Winter is for garden dreaming

Poinsettia at the U.S. National Arboretum

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The drab winter is made tolerable for me by garden planning. The possibilities for my little urban yard are endless in January and February! Planning is really valuable because you will be prepared for when the growing season is in full swing. You really can’t make up too much time if you start your seeds too late. I speak from experience, it happens to me every year. But I have gotten better and you can, too!

January and February are all about aspiration. I know you have a mental image of what you think your garden looks like in mid-summer—flowers in bloom, vegetables on the dinner table every night. Hold onto that! With a little planning and organization, we both will get a little closer to the dream in 2019.

My inspiration comes from a lot of places all year long:

• Botanical gardens and arboretums
• My neighborhood – if they can grow that, I should be able to
• Public gardens and parks
• Garden centers and nurseries
• Garden and house tours – these usually start up in the spring
• Seed and plant catalogs
• Blogs, websites and social sites –I shared a few of  my favorites at the end of this post. Share your favorites in the comments.
• Books at the library – FREE resource
• Local garden clubs
• Gardening events – Coming up in late January/early February is National Seed Swap Day. These events are held all over the country (and worldwide), they are usually free and I have even seen swaps done my mail.

Take notes

I also keep a garden notebook (or journal) and take lots of photos. My notebook is where I take notes when I see a speaker, keep dates of when I have started seeds (indoors or out) and when they started to sprout, what variety of vegetables I planted where so I can keep track of what did well and what did not. I keep notes of seasonal tasks and reminders to move this bush there. It is so helpful with planning because I like to know what plants were successful and, more importantly, what was not so I can address why and try to make conditions better the next time. Growing things is full of failures, but it’s the trying that I focus on.

This is the first in a series about garden planning. So check back, share your experiences and Merry Christmas.

The U.S. National Arboretum is a place of inspiration for me, especially the grounds in the spring, summer and fall. And they do Christmas right! Those hanging poinsettia are glorious.

Social Media Resources

I primarily use Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for gardening and growing inspiration. I follow gardeners from all over the globe, organizations, publications and retailers. If you have a favorite social site, feed, blog, web site, Facebook group, etc., please share in the comments.

Instagram

Primarily a photo sharing site. Advancingtheplot is my account. You will see the gardeners who I am following there. IG hashtags: #garden #gardendc #flowers #instaflowers #growyourown #gardenchat (there are about a zillion hashtags on Insta).

Twittter

I like Twitter because I can see and share photos and videos, and also very easily follow a link to a web site (not so easy on Instagram). Find me @AdvncingThePlot. Two of the hashtags that I follow on Twitter are #gardendc and #gardenchat.

Pinterest

Another photo sharing site and it’s easy to share additional information. You can set up any number of themed “boards” to collect your “pins” for future reference. Check out my Gardening for Regular People board. I have a few other garden-themed boards that you will see there, too. Based on what you look at, Pinterest will also suggest content.