I want to plant a knot garden. If I was as patient as some other posters, I'd start the boxwood from cuttings and save me some money - but when it comes to hedge, I get impatient.
Now to think where to put it. Want more trees and shrubs for privacy and will try to incorporate those within the garden instead of just along its borders. Form a better plan for the flower border in the orchard, not so many tall flowers this time; more baby's breath and similar annuals. And decide if I want to tame the wild flower and weed patch with paths or continue to let it do its thing. Very torn about this. I want it both ways.

Mine started this fall. That's when I started reclaiming some wooded areas for the garden next spring.

My goal is to fill the beds with plants even if they don't bloom this year. I'll be fine with just getting the structure in place.

Since I'm cheap, or frugal as some would say, I'm starting nearly everything from seed or doing cuttings. In the basement I have hardwood cuttings of flowering quince, a lavender crape myrtle, a single white camellia, some saucer magnolias, and mock orange. The quince is already putting out new growth after just a couple weeks.

I really want to start a gardening journal. I can't decide if it should be an online thing or just something I write in whenever something happens in the garden. As much time as I spend in front of my computer, it would probably be easier to do a blog.

My excitement in the garden never wanes. I wrapped up in DH's hooded sweatshirt and went out in the wind for a little while just a few minutes ago. Temps are falling, we'll have a freeze tonight. Poppies are up everywhere; they don't seem to mind freezing.

Token, do both. Start a blog, and print off your notes to keep in a binder. Printed notes are easier to jot down notions as they occur, and draw tiny sketches. The blog will hold a photographic record of what thrived.

I went out yesterday and made pics of every flower bed here, uglies and all. As the year wears on, I can take a photo from the same perspectives and see the progress! I love sequential photos of a garden.

Nell

Oh Annette - too funny! Yesterday afternoon I started tidying up in the plant room/grow-op! lol! Started thinking about getting some seed soil. I got involved on the Canadian Forum for seed exchange - they had a Christmas wish list. I got lots of new to me things!!!

I got: Blue Agpanthus, peony poppies, Shirley double poppies, many cosmos - white, mixed, yellow/orange, poitron rouge - vif d'etampes(I need to get my french/english dictionary out), hardy hibiscus many tomatoes: Mr. Stripey, Rutgers VF, pink Oxheart,Black Cherry. I've probably forgotten some. Most exciting, I get a few seeds for Montreal Melons. These almost became extinct, and I remember reading about them in Canadian Gardening years ago. They were specifically bred for this climate and are apparrently really good. I love melon, but seldom buy them, as they never quite ripe, or over-ripe. I cannot wait to grow these!!

Nancy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Montreal Melons

Because we have such a long growing season here, I'm not sure the excitement ever leaves completely. I just planted a bunch of bulbs a few weekends ago. Some are coming up now. I hope the species tulips make it. I've tried them before without success.

I'm ordering persimmons and blackberries to go in the ground now. I have two pear trees to plant. I get a week's break from work now, and I'm wondering whether I should buy mulch and spread it now or call one of those tree trimming companies to ask for free mulch when they get it.

However, when the first hint of spring comes and my ornamentals begin to leaf out, my excitement will increase. I plan to put out a lot of seeds this spring. I'm looking for plants to fill in between my more established plants. I'm anxious to see how my re-planted irises will look when they bloom in their new location. Will the new Dutchman's Pipe vines I got at the fall swap grow big and cover my trellis? Can I find a cool-looking large pot to put my new snail vine in outside? Should I dig up the Ballerina rose or leave her?--She's never been happy and I've moved her once already. Should I buy that really really really cool porch swing to hang on my old oak and make a secret garden there?

I also have two new roses and several Bird of Paradise to plant.--They are all in the greenhouse at work along with my snail vine. Lots of decisions. I can't wait till everything is in bloom.--It's akin to falling in love. I get light-headed and wander around in the yard for long periods of time.---Aaahhhh!

For me the question should be the other way around: when do I start to loose the excitement? And the answer is - once Summer begins. Summer is really the down season for gardening for me. It gets too hot to be outside and all I can think about is to escape to the beach. Over the years I have convinced myself I was not made to work outside in soaring temperatures, so I have slowly be converting the garden to Spring and then Fall/Winter. Things never look lush and green in Summer here anyway, it's a battle to keep everything watered and quite frankly I don't think it pays off.

This year I plan to add a couple of bougainvillias (just about the only thing that will bloom in August here, together with hibiscus and oleander) and call it a day, as far as Summer is concerned. But once temps start to go down in early Fall you'll see a flurry of activity on my part and I love to plan additions and small vignettes for Fall. Then Christmas is the big event of the year. I have been adding more and more stuff for Winter and I plan keep on doing this.

Plans for early next year include replanting a significant part of the back garden which got torn apart with the house works. I already have a couple of fruit trees and old roses there and I'm planning to only partially replant the lavender hedge and use the remaining space to plant a variegated holly hedge. This will be bordered in the front by lower growing santolina and annual flowers which I will change according to the season - pansies for Winter and begonias for Spring/Summer/Fall. My motto in the garden from now on will be: if it requires extensive pruning or coddling to look good, it's out! The day has only so many hours.

Eduarda

For some reason this year, the gardening excitement has never really left me. Usually I wait until the last of February to order garden seeds, but I have already one order received and placed the main seed order last week. I still have a few heirloom seeds left to order.

Nancy, I really enjoyed the article about the Montreal Melon. I am looking forward to how yours does. I do mostly heirloom tomatoes and save seeds from the best plants for the next year, which is exactly how your melon was developed.

Eduarda, I have joined the ranks of the "no fuss gardeners" too. Plants that have to be coddled just aren't worth it to me. I am thinking roses are about to join that group.

Redthistle, your snail vine caught my eye! I saw a vine at a local Master Gardener display garden that had this gorgeous vine growing. It has corkscrew type pale whitish lavender blooms that smelled out of this world. I want to find the seeds and grow it this next year.

Nell, have you ever bought anything from Georgia Vines? They have the seeds for this vine more cheaply priced than the other places.

I keep a Garden Journal that has morphed into just a journal where I briefly describe the weather, what gardeing I did and other things to mark the day, such as canning, jam making or baking. I have actually followed through and missed very few days. I have already looked back a few times to find something about where I placed plants or when I planted seeds.

I am gardening under lights now. I saved seeds from a few daylilies and they are beginning to sprout on the back porch. I takes a couple of years to get a bloom, but is lots of fun to see what I get.

I am trying some new things in the garden this year. That is always fun; somethings a bust; but there is always that anticipation! I did eggplants last year and found that we love them....who knew!

Another interesting thing happening is this: My sis gave me an amaryllis maybe three years ago and I have kept it alive, but it never bloomed again. She suggested I plant it outside during the summer and then repot and bring it in in late fall. I did and it has a bud on it! I am excited.
We gardeners are an interesting bunch. It doesn't take much, does it?

Guess I feel it year round! I'm so excited about sowing annual seeds this year in my 3 year old garden. Watching the poppies and larkspur emerge this fall (and still growing) is fun. I keep reading online seed catalogs, trying to research which annuals are deer and rabbit resistant -- I pretty much have figured out the perennials.

Bluestone Perennials is tempting me with their new catalog -- new agastache colors! One of my favorite, deer proof, full sun perennials.

Cameron

Token, do both. Start a blog, and print off your notes to keep in a binder. Printed notes are easier to jot down notions as they occur, and draw tiny sketches. The blog will hold a photographic record of what thrived.

I went out yesterday and made pics of every flower bed here, uglies and all. As the year wears on, I can take a photo from the same perspectives and see the progress! I love sequential photos of a garden.

That's a great idea. I wish I had started when I moved into this house. I didn't think at the time that I'd ever get to the point where I was ready to plant. Now, I can't wait for the last frost (or sooner due to wintersowing). I'm looking for a good pattern now for some outdoor chairs. There's a style called the Uwharrie Chair that's a little like the Adirondack style. I may build a couple for the yard in January.

I'm really going to have to start taking better and more pictures of the yard. Oh, and I started a blog yesterday. Winter Solstice seemed like a good time to do it. I plan to make notes in there of what the weather was like and when I see the first buds, shoots, leaves, or flowers bloom.

Wow, Glenda, I never heard of Georgia Vines before. Garden Watchdog had only a couple of disgruntled customers, who came back and said she replaced their plants and they were now satisfied.

She's over in Brunswick, which is near the Atlantic Coast. I'm making a list, lol. Her web site takes a little scouting around to find things, but there's lots to see. Thanks for the tip.

Nell

Like token, I too thought about the garden at the Solstice. I've added a few photos to the 'Where I garden' thread. Seasons greetings to you all. Flora

I've placed my order for seeds from two different companies, and will start them in February. I always have ideas for changes and plans in the garden. I start planning in the fall for the following growing year. The real excitment for me is when I see the first snowdrops, the earliest bulbs to emerge, around February here. Then there is something new happening from that point on. Now I have to contend with the cold to prune my roses and it's more of a quiet, thoughtful time.

Yes, I got my seed order into Stokes yesterday, and now will wait with great expectation!! And try not to start every thing in January!! lol! Although, I guess a few things should be started then - like Lobelia, petunias. I also got some vicsaria and poor man's orchid from a colleague, so need to look those up to check for the timing.

Nancy.

Can't get excited til this darn show's melted.

Libby

My excitement kicks in full force right after new year's. Now it is lingering, picking up speed. We had several warm days, and spring flowering bulbs began showing their foliage. I even had a dream last night that I was in a garden planting bulbs, and the beds were stuffed with daff., tulip, crocus bulbs, and I kept on adding more.
Browsing thru last year's photos also makes me excited, looking forward to possibility of abundance that is waiting for me next spring/summer.
Behold, spring is coming ladies and gentlemen!!!

Yeah, in about 4 months, for me! Sigh.

Nancy.

For me, the excitement about gardening is touch-and-go from first frost thru the winter. Then, when I know winter is releasing us from its evil clutches, the excitement really hits.

There isn't that much to plan out in my garden anymore. It has filled in and established itself; there is no more room unless I cut more grass out.
-Endura, I am with you! When I first started gardening the idea of tossing out a plant, any plant, horrified me. But then I met the "Obedient" Plant and my views on that subject completely changed. Now if a plant is just not working I chuck it; there are just too many other nice plants out there to do that. I have my eye on a couple to get rid of this spring...

There is only one major thing that I am planning for this next year. I want to extend the veggie garden by planting edibles in pots. I plan to put them on the ugly sidewalk that goes out to the shed.
CMK

Christin - the evil cold gets rid of lots of nasties!! Sadly, not slugs or lily beetles, but lots of others. The great thing about obedient plant is its exuberence. And you can shovel prune and add it to the compost. In my old garden, it drew the hummers and the sphinx moths. For that reason alone, I would always have a wee bit of it (right next to the bee balm, which slows it down)!!!

Well.....lets see....

I placed 4 seed and supplies orders.....3 have arrived. The forth will be here in January.

Between everything else......I managed to give my seed starting area a thorough cleaning...right down to the walls and ceiling. I have the supplies set up ready to go. At some point in the next weeks, I have to bring in the rest of the pots and trays and bleach them all.

I bought the first bale of pro-mix..so its ready to go too.

Annette you asked me a while back when I start my seed....I said Feb. Well the Martagons need to be started now...Sept or Oct 2008 actually (lol), the bacopa and delphs I'll start in January. I am also considering starting the double decker coneflowers in Jan. When I started White swan they were really slow growing...so I don't think it will hurt to start these this early.

Feb and March, I am a seed starting maniac....busy busy busy. Not to mention the transplanting of seedlings to bigger containers and blooming bags that I make up when the seedlings are big enough....usually end of March early April.

I also have the spread sheet set up with when and how everything is started....so records are easily kept up todate. I start so much from seed that good record keeping is a must to keep everything running smoothly.

Okay Annette....what do you know about the new coneflowers comming this spring.....hmmm. More new colours or what? Or new to you?

I have to say I don't understand people feeling let down or poor because they are starting plants from seed. This is a fun part of gardening....nothing beats finding the new seedlings that have popped up on a cold winters morning. Then watching that plant grow and flower in your garden.

Nancy, don't start your seeds to early.....they do much better if you can just wait a little longer. I am also trying to figure out what viscaria is?

Ohhh you asked what my plans were for this comming gardening year...well since my bad neighbour appears to hate flowers sooooo much.......I plan to flower him out......flowers flowers everywhere. :O I know we are bad....but maybe they will move away if I have soooo many!

Sierra

Sierra - lol - I can't even find seed mix yet around here, so I'm safe for a while!!!

Nancy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Viscaria

-Nancy, NOT IN THE COMPOST!! Oh I could just see it! Obedient Plant popping up in my veggie garden! I have been trying to get rid of if for four years and that little bugger still sends out a shoot or two from one stray little hair root.
I admire those of you who grow seeds. I cannot get seeds going indoors. I think I may lack the patience.
CMK

Sierra, well you know me and my plant addictions, unfortunately some have to be curtailed to make room for the new, Fuchsias have been put on the back burner for now. My plan for the new year is to concentrate on plants that go in the ground not pots.
A little bird (DS1) told me there will be Echinaceas new to these parts available this spring. I will be getting a list of these varieties in the new year. I'm hoping Mac and Cheese, Tomato Soup and Spiced Paprika will be on the list.
I've got some of the Big Sky series, a couple had distorted petals like Sunrise but Summer Sky, Twilight and After Midnight really performed as did Razzmatazz and Pink Double Delight. Coconut Lime is another nice one. This is their first winter in my garden, will they come back?
I have others like Double Decker, White Swan and Ruby Star etc. I'm hoping some will winter for me. The ones with the deformed petals if they survive will probably be culled when I find a good variety of the same color to replace them with.
I love Viscaria, this is a flower that isn't seen often, really great in hanging baskets. When I worked in a Nursery in the late 60's early 70's this is where I first saw these, they looked like flats of couch grass (the foliage) but when they bloomed they were loaded with flowers in pastel shades. We made up a lot of baskets using this as one of the fillers. If I was into mixed baskets it would definitely be one I'd use.

Annette

I've been trying to be good and keep with my rule of dealing with holiday stuff first before getting into the catalogs. However, I did peek through the Bluestone catalog recently, and I saw a ton of new echinacea varieties in there. It's just a tease for me, since I'm not planning to add any new perennial borders this year, just rearrange and divide stuff, so I almost hate to look through the catalog! They also had a bunch of new heuchera varieties. Otoh, all the new varieties were relatively pricey - only sold as big pots, from around $12-16 each pot! So, it may be just as well I'm not doing any this year - maybe by the time I get around to ordering any, they will have gone down in price, and I can hear how they have fared in real life gardens.

Annette, the viscaria link becomes clear!! It came in a hanging basket collection that came from Butchart Gardens!! It sounds really pretty.

Nancy.

I get excited in the spring when the snow melts and you can SMELL the earth. It's that smell that gets me going, it's like pheromones for the garden.

Annette, It sounds like you are hungry instead of shopping for plants. hee hee hee. I wonder if those new varieties will be available up here. I did see a few of the others up here last year. I considered Coconut lime and then bought a chocolate daylily instead.

Are these new varieties of cones all rated zone 3? They should do fine for you...you have snow cover this year. :O White swan would not survive the winter for me when I bought plants. BUT when I started seed it came through last winter so we will see what happens. We have good snow cover this year, but we will see how fast it melts in the spring. Any chance the deformed petals will settle down and be fine as the plant gets older?

Viscaria is very pretty! Thanks for the link Nancy.

Sierra

I get the blues when the days are short, and it's too cold to be in the garden. I don't let myself get too excited about gardening, but this year, I'm gardening by going through my pics from different times of the past season, looking for pics of specific flowers for my blog. Usually, I have dreams about gardening a couple times a month, but have only had one so far. Maybe it's because of the blogging.

We have melting snow today, as it's currently a warm 50 degrees. I am always excited when the days start getting longer instead of shorter. I feel that I can survive the winter, and hope for the soil to be dry enough the end of February to plant my first lettuce, spinach, radishes, and kale. I figure that I want to get out while I can, and if it rains or snows later, it's OK, because those seeds are in there, ready to grow when the conditions are right. I have had seedlings get snowed on, and still survive. Besides, I am already planting more when I see they are up.

I have a plan to put a tomato plant or two in my new flower bed, and try to keep the leaves from touching the dirt, because mine always get diseased and die, and I don't have room in the veggie garden to rotate them well.

I have some holes to fill in different beds, including the area by our repaired shed. I plan to put in some not too tall growing goldenrods, coneflowers, asters, and some kind of summer blooming annuals.

Sue

My biggest excitement of this year happened last Saturday
December 20th when I harvested enough lettuce to completely fill my deep sink!! 5 degrees was the forecast for Sunday night. It was actually 1 degree!

There were about 10 varieties--my seed pack said 14. I had started the seeds in late August, second planting mid September, here in zone 5. I had a free day in October when the soil was just right and I spaced the little plants out. I've not bought any lettuce since Aug. Last Saturday I took big sacks to my two local sons and their families and then we've been eating it and we had a wonderful salad with walnuts and dried cranberries for Christmas. I still have some in a green plastic keeper sack in the fridge. The lettuce was more red and burgundy and Freckles than green varieties. I did use Remay rowcover.

Tomorrow I will start winter sowing. One week between the
end of one year's harvest (except maybe chard) and the beginning of the next year's garden. First time I've ever
done that.

Chris

Annette - I was all excited, as I received my Richters catalogue the day before Christmas, and spent Christmas day drooling over it. They list Tiki Torch and Tomoato Soup there, available as plant only. I eagerly went to their online purchase area, and guess what - they're not there!! Sigh. So, I have emailed them to find out what gives. Both are selections of a cross between Ruby Giant and echinacea paradoxa. I'll keep you posted - they sure are pretty.

Nancy.

The day after Christmas I start feeling that pull to the garden. I love to add trees and shrubs in January, February, and early March. I have a few bulbs tucked away in my garage refrigerator that I'll plant tomorrow. Almost forgot them--daffodils and hyacinths.

Nancy...I loved my Tiki Torch last year. I'm hoping it returns in all its glory for me this year. Here's a little tease for you from last summer.

{{gwi:256950}}

Ooh, with monarda didyma, white phlox(?) and something else red!!! Nice Combo!! I'm dreaming of a red summer!!! lol!!

Nancy.

That's "Tizzy" gallardia and white vincas that just tried to take over. :)