December is here, and few people are giving much thought to their gardens. I wish I, too, were immune to my garden, however I constantly resist the urge to run outside and prune the heck out of everything, now that the leaves have dropped. Sadly, I’ll have to wait for another couple months.
Despite the hurry up and wait of winter, these months can be particularly fruitful. Now that the garden is put to bed, it’s time to plan and scheme for next year’s harvest. It’s a great time to take stock of the successes and failures of the past season, peruse seed catalogues and strategize for the spring.
A great place to shop is online. There are hundreds of sites dedicated to any and all horticultural passions, and the accompanying pictures and descriptions make it an invaluable resource. My garden is fruit and vegetable heavy, and I tend to stick with organic and/or heirloom varieties so www.rareseeds.com and www.seedsavers.org are a couple of my favorite sites. If you’re less fussy or more excited by ornamentals, try www.burpee.com.
Seeds also make great holiday gifts as they’re (usually) inexpensive and will often delight a gardener, either because he appreciates the challenge of growing something new/exotic or is just surprised that you remembered her favorite hobby! Seed packets also fit well in a stocking.
There is talk of a possible home and garden tour next year here in Easton Village, so keep that in mind while you’re shopping! Also, feel free to send us pics of your garden, and I’ll post them in a photo gallery on the website.
Cheers! Neoma.
