It is hard to believe that another year has come and gone but 2008 is now history and we have entered the future of 2009. Through great times, tough times, uncertain times, one thing is certain, that time marches on and the seasons come and go. We are now dealing with the cold of winter but before we know it spring will be upon us followed by another hot summer and then a glorious fall and back to Thanksgiving, Christmas, winter and another new year.
This is the customary time to review our lives as we complete one year and to make new resolutions and set new goals and dreams as we start another new year. This is also a good time to review your garden and landscape plans and decide if there are any new projects you want to tackle this year. That process for gardeners is aided at this time of year as our mail box is filled with catalogs from the seed, plant and bulb companies touting their newly discovered plants, new varieties and new colors. For the higher tech gardeners your e-mail in box is probably filled with these same treasures or enticements encouraging you to try new vegetables, fruit trees, perennials, annuals, ground covers, roses and all other kinds of plants. I always enjoy flipping through these glossy catalogs with enticing pictures and often make a list of new plants I want to try. Make your list then try and buy these plants locally at your neighborhood nursery, greenhouse or garden center who can often give you good input on what really works here in Oklahoma and can give you good local information on whether to plant the desired plants in the sun, the shade, in a container or whether there are other special care requirements.
With food prices having increased so dramatically the last couple of years you may want to start a vegetable garden to grow your own tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, potatoes, onions, melons and other more exotic foods. You may want to start a strawberry patch or add blackberries, raspberries, grapes or fruit trees to your yard to experience the joy and taste of home grown food. You may have been dreaming about adding another flowerbed, a pond and water garden, a cutting garden with flowers that excel for cutting and bringing inside to liven up your living room or kitchen table. You may have a goal to build a patio or outdoor living area surrounded with container gardens of beautiful tropical plants or want to build a hobby greenhouse.
You have to dream it, resolve it and plan it for most things to happen so take a little time to plan what you want to try or add to your yard during this New Year.
Rodd's Seeds of Wisdom 