Zack Snipes
17.01.2024 - 02:49 / backyardgardener.com
Janus, who lends his name to the month of January, was the dual-faced Roman god of gates and doors. He also was called the god of beginnings as it was commonly believed that you needed to go through a door or gate in order to enter a new place or beginning.
The god was depicted as looking forward and backwards at the same time–forward towards new beginnings and back towards the past. It’s an appropriate symbol for this month as it’s a time when gardeners are thinking about last year’s garden in order to look ahead to the new growing season.
If you are like many gardeners, you probably keep notes on annual seed and plant purchases, past garden successes and failures, and even new things to try. It’s a good idea to review these before you start planning your seed and equipment orders. Maps of past gardens will help you rotate plants and avoid overcrowding when planning spacing of plantings.
January is a good time to start a garden journal or even just a file where you can store articles clipped out of newspapers and magazines, or lists of ideas you want to try in the garden. A good place to get a few new ideas is by taking a class or joining a garden club. Most gardeners love to talk about gardening and won’t mind sharing some of their tried and true methods and products with you. Or apply to the University of Vermont Extension Master Gardener program. For more information, visit send an e-mail to [email protected].
Next, check the seeds you saved and stored from last year’s garden. Discard anything that is damp, diseased, moldy, or in otherwise bad condition. Look over what’s left, and determine what you need to order.
You also should take a look at squash, potatoes, root crops, and other
Zack Snipes
AS SHE OFTEN DOES, naturalist and nature writer Nancy Lawson—perhaps known better to some of you as the Humane Gardener after the title of her first book—caught my attention the other day.
When you go to the Philadelphia Flower Show, it helps to take along the right attitude. If seeing gorgeous, high concept gardens full of the most fashionable flowers makes you feel insecure, then take yourself elsewhere. If you need a massive dose of color, fragrance, humidity, and horticultural inspiration, then the Philadelphia Flower Show will be perfect for you. On my calendar, it officially marks the end of winter. It also reminds me of everything that a garden can be—provided you have a forklift, a crew of ten, at least $20,000 and the ability to make crocuses, roses and hydrangeas all bloom simultaneously.
Today’s photos are from Beate in Brandon, Vermont.
A mini organic garden can give you wonderful vegetables which are pesticide-free and delicious. It is not really necessary to have a large garden area to grow plants or vegetables. All you will ever need in veggies will grow in a reasonably small plot.
This year, when gardeners look at plant and seed catalogs, I think they will be inclined to go for the safe and familiar. After all, even optimists need a sense of security. It will probably be a banner year for roses of all kinds, with reds selling well. The ongoing vogue for cottage flowers will probably continue to be strong. In fact, the wildest thing many people will invest in come spring will be a few of the more bizarre coleus cultivars.
Lately, it seems like every time you turn on the local weather forecast, the meteorologist is talking about drought conditions. If you are in a severely affected area, or under water restrictions, this doesn’t mean you have to give up gardening. By following some drought-wise garden water tips, you can have your water, and your garden, too.
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Away from the Show Gardens on Main Avenue, the Sanctuary Gardens offer plenty of inspiration and often on a more achievable scale. A garden that honours 200 years of the National Gallery, a family space that can bounce back from heavy rainfall, and a sensory haven that supports the emotional wellbeing for children undergoing cancer treatment, feature in 2024’s line up.
How to Grow and Care for Ironweed (Vernonia) Vernonia spp.
Some people get their kicks from designer labels, others from rummaging through flea shops, or collecting obscure Japanese comics, vintage tractors, handbags, dolls, beer-mats, Star Wars merchandise or whatever else. Me, I get mine from ordering seeds.