Clean Slate :: Gardening Goals

Few places can boast of the superb weather December brought to Central Florida. It has been delightful to spend as much time outdoors as possible in between the hustle and bustle of holiday activities. Truly. Where else can you still watch the butterflies fluttering about while grilling your dinner and then eating on the back lanai in shorts and flip-flops? It's a wonderful place to be in the wintertime!

And on top of that it's a New Year! Happy New Year by the way. Why don't we think about some New Year's goals together. Oh, not the personal kind. Those are so tiresome. I'm kidding about that. You go ahead. Reasonable personal goals are a must also.

I'm thinking about goals for the garden. Not just goals but ways to acheive them. I kind of like to think of the new year as a clean slate. A blank canvas. Empty pages waiting for adventures to be journaled.

Let's think of the garden as a brand new OPPORTUNITY this year! Let's look at it with our glass-half-full smiley faces on. It's our own place to make things happen. No matter the size of it. It is our chance to grow a million-bazillion plants we love. Okay. Maybe not that many but you get the idea.

Look around. Which plants do you love that are suitable for your climate? I'm guessing you can find a place for them in your own garden.

Here are a few goals to get us started.



1. When I make plans for creating any new areas for planting I'm going to think more about building the soil first before I plant the plants. If we take the time to add purchased soil or amend our own dirt with compost, leaf mold, peat moss, and other organic materials we will improve the soil to hold nutrients and feed the roots for better growth. Training our plants to become more drought tolerant means less water is necessary after they are established.

2. Choose plants that are suitable for my climate. If you garden in Florida you have so many options. We can pick from a long list of Florida-Friendly plants as well as many fabulous natives that are well-suited for the home garden. Combining them together will create an attractive blend that is pleasing to the eye and the environment.

3. Create more and fuss less. No question it takes time and energy to design and maintain any garden ~~ large or small. A less fussy garden has a more naturalistic appeal. Choose shrubs that don't need constant pruning like Walter's Viburnum. Or allow your blue plumbago to sprawl rather than shear it evenly (keeping in mind it will need plenty of room when initially planted). I'm learning better all the time how to let each garden area look more natural by 'not' keeping everything so orderly. The definition of orderly likely varies from gardener to gardener. My definition is to let each group of like-plants have their own space while blending in with its neighbors but not 'invading' its neighbors.

By making it your goal to accomplish # 1 & #2 you can have more plants and larger areas without so much tedious maintenance. This really matters if you have other things to do besides spending all day in the garden several times a week. Me? I would spend all day, every day if I could, because I love it that much. Then there's life. It just isn't possible (or realistic) to give all my attention to the garden. So I'm finding more ways to create what I love without being a slave to it.



Your turn.

I'd love for you to share a gardening goal and how you will achieve it this year. Exchanging ideas helps all of us! Meems

**Click on any photo for captions and details.

Basics of Spring Gardening

Spring is that much-anticipated season when life in the garden comes alive with supreme vigor and vitality. I can vividly remember as a young adult, before I had my own garden, excitement would fill my soul just taking a drive down the freeway on any March day in Florida. The sight of bright green leaves flushing out en masse on the limbs of roadside tree clusters signaled a certain assurance ~~ much like the rising or setting of the sun. Still, to this day, I look forward to that very sign of life which in the simplest way gives me a solid sense of peace. With all the wonder and awe of this glorious season comes inspiration. Revitalization to conquer the garden. Even the will to accomplish some of those much anticipated projects visualized and dreamed up in our minds. Personally, I admit that I count on the mid-winter days in January and February to tackle some of my biggest design ideas. (All the grass you see in the above photo has been removed. More on this project to come later.) This year winter fooled me! The weather (consequently the soil) warmed up very quickly at the start of February. Which of course signaled ornamentals to begin their spring growth. Then the gardener guessing-game began. Will we get another cold snap? Should I cut back dead growth now? Should I wait? How long do I wait? 'Officially' we're advised to wait until the last frost date to prune back damaged limbs on ornamentals and woody shrubs. For my Central Florida garden that date is February 25. Last year was way out-of-the-ordinary with record-setting-consistently-cold temps into March. As my Florida cohorts know well~~ it created a bit of shyness this year for NOT jumping the gun on spring pruning. SO! if you live in Florida and you haven't already done it~~ it is past time (but not too late) to assess your garden and make determinations about what needs to stay and what needs to go. Pruning removes the old, lifeless decay or damage and encourages new growth. All you need to know about pruning is available in this document link. Turns out this year it would have been safe to cut everything back the second week of February. And to be truthful I did just that on a few perennials. The pentas and grasses that I knew would return or I wouldn't mind replacing were sheared very early. Photo from February... no my azaleas do NOT look like this now. Be sure to wait until your azaleas have finished their flowering before pruning ~~ but do it before July. You won't want to remove next year's flowers. Here's a link for detailed instructions. This is a do as I say not do as I do moment. I've been so busy with new projects there are two significant plants I have procrastinated in cutting back. It's appauling I know. But just to confirm I'm just as human as the next gardener...you should know the pagoda flowers are still standing sticks and dripping dried berries. Not a visual you expect to see in spring. And the goldenrod (not shown) that are taking over my wildflower garden are littered with tall brown spikes of dead flowers. I'll get to it ... maybe this week... but late pruning won't deter the growth of either plant. Too bad. It is just an ugly sight for now. Oh, let's get back to the bright greens of spring that speak of all things new and fresh. I've been amazed at the rapid growth throughout the garden this season. Not only do we need to cut back and clean up from winter but another good thing to do this time of year is refurbish your beds with mulch. Always add mulch to newly planted materials after water has been thoroughly applied. While you're at it refresh the rest of your beds making sure to apply a maximum of 2-3 inches of a good, organic mulch. Be sure not to cover the root ball of each plant with mulch as you want to leave it exposed for air and water. Consider creating a manageable plan for Integrated Pest Management and feeding schedules for your garden. Fertilizer can be applied to lawns and shrubs in spring. Here's a guide for Florida lawn fertilization. One of the most vital pieces of information is how to properly mow your lawn. Just about every flowering perennial shrub and tree is putting out buds and flowers early this year. No question I'm enthralled with everything green! But flowers are also a thrill.

I'll stop chatting away and wish you a very happy spring. You are always welcome to click on any photo which will take you to the web album and an appropriate caption. (You'll have to click the back button to return here). Stay inspired ... spring will not last long enough. Here's to all the strength and health you need to get every job accomplished. Meems ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** This was not meant to be a comprehensive outline of everything to be done in the spring garden. Just the VERY basics in a VERY general way.