Magazine Day Dreams

Outside the snow is swirling, there is ice dripping from the roof, and most of my gardening activities are from the comfort of my sofa. I am presently surrounded by about 12 plant catalogs and as many magazines. It's almost mind boggling.  

It's comforting to know though there are a lot of gardeners out there!  Three of my favorite magazines and catalogs today are "MaryJane's Farm"; "Wisconsin Gardening"; and "Birds and Blooms".

I also just finished browsing through the "Gardener's Supply Catalog". Wow! Until I looked at it , I didn't know how many supplies there were that I didn't know I needed!  It's amazing the number of innovative people and products that are out there! Even if you can't afford them all, at least it gives you ideas of what you might be able to DIY. (My husband often says that my great ideas are actually his headaches, but that is a completely different subject we don't need to discuss right now!)  

 So back to HAPPY GARDEN PLANNING TIME!  I'm making a cup of tea and coming back to read some more!

            (I'm using a flowered tea cup, too, for another small taste of summer!)

I have been reading everything I can get my hands on lately trying to decide not only what to plant in my garden this year, but also trying to recognize new gardening trends, strategies and products that you might be interested in.

Here is a snapshot of the articles I'm researching for you:  Edible Landscaping, self sufficiency, sustainability, using more herbs in your cooking and gardening, Hellebores (Lenten Roses), understanding fertilizers, starting more plants from seeds, plants for changing climates, and perennial planters.  

As you can see I've set a huge agenda for myself.  Furthermore everything I pick up gives me new ideas of things I want to talk about. 

I just shared with my husband pictures of my favorite gardens. (eye roll here). I believe it terrified him because my husband is basically a "turf man!"  I kid you not.  In fact, he used to work on a golf course and he loves large stretches of unbroken grass, but to me a large green yard is pretty for a minute or two and then it starts to resemble an airport runway, or a barren desert.  My mind starts to go into overdrive, and I can see it being transformed into a wild paradise for plants and animals.

Obviously, I'll never have  the magazine garden where both partners work tirelessly to create a private Eden.

That being said I saw an article recently about a man who is fighting the local ordinances in his town because they say his front yard gardens bring down the property values of his neighbors who prefer their little strips of Kentucky bluegrass.  

This is something we're going to see more of.  The magazines are full of feature articles about funky front yard gardens, but how many do you see in a typical suburban community?  

As more and more people attempt to return to a simpler way of living and gardening, or try to do something positive for the birds and animals that cohabit our Earth, or just try to save a little money by doing things in a more Earth friendly way, we are going to see more adventurous people who will try to make every inch of their available space into a garden.

Since not everyone has the option or desire to move out to the frontier, hopefully you live in a place that is open to the possibility of greater individuality in how are yards are utilized in the future. Or, if you're like me, enjoy your glossy catalogs, but try something a little simpler like researching one new perennial, perhaps.