Well, it is for 'new' gardeners, and I imagine the majority get revved up in spring, but except for those in the south, are probably just waiting for snow to fall.

And 'tis the holiday season. With lots and LOTS of sales!

And the plant catalogs haven't yet arrived, so there aren't any questions about growing out-of-zone stuff -- or about what a planting zone is, for that matter.

We need to give the Northern newbies a chance to recover from digging out of the blizzards, finish their holiday shopping, and receive the catalogs - or discover that they haven't the vaguest idea what to do with that gift plant. I think the rest of us are looking out the window, muttering about the weather we are [or are not] getting, and wondering what to do next.

Al, how about starting a "wish list"?

Newbie here reporting for duty.

*Munch on leftover turkey* there isn't much to do in the garden now and I'm waiting for winter to be here, so I can start winter-sowing *munch more turkey* ...

with the new form page, I almost forgot about the 'new gardener'. I liked it better when it was at the top and the dark lettering too.

Yes, I liked it better too. And since I'm even more illiterate at the computer than in the garden, (if such is possible) the new format made me use the site's search engine to even find this place again!

I also preferred the old format and had forgotten about this forum!

But it seems ALL of gardenweb is dormant. Which sucks, can't really garden much but can't I atleast talk about it?

:)

You can't garden now in zone 9? Why ever not? I do the majority of my gardening in winter - it's the ony time I have enough free time to get anything done and other than being a bit chilly and damp, you can get a lot done at this time of year in mild climates. May even be the best time for you with your steamy summers.

I'm don't think quite *all* GW is dormant, just buried under the mulch for the winter. Although I do wonder if some of the slowness is due to so very many forums! Sometimes when there are interesting strings elsewhere, I forget to come back here... but at least I have it bookmarked! I'd really hate to go searching to put it back on. - hah! listen to me saying that - knowing that in a couple months my office is moving and I'll likely have to search for ALL my favorite sites.

zone 9. Houston. Google says you've got 70F and a chance of T'storms today. Let's put that into perspective -- it's about 1pm and I've got 17F (wind chill 12F) and snow in the air with ice and sleet forecast. Hunychile, I can think of LOTS to do in 70 degrees, even in a rainstorm -- and it all sounds better than shivering here!

Michigan to forum - come in forum ...

With 3 inches on the ground yesterday, and 2-3 new inches overnight, we're under a winter storm warning with 3-7 inches additional predicted for today. We've had continual snow cover since Nov 16 & it looks like a white Christmas from here.

I planted a semi-circle of snowballs in hopes they'd grow into a fort for the grandkids, but they've not taken off yet. I'll keep waiting patiently. It's the first time I've planted snowballs. I was successful planting rubber bands and growing tire trees. Anyone need a few hundred bike tires?

Al

We got it (the additional snow). ;o(

Al

atleast with all the snow I can't see all the weeds-or be reminded of all the chores that I wanted to do last fall.
the wheel barrel is frozen upside down to the patio-right outside the kitchen window, ugh-when it defrosts I will move it out of sight with the one bale of straw that I got this fall. my list of spring chores is surprisingly small. I guess I have all the beds that I can handle now, but could always use a few new trees.

Chris -- how can you even think of spring chores?! I haven't gotten the winter chores done yet. In fact, I haven't gotten all the autumn chores done... still to be done includes spreading more mulch (ooops, I hope the new hydrangea forgives me for not doing that before this last ice storm); fixing the edging around the flower beds... ah, and talking DH into helping me to widen one of the beds, which happens to involve moving 4 large perennials; getting up the last of the fall leaves - they were awfully late dropping this year; cleaning and waxing the metal tools; de-rusting the old shovel; 3 long handles need to be sanded smooth and finished with either tung oil or polyurethane (my excuse for dithering is that I can't decide which finish to use); the saved seeds need to be packed neatly with legible labels - I know what ftxb is, but no one else does; making a really sturdy tuteur for 2 clematis; which need to be moved; replacing the weathered concrete in front of the tool shed with a properly sloped entry; and that wheelbarrow needs to have its handles sanded and refinished, too.... and, if it ever warms up, I really need a whole bunch of edging pavers made of hypertufa...

My seed catalogs have finally arrived! My favorite wish books of all time. I'll spend hours deciding what to grow and have to force myself to "be reasonable, Dorie". For me, few things in life are more satisfying than the growing from seed processes!

Do you have a favorite seed catalog?

I like them all! Except, of course, for the annoying quacks, but I'm to lazy to ask to be removed from their mailing list...
Maybe Park's is my favorite, although I was sort of disappointed (for no apparent reason) that this year (2006) they had pretty much the same stuff as last year. I don't know what I want anymore. When I first started I was very picky about my plant lists, "I don't like such and such", etc, but now ALL plants call my name. Except black flowers. Yech! (My apologies to those who like black flowers.)

I'm hoping the 2006 Park's is some sort of a preliminary issue... it didn't seem to have much to interest me... or maybe I'm still gloomy at not being speedy enough in 2005 to get those huge coleus plants ("sold out" is such a depressing phrase), and I didn't see them in the 2006 issue.

I have favorite catalogs to look through, and favorites to buy from, which are not always the same. Bluestone's is getting to be quite pretty, isn't it? My budget hasn't quite recovered from Katrina yet... I guess I'll be doing mostly looking this year. Which will probably be very good for the flower beds; thin out the self-sowers to "just right" instead of trying to make room for the new-comers.