Garden catalogs

Compared to a bubble bath, a garden catalog in winter does as good a job stimulating circulation. A ninety minute massage isn't a bad thing either. Still and all, for a boost of happiness, a color page from a nicely designed catalog can be a tonic. There are no pheromones emanating from the page, at least I don't think there are. I wonder if a scratch and sniff approach might help sales for some things other than perfume? In any case we of the home gardening collective are positively enchanted by the appearance of the gardening catalogs that begin dribbling out in September and reach a rampaging flood stage in January. It isn't as if there are forty acres in my back yard that require filling. Most of my little space is already taken with an array of plants, placed by trial and error to maximize visual effect and survival. Oh yes, that is a huge element of gardening and one that beginners don't often realize. Those lushly populated designs are the result of many failures from which the gardener has taken lessons and adjusted accordingly. It is true that professional training is a workaround to this but many gardeners are of the do-it-yourself stripe and have not the nerve nor the time to take master gardener classes.

For those of us who dream of warm sunny days blessed with once weekly rain showers, the catalogs are enabling and I don't entirely mean that in a negative and psychologically dependent way. The failures of the last year's season are past, albeit trenchant, memories by now. Months ago we put away our mud-caked trowels and worn out gloves with the firm commitment to do better next time, and voilà here come the catalogs to help encourage us on our path of righteousness and fulfillment. And what ever happened to the good old spelling of catalogue? That was how I learned the word and why has it devolved to the stripped down form of today? And what about advisor versus adviser? I am just wondering aloud. These changes seem basic to the language and they are happening in the short span of my life. Let us not cling to the past without cause.

Back to catalogs, those previews of coming attractions soon to be in a yard or garden near you. There are some items that are always highlighted as newly developed variations which catch the eye instantly, especially if they are in categories where one has a longstanding interest. You can bet that the plant breeders have good reason to cultivate new varieties. It means big money these days. Echinacea is a group that has fairly exploded in fireworks colors, as have the shade-loving hellebores, known as the Lenten rose, in its own demure way. Dahlias and buddleias are also favorites which continue to offer summer colors of extraordinary brilliance. The old guard of roses and lilacs still please with new offerings, but the most astounding growth in selection probably lies with the hydrangeas. You really can get quite an education from the best listings that are not stingy on information. Just looking at all these idealized versions offers an optimistic hint of opportunity to sally forth again, after the winter debris has been raked away, and renew acquaintance with the rich sensory rewards of actual gardening. I'll be ready. Maybe a new outfit is in order!

Biggest Warm Hugs, Celeste

Winter blooms

Silly me! When I spoke of the low cost high impact remedies for the winter blahs I omitted one of the most pleasurable nostrums: flowering bulbs. Let’s chalk that up to inadequate space and move on. Most of these indoor blooms take some planning if you force them. Daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, narcissus or tulips are the common ones. These require a chilling period so that, if you purchase them in the fall, you will have to give them a good 8-10 weeks at 40° or less in the refrigerator, sealed in a container that prevents excessive moisture loss. Most refrigerators maintain a low humidity and will quickly rob the bulb of moisture unless you put them in the high humidity tray. You know how withered carrots start to look if left too long in an open package. On the other hand some bulbs are labelled for forcing, so they are either pre-chilled or are of the type which do not require cooling, such as amaryllis or paper white narcissus.

Those are easy and beautiful. The array of varieties of amaryllis is stunning and gets better every year. They are by far the most cheering and showy, trumpeting away at the passing of time toward the approaching return of the sun, lending their colorful and dramatic shapes as an offering of faith.

If you are lucky you can get them to re-bloom by giving them a proper rest as described by many world wide web experts. Most other bulbs are so exhausted by the effort of forcing blooms that they are hardly worth saving even if you can plant them outside in the interim. This isn’t a hard and fast rule because they very well may have spark of life left but their subsequent culture will require lots of attention and perfect conditions in order to bring them back to full vigor. In the southern empire we are blessed with amaryllis and paper whites as perennials but the trade-off is that our gardens rarely permit the perennial return of the other beautiful bulbs mentioned above.

It would be delicious to combine fragrance with the payoff of amaryllis but we ought not be greedy. Our winter camellias have taught us that you simply can’t have everything. On the other hand, the fragrance of paper whites is very particular and will easily permeate an entire room from a cool sunny window, but for real effect in that line I’ll take freesia every time. For some reason they have become scarce in the trade and more is the pity, say I. Like paper whites, they need just enough growing medium to get a grip and enough sun to discourage lank growth and their fragrance can be simply as sweet as any spring bloom. For color and fragrance they win! Some fragrant jasmine plants sold for the same effect in supermarkets may offer instant winter relief but are usually short-lived in reward. They require exacting conditions to bloom and may turn into a rampant twining living room vine after the first season.

The point of all this is that winter blooms, no matter their form, can offer everyone a chance to grow and to focus on a living thing which amply repays your attentions. For chasing away the gloom, every little thing adds up and they can help. Then there are the orchids, a whole huge topic of itself! And don’t even get me started on fragrant candles and bubble baths!

Kisses,

Celeste