January Blues

By
Steve Bridges
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Christmas is quickly creeping up on us, provoking that age-old question. "Where does the time go?" Some would argue that fall now extends from October until February (with a short winter thrown in on a long weekend). It seems that spring now begins in February (with some of those short winters happening in April!). It is the first week in January, 75 degrees, and you want to plant but can't. What's a restless gardener to do?

Plan. Visualize. Study your books. Take notes about what you saw this year in someone else's garden that you just have to have next year. Design. Make a drawing of your existing or new flowerbeds and make some copies that you can scratch on. As you go through your books and visualize your new project you can easily arrange and rearrange your design on paper. You will inevitably have questions about this and that. Your local garden center will have much more time to answer questions in the slow winter months than the rush of the spring. By planning now you can get your beds ready a little at a time, have most of the design complete, and enjoy the best part of gardening when spring arrives. The planting. The digging in the dirt. In your thoughts for your design, you may want to consider some garden art to accent your garden area. Garden art is what sets your garden apart. The bench that pulls you to sit and enjoy your hard work. The pillar of roses that reminds you of your grandmothers garden. Or a birdbath that brings wildlife to your backyard. For inspiration, nostalgia, or simply personal expression, consider making art a vital part of your garden area.

Perhaps the anchor of every well-designed garden is the sitting area. It is a place for you to rest after working in the garden or a place to enjoy a visitor's company with a glass of ice tea. It can be as simple as a concrete bench or as whimsical as a two-seated glider. Those old wooden chairs that are stored in your garage would really stand out if painted and supplied with a table to set your glass of tea on. One Saturday morning spent cruising the garage sales would surely turn up something that, with a little help, would fit your fancy. Sit and relax.

You think about color and texture when making your plant selections. Why not think about height? You can grow vines on an arbor under which you've placed your bench. A pergola is a structure resembling a covered walkway that could be the entrance to your garden. These structures make excellent places to plant vigorous climbing roses. An obelisk is a four-sided structure that gently tapers as it rises, giving way to a top that has the shape of a pyramid. For gardening purposes, they are either wood or iron. They make wonderful centerpieces for climbing roses or vines. Build a simple pillar for climbing plants. Go to Smith Supply and ask to see the fence stays. They are 5-7 foot lengths of round cedar (bark still on) that are 2-3 inches in diameter. With a saw, a drill, and some screws you can make your own stand very inexpensively. And you did it!

We've all seen the concrete statuary in gardens. There's the little turtle that peeks out at you from under your lantana. The formal three-tiered water fountain is very nice for formal gardens. You can surely find something made of concrete that interests you. Then there are the whimsical gazing balls. Those glass reflecting balls that come in every color imaginable. A well-placed artsy birdhouse serves two purposes. These are all things that you can purchase. For the truly unique and one-of-a-kind, you can always design and build your own.