I know I'm a little early, but has anyone else started thinking of New Year's resolutions yet? I was working in the garden between rain showers yesterday and was mentally planning out what I want to change/add/redo for next year. Of course, that me started thinking on plans for next year other than the garden. My number one resolution for the garden is to find room to cram in a few more plants and become more organic. My number one non-garden resolution is to get my finances in better shape and allocate more to savings. Of course, I have to survive Christmas before I can do any of this! Curious to see what other gardeners resolutions might be, if you're interested in sharing.
New Years Resolutions
My number one gardening resolution is to learn the botanical names of all my plants. Nothing makes me feel stupider than trying to describe a "candy corn" vine to a botany professor, who's shaking her head asking for the botanical name....
Some gardeners are just that -Gardeners - and don't care what the botanical name is or how others (gardening snobs?) will react to our trying to describe our plants.:>))) I intend to get more flowering vines and some perinneals, also flowering into the ground - reds, blues, whites - have enough yellows and purples for right now, Also, I'm going to change gardening guys to get someone who can really handle the big stuff so I can get the hibiscus down to 3-4 ft instead of 10-12 ft. and who knows a weed from a flower and doesn't try to put weed and feed on my lawn! I need a lot of help from a really good guy!
Ann
Ditto, bigbubbles! First I have to learn how to say them!
We have a backyard nursery in Brenham. (having occasional plant sales to support our habit!)...so I need to get into the habit of tagging things as I propogate, re-pot, or purchase. I'm really lazy about that...."you want to know what that is? uh, uh....I don't know......no, don't know if it's perrenial, cuz I don't know what it is!!!!...aaaggghhhh!"
1. I really have to do a better job saving my plant ID tags. I could even do my record keeping electronically on the garden diary/journal section of this web site.
2. Recycle more
3. Compost more
jam....you could work in the garden center at Home Depot..if you'd just stop tryin' to learn those names! For some reason, if I ''get introduced'' to a plant with it's botanical name, I seem to remember it as such. But mostly people give me pass-along cuttings with common names...and...well you get the drift.
I do like the Plant Files pronunciations for plants. And I have metal-tagged most plants with botanical IDs.
Ha Ha...i've already worked at Home Depot AND Loew's. Since I knew more than anyone else, the managers didn't like me! Such egos!
anyway....I'm the same way about remembering what I hear the first time....and guessing the pass alongs botanicals....As for pronunciation....I'm such a Texan, i sound like a kindergartner learning to read!
Well, at least you knew I was just teasing...after I hit 'send,' I wondered how that crack about HD would translate. What sort of plants do you sell from your nursery?
That's another resolution I have.....to check out all the surrounding area nurseries this spring. I have some friends that like to hit the road for day trips. We map 'em out and can hit four in a day sometime! I think we pretty much covered the immediate area.....Caldwell's is as far off as we ventured from Austin last year.
Bubbles, when you chart your tour, please list them in the 'locals'. Then if I get to tour Texas, I will know all the hot spots for green stuff... pod
Caldwell's in Rosenberg? That's a great place!
In our backyard nursery, we grow a lot of tropicals, hibiscus, and perennials. I try to find "out of the ordinary" plants. I just stuck a bunch of cuttings today (plectranthus, strawberry bush, sugar maple hibiscus, coleus, and other misc. things). this is the first year I'm doing any serious propagating. Before, we would buy things on special, nurse them back to health if needed, then sell them. This has been a very sporadic endeavor for a couple of years. Gonna get our license soon, then see what happens. My dream is having my own nursery.
In the meantime, I work full time at a great place....Discount Trees of Brenham. We have tons of trees in every size. It's amazing! The owners are very active in the Native Plant Society and feature a lot of natives. It would be a great road trip for you this spring.
This year I have to pull up alot of the annuals, like cosmos and tickseed. I can hardly bear to do it but then they reseed. I love them and the color is beautiful, but they've taken over everything. If I can just thin them out a little...
When I first started gardening I loved learning all the botanical names and reading about everything. Then all my time started going into the planting and maintaining them and I just kind of forgot most of them. It's really important to some people to know what salvia they have etc. I don't care tho. It's a salvia, it's purple. I like it. :)
I would make a resolution to keep better track of things and even keep a garden journal, but it's useless because I can't ever remember to do it.
My one garden resolution (other than to plant more, buy more, weed more, spray for BS more...) is to set up a system to keep my tools clean. It's sort of counter-intuitive to clean them, in my mind. But would it be SO HARD (I ask myself) to keep a bucket of bleach water, an old towel, and a sand bucket handy?
It will be easier when I have a potting shed. But until then, I CAN manage to do it. And keep that sharpener where I can find it!
1) I need to say no to the water-hogging plants! The last year of drought and water rationing reminds me of that. Wilting, browning leaves is not a pretty sight! Constant watering is wasteful and exhausting. Natives and adapted xeriscape plants are the way to go for me.
2. Amend my soil...compost and bat guano, especially. More raised beds for my xeriscape garden.
My resolution is to grow and give away more veggies than I keep!
I'll be your best friend, Gymgirl!!!
jam...we just might show up there one day. Brenham's not that far. I like Martha's Bloomers in Nac. Could make both of those, plus ARE, in one long day...maybe. Thanks for tip, I may have to get directions this spring....
What great ideas everyone has. As to cleaning the gardening tools, the best I've managed is to take a small bucket and fill it with sand then pour a can of motor oil over the whole mess. When I finish with my small tools like the pruning shears, trowels, etc., I just stick them down in the bucket. The sand keeps them upright for easy grabbing and the oil coats the blades and keeps them from rusting. I've been doing this for years and it's worked really well.
crow, that's my plan. I have the bucket and the sand, just never got around to putting in the oil.
I just really need a place, like the perfect potting shed, which is woefully lacking so far at my house.
Yes, I WOULD like some cheese with that w(h)ine...
Podster...I'll make a list and check it twice!
: )) Merry Christmas! I can only do one thing at a time. Haven't resolved anything yet... Brigid ~ what kinda cheese? : ))))
thank you, pod -- something smelly, that goes well with worms...