, on my property, of course, but up and down the street, as well, where permitted.

15.   Ditto on the Japanese knotweed.

16.  I’ll take some time each day to either sit in the gazebo or laze in the hammock. All work and no play makes for a dull gardener.

December 28th

December seed catalogs

In just a very few days, the hubbub of the holidays will be past; guests will have returned home, and assorted kids gone back to college. Once again the guest room will be empty and the refrigerator full. It’s time to dig out the garden catalogs that have been arriving for the past several weeks and delight in a favorite pastime, wishing upon a catalog.

Choose a sunny day when you’ve got a free hour or two to indulge in your garden fantasies.  Grab a mug of coffee or cocoa and spread your material out in a pleasant environment, such as your now-available dining room table.

Hopefully you will have already winnowed the selection down to just a few. I like to sort my catalogs from the get-go. When one arrives in my mailbox that I know I’m never gonna order from, into the recycling it goes. The rest I glance at, then store on a shelf in the family room. When choosing day comes, I display the five or six favored ones, (no more, or I’ll get discombobulated and overwhelmed). I like Bluestone Perennials, www.bluestoneperennials.com in Ohio for their modestly-priced, quality offerings. I always look at Burpee www.burpee.com , mostly out of tradition.  Wayside Gardens offers a wide choice of plants, tools, and treasures www.waysidegardens.com . For exquisite vegetable photography and old-fashioned flavor, there’s Baker Creek Heirloom seeds. www.rareseeds.com . And I wouldn’t be without Johnny’s Selected Seeds www.johnnyseeds.com , an employee-owned company in Maine, which will sell small quantities of seeds if the customer desires.

I make out my list, dividing into sections such as annuals, perennials and shrubs. Of course the list is always too long, so in the ongoing effort to keep the domestic pocketbook intact, I whittle down my wants to just a few must-haves.

Next I get out the sticky notes, and mark the pages in each catalog describing a cherished item. I write on the note what the item is, so I can see at a glance who has what.  Finally I compare price, and make my selection. Nowadays it’s possible to order online, by telephone or by using the cute little order blank included in the center fold. (I’m one of the Neanderthals who still prefers to fill out the form). I verify my choices, write my check, and pop the order in the mail.

A couple more suggestions:  When your seeds arrive, mark the sowing date on the envelopes, and place in chronological order. And, when your live plants arrive, note on the packing form where in the garden you’ll be putting them. This is so you don’t find yourself a few days later, wandering (like me) around your overstuffed garden, orphan plant in hand, muttering, What Was I Thinking?

So remember, whether you’re growing beans, baptisia or buddleia, the gardening year starts not when the first yellow crocus pops in late March, or when the soil warms in April. Nope, the garden year starts right now, with the catalogues.  Be prepared.