An Online Support Group for the Garden Deprived

The world has been reduced to black and white. Even the scent of earth is gone - or if it there it doesn't penetrate my frozen nostrils. It's dead of winter, and the very idea of gardening begins to seem like something I must have only dreamed about.

If you are one of those people who plants a flat or two of annuals each spring to give your house curb appeal, then you probably don't realize what this means to the avid gardener. But avid gardeners reach this point in winter and withdrawal sets in.

And gardening is not an addiction of which we want to be cured. Gardening is good for you. It's healthy, It gets you out into the fresh air and helps you to get exercise. It challenges our creativity. It brings emotional satisfaction. So, instead of seeking a cure, we need ways to tide us over until we can get back to that activity which we find so soul satisfying.

Most of us in the frozen north spend our winter "virtually gardening" because nothing else is possible. So today I'm going to throw out a bunch of ideas on how we can do that more profitably for everyone. And then I'd like to hear from you. Don't be afraid to speak up - no one has ever been bitten here for stating his or her piece.

1. Make a list of areas where you need new plants. List their requirements. You may say, "I need a plant for the middle area of the raised bed, medium height with a broad leaf texture." Then get out that stack of catalogs until you find the perfect plants. This turns catalog browsing into a sort of scavenger hunt - but it also helps you to limit your orders to plants you actually have places for. Note: Make sure you don't find more than one perfect plant per spot. To get help, post your plant requirements here and we can all step in and meddle in your buying decisions.
2. When the yard is covered in snow take a good look at the gardens and all the places where you have big bare spots. They're going to look just as bare in spring when you go out and want to be in a garden. Find plants that will actually be there when that magic spring finally arrives. Better still, send me a photo at mailto:Carolwallace@suite101.com (or post it yourself) and we'll analyze it as part of the Winter Garden Photo Contest and Design Workshop
3. The copyright of the article An Online Support Group for the Garden Deprived in Virtual Gardening is owned by Carol Wallace. Permission to republish An Online Support Group for the Garden Deprived in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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