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Gardening Thoughts as Spring Emerges Early - A New Book

© Jerri Brooker

The purple and white crocuses are blooming and daffodils are pushing their petite yellow heads through the piled bark of our flower gardens. This daffodil is awakening after a morning of falling snow (you can see the snow on the leaves). Above it you see a rhododendron, to the left an azalea - typical Washington greenery. The daffodil looks splendid in its environment with its bright yellow color shining in the darkness of the day. The weather has been very unpredictable here the past few weeks.

With the help of an earlier week of sunshine it's exciting to see the blooms after a very rainy, dark January and February. I'm deliriously in the throes of early spring fever. I can hardly wait to see the wave of more yellow open in the wind as spring greets us in a few days.

So many emotions fill my head. We are contemplating a move to the eastern side of the state where gardening is entirely different. It could happen real soon or it could happen over the course of a year or two. We are in the process of selling land in western Washington - things seem to be moving along. We will soon start looking for land in eastern Washington.

Where I sit now I see mostly Fir trees and underbrush, plush green lawn and moss. Where I may be later I'm not sure what the landscape will be, possibly Pine trees and no underbrush - undeveloped. The move may even include an interim move to southeast Washington where the view is nothing but bare, brown hills. My landscape may change to an entirely different view.

What I have before me, though, are garden books I love to pore through. Whatever I see out my window doesn't matter when my nose is in a book! If I want green in a land of brown, all I have to do is go to the bookshelf or plant some containers.

New Book

My most recent book acquisition is Tree and Shrub Gardening for Washington and Oregon by Alison Beck and Marianne Binetti. This book, published by Lone Pine Publishing, 2001, is a jewel.

The contents begin with a small pictorial view of trees and shrubs "at a glance" in alphabetical order - sort of the size of photos here at the Suite in our articles.

Then you'll find a zone map, soil discussion, woody plants and getting started with your garden. Purchasing, planting, caring for your plants, pruning, propagation, pests and diseases. It's all there.

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