campanula, I find myself laughing maniacally every time I read a post like this of yours! Thank you! When my housemates have me hauled off to the Boston Home for the Bewildered, it will be YOU to blame! LOL!

Good luck with your butterfly garden. It will be exciting for you to see all the different types you can identify. If you want to get really hooked, go to the butterfly forum. There are some amazing pictures there and some very knowledgeable people.

As for me, I am itching to expand my gardens to the east side of my home. No one ever goes over there, and the septic system is on that side, so it's a bit tricky trying to figure out what I can plant that has no roots! I'm considering putting down some gravel with raised beds here and there. Just not quite got it all planned out.

I am also dying to built a greenhouse to put on that side of the house. Again, not sure where it can be put with the septic system there, and I would have to try to build it myself, cheaply. The last time DH and I built something from scratch (an arbor), the winds ripped it down, piece by piece. Guess we're not good builders. But I'm not deterred. I'm thinking I might be able to ask for some wood as an anniversary gift to get started on the greenhouse! :)

Plants - well, I have two camellias that need to be replaced. And I want camellias there, so I will try them there again. I want a fig tree, and I'd like to try growing all different sorts of things from seed. I've been wondering if people actually grow avocados from seed (I was making guacamole).

Other than that, yes, more roses. I want a walk-through arbor with roses growing over it and this year I'm determined to find a place for one!

I'm very interested in hearing of others' plans. Gets my creative juices flowing. Thanks for asking!

You're too funny, Campanula. I knew this wouldn't be anything like the usual NY resolution thread, LOL.

OK, I resolve to learn to properly prune the apple trees - and to get out and do it! Pruning a rose? Bah, no sweat. Pruning shrubbery? Piece of cake. But somehow, when it comes to those apple trees, I'm secretly scared stiff to make a mistake. I have books on the subject but it just doesn't seem to click in my brain what they mean about building the scaffold and leaders and all that stuff. I err on the side of NOT pruning, which isn't doing them a bit of good. I have young trees I've planted myself as well as venerable half dead old trees that were planted a hundred years ago...not to mention all the "volunteer" trees seeded across the field and hills by the deer, some of which actually bear nice fruit. I need to contact my Cooperative Extension office and see if they might be having a hands-on class sometime this winter/spring.

So there, is that what you mean as a more interesting resolution? (I have the ho-hum others, I'll admit - losing weight, exercising, keeping more in touch with friends, and so on, but no one wants to hear about that, you're right. Blah, blah, blah. Don't talk about it; do it. Right-o.) Oh, and one more guilt-ridden area to conquer: keeping up with weeding. That would be a real accomplishment.
(Is it possible?) ;-)

I maybe will be buying medlar in the autumn. And a plum, Claude Reine prolly. x) Also witch hazel. Maybe Schisandra for North wall.

As for the seeds, I think I will do the usual wildflower mix, alyssiums, cosmos and that's about it. Well ok, tomatos and asparagus, and courgettes, but otherwise I am done with feeding slugs veggies. Plan also is to lure hedgehogs into the garden, maybe they will eat some of the slimy disasters.

Also, Sandersonia aurantiaca - I had it for a year, really loved it. Maybe white calla also (zhblabla something).

Btw if you aim for the insect food, Gooseberries are rather high on menu here, both flowers and leaves (unfortunately).

I never do resolutions, Suzy, but for you here goes. My back patio made of pavers and gravel (laid by DH and myself) has sunk somewhat, and I really want to fix it. Mentioned to DH today the possibility of me setting up perimeter boards and pouring cement over the whole thing. He thought that was a truly humorous possibility, so I moved on. But it's ugly, and I must fix it - somehow. Also mentioned to him making a water feature. That one he bit on, but I don't know if I'm up for the maintenance. I don't exactly need one more thing to do outside - or inside for that matter. Ok, that's all I can muster, resolution wise.

I bought some Asclepia seeds. I already have the yellow/red variety popping up everywhere which I leave a few of to grow for the sake of the Monarchs (I don't like the "orange" in my pastel garden), but the seeds I bought are called "Pink Cinderella" and they're...PINK. How cool. Hopefully, the butterflies like them.

I understand wanting to go with the odds on these resolutions, but doing the "becoming a nicer, kinder person" resolution might be worth a shot. LOL ROTHFL

Love you, Suzy.

Sherry

After the stunning effect of December, I'm currently in pure defense mode. It rained the entire month of November, then December started with a foot and a half of snow, which stayed on the ground. Then I had to go away, which entailed nasty struggles with our modern transportation system. I've learned to loathe airports, airport food, security checks, airplanes, airline employees, every single thing to do with flying. In the last few days we FINALLY have ground and plants clear of snow and weather decent enough for me to get outside and see just how badly the roses got smashed. Between snow damage and regular winter maintenance I have an awful lot of pruning to do.
Well...future plans. This year I intend to spend a chunk of my own money so that I don't have to listen to my husband's outraged cries about the cost of rare lilacs, old roses, varieties of box, and peonies. I want a goodly variety of all those bulky slow-starting sumptuous fragrant long-lived plants unsuitable for the modern garden and for the modern gardener. Plus the box, which I've been longing to collect ever since I read an article about it early in the last decade.
I didn't buy any roses at all this year, what with anxiety about the weather--thoroughly justified, as it turns out--and unease about spending money. This must be the first time in roughly twenty years. We have a new slide going on, on the site of the slide of three (?) years ago, and unfortunately it doesn't start on our land, limiting what we can do about it. The tenants our neighbors can't or won't do anything about it; the owner is ninety and bedridden; DH is going to talk with the owner's son and see if he can't take action. I don't want half our neighbor's field burying our land. This is the second extremely wet winter we've been through, and the damage is disheartening.
My main idea about 2011--I won't call it a resolution--is that I'm going to work more. I feel less despondent when I'm busy.
Melissa
P.S. It is wonderful to see bare ground again, and I got a fine pair of Fiskars loppers for Christmas, at my request of course. Best of all, perhaps, we're in the new year! The days are getting longer instead of shorter, and spring is still far away, but approaching.

OK Melissa, we can do our daylight countdown together. Naturally, it doesn't help my light-afflicted cause by staying in bed till 11am but, in these days of unemployment, I am loving my pillow. I also need to work harder (ahem) although the next skip arrives soon for the final death-throes of my home garden.Buy the lilacs, Melissa, and the paeonies. What else is money good for? Sherry, while you are 'fixing' your back garden gravel and paving, I will be doing the very same. I save 2pound coins in an old teapot (!) and am now up to almost 300 (6oo pounds! riches) - the new garden funds. Loving the blog too (although, once the gardening days get longer, I am betting the blog entries get shorter) Elemire, medlars: gorgeous flowers - weird fruit, weirder 'bletting'. Schisandra though - me too. Think we need two if we want the long strings of berries. Have been fancying this for my north wall for some time. Sandersonia....ah yes, I have also had it twice - each time for only one year. I tried to dig it up the second time but forgot exactly where it had been....and you remember those tiddly little rooty things to plant - totally invisible! Now consigned to the growing list of plants which I have failed with - along with gardenias, red echinaceas,cercis canadensis, zephyranthes, azaleas,phlox, hebes... Annececilia: pruning apples - although there are many, many books out there, you really cannot beat hands-on teaching. Until you find a good course or get a knowledgeable friend in, wait. The trees will not die if they never see a lopping saw or secateurs again. Sadly, in the UK, we have grubbed up many ancient orchards (philistine farmers, landowners) yet there are still century old apples and pears, blooming and fruiting, all over England. Pruning, training, shaping, mmmm, as an inveterate meddler, I LOVE these jobs. They should be approached joyfully, without fear and anxiety so dispense with worry, clear your head, sharpen your tools and jump in with confidence. Look upon it as a great experiment and take photos, if you can, of the bare branches. Step back from your work often and look again. When you have looked for a good while, make a cut, any cut. Then step back and look again. You can practice renovation pruning on some of the old gnarly trees and shape some of the younger ones into pyramids or standards. If you still feel anxious or uncertain, then wait and read and look some more - you have lots of time and apples (unlike cherries or peaches or plums) are obliging. Oh yeah, cross the weeding off the list - this is another futile, tedious job which we never really get on top of and it just makes us feel guilty. Those weeds are some creatures livelihood.
Holley - yes, yes, yes - a greenhouse. Your life will be changed forever. I am in my third year of owning a greenhouse and, even though it takes up a QUARTER of my entire garden, it is a most wonderful investment (mine was free on freecycle so check those sort of things first - who cares what it looks like as long as it works. As for raised beds - my whole garden has been laid out on rubble with NO soil at all. Raised beds are the way to go - not so much bending, you can choose your soil, you can sit on the edges (for hours)and the soil remains friable because it does not get trodden on and compacted. You will never look back.
Kim - aaaah. You have given us a few laughs and plenty good advice. Glad to raise a smile for you.

What a marvelous idea, Campanula - photos of the bare branches! I never thought of it but of course I can print them out and practice making cuts with my marker. Best of all, I can take them with me and talk to the extension office, or an arborist or orchard-ist, or whomever I find that might offer concrete direction. Thank you so much for your good advice overall. You're right about the ancient trees: I'm sure that simply getting into each one in turn to remove dead wood would be a good start for them, but whether I do more or not they will continue to blossom and bear fruit as they have for many decades now without my help or interference - and so I should feel no pressure about it. You're so wise! :-)

yes campanula, you need 2 schisandras to have berries, unfortunately, so good supplier is a must with that one.

I love medlars as decorative trees, here we have a few planted around, it is lovely smaller tree, a bit similar to crabapples in growing shape and pretty long lived.

How you managed to kill phlox by the way? :D Never tried it from seed (I think), but otherwise it is fairly easy plant. I really need to figure out penstemons though, as the blinking things somehow have issues with our winters (and I am not sure how much back to cut it after one).

eelworms, elemire, bloody eelworms. Penstemons though, mucho success. Don't cut them back until spring - I tend to slash and burn cos I can get anal but never the penstemons. Also, thinner leaved ones such as Garnet, Firebird and species like barbatus are hardier than fat leaved ones. Super easy to propagate - cuttings at any time during growing season, guaranteed 100% strike rates, will even flower from April/May cuttings in same year. (I have lots - one of my stand-by plants for endless flowering, lovely with roses).

Hm that's interesting, as I got those that die to the ground (the red leaf kind, like Husker's Red and relatives), which just come back as any perennial. Then I got those that get half hard stems, with narrow leaves, like "Catharina de la mare", "Appleblossom", "Purple passion" and a few other pinks that I have no idea what variety they are. Those I do not get really, as they tend to come back weak and generally flower late, almost end of August. This year I am going to leave them be and just tidy up late in spring, maybe they will like that better. :/

eelworms I can recall in my old garden, never saw them do anything to the floxus though, and I had both crawling and the big kinds (of floxus that is, not the wormz). Of course mine came as a decent clunk dug out by neighbors mostly, so that might have helped.

I have no serious resolutions. I would just like to continue with this maddness for at least another 20 years if I can. Right now I am keeping up one day at a time with the pruning and clean up towards spring. I was already silly enough to make another garden area. This is a succulent garden next to a drought tolerant garden. The rambler project continues. Early spring I will plant the ten that are in 5 gallon pots.

I read in the paper that this is the rainiest year in Piacenza province since they began keeping records: wetter than 1916. I can believe it. My impression in November was that we got an average annual year's rainfall in that one month. Yesterday my husband took his 75-year-old 143 lb. self out with a maul, some stout rebar, and all the lumber and steel plates he could find, and set himself to stop our neighbor's hillside from burying that portion of our garden. An impressive fellow, DH, full of courage and energy. Today is cloudy, and worse, I have to talk with the airline about my suitcase that they lost and damaged and that I still haven't gotten back. I have an awful feeling that we're going to have to make the two hour trip to the airport to recover it. What do they have to lose? I've already decided that I'll never fly with Alitalia again.
Melissa

Mine was posted on the blog:

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Resolution blog on Garden Musings

I am starting a slow transition to a native California oak woodland garden. It will take a good long time, thank goodness--hopefully the roses will be around a while.

Baby Quercus agrifolia:
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