Do a bit of Garden Dreaming
Karen............HERE WE GO.............
The release of our new catalogue is pending. All going well with the printers, we aim to have it winging its way to you sometime in the first week of July. Did you know that more often than not, you will receive your lovely new copy before we receive ours here in the warehouse? This is because our printers send your copy before shipping the rest to us. Lucky you!
When they arrive here, we stack them away on the shelves and grab our own pristine copy to file away in our folders. It doesn't take long before our copies have that well-loved look about them with all the flicking and reading we do.
The new catalogue inspires us all to dream about what we'd like to plant in the spring, how we want our gardens to look and most importantly, how much new stuff we can cram into our gardens. Like a lot of you, I always get more than I need and end up sharing the seedlings around because I can't fit them all in, or alternatively, I end up digging another wee patch somewhere. Poor hubby is in charge of the watering system, so he ends up having to extend the watering to reach another new patch.
What things do you consider when dreaming about your spring garden? I'm guessing a few of the following. See how many of them you ask yourself.
- Which favourites and "must have" vegetables am I wanting to harvest?
- What new things did I hear about last year that I could try this year?
- How easy or difficult are they to grow?
- Grow from seed or seedling? Direct sow or transplant?
- How much time do I need to grow my seedlings?
- What did I grow there last year? Where shall I grow it this year to ensure crop rotation?
- What herbs do I need for my cooking?
- Dwarf or runner varieties? How much can I fit on the trellising I have?
- How much room do I have left for the creeping pumpkins and melons?
- Do I need an area free of compost for carrots, parsnips & other root crops?
- What colour scheme do I want in my flower garden?
- Will it be a structured flower display or more cottage garden/wildflowers?
- Am I going to have a theme or just a big show of colour with my flowers?
- Do I need to create or extend my gardens?
- Do I have enough compost?
- Do I want to set myself any challenges this year?
- Am I going to add any garden art pieces?
Dreaming can be inspiring and motivating, so be sure to give yourself some time to just sit and think. It's still too cold to sow anything at the moment, so what better time to dream and plan with your new catalogue in hand. Find a nice part of the garden where you can sit in the winter sun and flick through the pages at your leisure. Or pull up a chair in front of the fire and dream away.
A garden journal is a great place to jot down your dreams. Then you can use your notes to formulate a plan with times and budget.
You may be dreaming of a major garden overhaul. You may be dreaming of just adding those long wished for compost bins or a worm farm. You may be wanting to convert a flower bed to more vege garden. You might dream of adding a hot-house or a garden shed. Or you may be wanting to create some raised beds or paths. Whatever it is, by putting it in your journal it is acknowledged and one step closer to becoming reality.
For the majority of us, budget is probably the most common stumbling factor. My approach is to take small steps by breaking that big dream down into financially manageable components and making a start. I also tend to ask for garden vouchers for my birthday and Christmas, which helps no end with progress. In my experience, gardeners seem to be great at recycling to help with their budget. The creative ideas for seed containers, seedling pots, plant containers, heat pads, mulching, trellis, workbenches, borders, garden art is astounding and we love hearing about them. So what do you think you might add that's new this spring?
