I love the fresh start that comes with a new year. Time to get organized, time to plan for the future and more time to think about the big picture of our life…
A Time for Everything
(Ecclesiastes 3)
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.
Now is the time for winter when the days are shorter and the nights are longer. When gardeners make plans for spring, observe the wildlife around us and look for the beauty of this season…
As much as I love and look forward to spring, I do enjoy the slower pace of winter that comes after Christmas and allows more time for reading. Something warm to drink, a fire in the fireplace and a good book. Yes, I can do that while I wait for spring … just not too long!
I recently purchased two Christmas presents from me to me that are sure to make a big difference in my gardening experience this winter.
Benjamin Vogt is a poet, essayist, gardener and blogger.
This book is a memoir of three years in his garden. … beautifully and thoughtfully written.
On getting started he writes this,
“It’s late morning already, and we’ve finally made it to the new house. In two weeks we will move in, married on 7/7/7, but until then–and before the sod gets laid–my financee and I are here to spread mulch. 20 yards.”
I so get that! And, if you are a gardener, I suspect you do to. I look forward to having the time to dive into this book!
My mother canned most everything we ate from the super huge garden we grew. She had an amazingly green thumb and hated to see anything go to waste.
I have her green thumb but don’t grow very many vegetables. I spend most of my gardening time growing roses and their companions…. So, to date, I do not “can.” Armed with Daniel’s encouragement and easy to use tips plus a few trips to my friendly farmer’s market, I plan to add canning to my 2012 list of things to do. I bet my mom will be smiling!
The pages of this book are amazing. Pictures and step by step instructions. When I asked Daniel about the book (we are Twitter friends), he said he wrote the book as though he was in the kitchen giving a demonstration. Looks easy…. wish me luck!
Do you have any encouraging words regarding canning?
At the end of the growing season I get a little frantic thinking about the long winter and start working on my list of roses to add to my garden next year. Click here to read about the preliminary list.
Before we even had the first snow I began to “weed” through my first list of ideas to get down to the nitty gritty of what I will add to the garden–armed with URLs and a stack of catalogs.
Here are the roses I couldn’t resist and have ordered for 2012!
Clusters of old-fashioned, cherry-red blooms with a dark pink reverse are proudly displayed non-stop from spring to fall above dark green, glossy foliage. With a relaxed, open habit, this shrub rose can easily get a bit wild, but a little pruning will ensure it dances only where you want it. This performer is extremely disease resistant. A natural for borders and mass plantings. Grown own root. Flower Size: 2-4″ Fragrance: Mild Hybridizer: Beales, 2006.
Grande Dame (Read about the one I planted last year … here.)
Everything old is new again … or is it the other way around? Here’s a clean mean flowering machine whose big bountiful beauties reek with old rose romance, style & fragrance. Each lovely blossom invites you to bury your nose…to swoon from the perfume of the ‘old time’ roses of your dreams. A big vigorous ‘shrubby’ bush whose nodding clusters, abundant deep-green leaves & low-thorned cutting stems provide a perfect touch to a landscape or bouquet.
This sport of the free-flowering Aloha climbing rose bears large, full blooms in a beautiful blend of apricot and salmon. Enhanced by dark, glossy green foliage, the flowers are borne in flushes all season and infuse the air with their strong fragrance. An easy-care, hardy, disease resistant climber that won’t take over and can easily be trained on a pillar. Grown own root. Flower Size: 4-5″ Fragrance: Strong Hybridizer: Beales, 1996.
This climber is a nicely manageable size just right for arbors and patios. You will love the soft color and subtle fragrance, not to mention the easy-care, disease-resistant foliage! Eden reaches 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide.
This minis have lovely blooms the color of medium pink icing on a cake. The flowers are borne in great abandon. One of the most beautiful of all pink miniatures. Excellent for garden or for show.
Just before our wonderful American icon left us, she selected this exceptional rose to bear her name. Julia loved the even butter gold color & the licorice candy fragrance. Yet it wasn’t just the old-fashioned blooms that inspired the recipe. The perfectly rounded habit, super glossy leaves & great disease resistance finish off the dish. An awesome AARS award winner.
Doesn’t that sound beautiful! Add to all that … my friend Chris, The Redneck Rosarian, shared picture after picture after picture of his beautiful Julia Child roses last summer. I was green with envy and just had to have some for myself. Did you see his pictures??? Take a look at his blog, then look in the mirror … you just might turn green too! Click here…
I rarely see a rose I don’t want but this year I am focusing more on disease resistant roses to eliminate the need for chemicals.
What about you, what are you adding to your garden this year?
