My only garden resolution is to get out there and prune the roses, and do other Fall garden clean-up that never got done. I close my eyes now when I go out to get the paper each morning - everywhere I look I feel guilty. On the other hand, an astounding number of my roses are blooming right now. Some (Safrano, Burbank (or Santa Rosa?), and a mystery small yellow one are covered with roses. So, they can't be too unhappy. Other resolution is to pray for rain - we have had NONE, and I had to turn our irrigation system back on two weeks ago. With the Winter water rates/levels, we will soon be in the poor house!

Jackie

I hadn't really thought about this (although it's a great question) but for me the main one is what yours was last year - not to buy any roses (or plants) unless I have a place for them. It's becoming easier all the time because I think at one time or another I've tried most of the roses that are available that I think will do well in my garden and are good bloomers. My biggest resolution really should be not to be so negative, and admire my garden more and criticize it less. It's so easy to see the flaws and to forget that overall it's probably a more-loved and fussed-over garden than most people I know have. I need to relax!

Ingrid

I resolve not to make resolutions I can't or won't keep, lol! I tell myself every year I'm not going to buy more roses...fat chance! I'm going to get a jump on the garden clean up, pruning, weeding, etc., etc. but for one reason or another that never happens. So I'll just resolve to get out there and enjoy my roses and garden no matter what shape it's in!

I have not been pruning my roses for about 5/6 years now and it looks like a forest. But I have to admit it's so beautiful when every thing is blooming in a sea of colors. My problem is seeing new growth makes me put away the shears. I have discovered that by pruning in the dark the night before trash pick up day is the secret to my problem. And so I've been pruning a couple of bushes per week to fill the trash cans. So to have all my roses pruned in a timely manner is my New Year resolution.

Kasie

I kinda already started on mine: pruning roses,designing a path I want to make come Spring and my most is to get ahead of the Queen Anns Lace that dropped seed to ground I may have a girl hired to help me come Spring

I like what Ingrid said.I'm way too hard on myself wanting it to be perfect. My garden looks good. I'm not perfect, so why should my garden be? Less seeking of perfection in 2012
Nancy

Hi everyone,

My personal goal is to lose some weight before my first grandbaby makes her or his debut in July. Yay, so excited!! I want to lose weight so I can run around and play all the time possible.

My garden goal is to get the beds all cleaned up with the pruning, feeding, weeding and mulching all done before April if possible. Like finchelover I might hire someone at least to put down all the newspapers and mulch and do all the other stuff myself. Soooo ready for spring! Anxious to see all the pretty faces again!! Judy

Get all the roses I have in 3 & 5 gal. pots in the ground in their proper spot. Finish my present beds; 2 HT's, 2 minifloras, 2 mini's. Get my florabundas delivered and get their bed ready by fall. Exhibit at a couple of shows this year & start enjoying myself again. :)

I will edge many more beds with setts or pavers and gravel to make mowing the lawn easier for my husband and prevent weeds from creeping into beds. Our grass is more weeds than grass but we don't worry about that as long as the weeds stay in place. The lawn is very far down on our priority list.

I will sow perennials again, something I haven't done in 10 years. The yellow rose border needs many more tall perennials besides the delphiniums and rudbeckias already there. I have ordered seed of dark blue Campanula latifolia Lotzes Dark Bells and pale yellow Alcea rugosa. I think they will look good with Aicha, von Scharnhorst, Gelbe Westerland, Fruhlingsduft and Claus Groth. Most are wildlooking tall shrubs that need some companions to set them off.

I have another. I have been doing a good job of reducing my debt over the last couple of years so I am going to start writing down every dime I spend on the garden, starting today 1/1/12. Knowing how much I spend may deter me from making impulse purchases.
Nancy

I have 3 large beds I want to plant - I need to haul in good soil to them both and build them up so they will be ready to plant. Getting the pot ghetto planted and not having roses sitting around in pots is the next priority. It is so obvious that they grow and thrive so much better in the ground rather than in the pots. I doubt I can cure my addiction of buying more roses than I have places to plant them, but I do have plenty of room....so can always find a spot for them. I need to get busy.....am already making rose lists to order.....and living close to Chamblees doesnt help either! I was just there and brought home "several"....
Happy New Year to all!
Judith

Great thoughts! Looks like the most prevalent idea (besides pruning and getting plants into the ground), is to enjoy our gardens more, whatever state they in. Wise advice for us all... :)

Getting my soil PH in check. Ditch the roses I don't want. And try to plant my surrounding plants according to height. It was definitely "Something Wild" this fall. Sketch out where I'm going to be putting the newbies.

keep notes!
Mariannese, just a thought....I grew the most gorgeous delphinium zalil from Chilterns seed - it has a graceful height and the softenst primrose yellow blooms and is the most winter hardy of the yellow species delphs.

Clean up the backyard! It's a mess out there. And it's high time. I will make more room for vegetables.

Here's mine:

1 - No new roses! (no room)
2 - Deadhead, clean up more often!
3 - Dig out invasive underplantings!
4 - Figure out ways to stop the new dog from chewing up my sprinklers and roses!
5 - Spray deer repellent regularly (damn dog doesn't deter them!)
6 - Replace dead roses with ones from the pot ghettos, thus shrinking the pot ghettos!
7 - Dig out the Bermudagrass that has invaded one whole area of the yard, engulfing 4 rose beds!! Auugggghhhh!!!
8 - Spend more time outside! (Get away from the computer!)

We'll see how many of these get done...

Yes, I do...
1) Place my Spring orders for RU and Burlington (and use my High Country gift cert that I got for Christmas) and then stop ordering!
2) Finish mulching and weeding my existing roses before summer really sets in.
3) Work on learning to root my own roses

That should be enough to keep me busy :)
~Tammy

Thanks for the tip Suzy, Chilterns was my prime source of seeds when I last sowed seeds. Not that there aren't good Swedish seed firms but I liked the Chilterns catalogue, at least until they became self-conscious. As soon as they pointed out that they are funny they immediately ceased to be so. I had thought of ordering the Foerster hybrid delphiniums, elatum hybrids.

8 - Spend more time outside! (Get away from the computer!)

I need to do that, too!

I have made a list of things to get done this yr.. Which I hope will keep me on task and stop me from "jumping' from one project to another. This will be my first winter living on our farm and I have a 1000 things that need to be done... Happy New Year..

I've never made resolutions, they don't work for me. However, I'm not going to plant any more roses or shrubs this winter. It's scarily dry right now and I'm afraid of the mother of all droughts next summer. So everything is going to stay where it is.
Aside from that, I have an awful lot of winter work to do, while spring is only two and a half months away!! Aargh!! So, out I go to weed, mulch, and prune!
Happy New Year's, everybody!
Melissa