Guelph Mercury
We’re a week past the solstice and Christmas is over. Only New Year’s Eve to go and the garden season is about to begin.
What? In January, you say?
Yes, it may be some time before the garden is accessible, but like me, many gardeners are already reviewing landscaping plans or practising with the new tools they received as Christmas gifts — please, no hoes on the hardwood floor. Others will be setting up grow ops in their basements to get an early start on plant production. Despite rising hydro costs, it doesn’t cost much to run a twin tube fluorescent light — and it pays off given the number of plants that can be grown.
This means time spent browsing seed catalogues, which are often as enjoyable as a good book, except that the major seed companies are now doing business online and consequently, because of shipping costs, don’t mail out catalogues in the numbers they used to.
Not everyone, however, is comfortable with online buying and some simply don’t have internet access. For these gardeners, the catalogues are essential.
Even so, it may only be a matter of time before printed versions go the way of phone booths and typewriters, so enjoy them while you can — maybe hang on to a few as they might one day become priceless collector items. Even the companies that still publish a hard copy typically require that it be requested online, or they only offer a downloadable version you can print yourself.
A most helpful publication I recommend for those without internet access is the Gardener’s Journal and Source Book, an ideal resource designed for gardeners in the Golden Horseshoe area of Ontario.
Besides seed and garden product suppliers, it lists practically everything garden related from arborists and garden centres to books and radio shows. If you’re looking for a supplier of rare plants or an educational program, you’ll find it here. Need a soil test or a garden to visit, it’s all listed.
The book can be ordered online at www.torontogardenbook.com or mail cheque or money order for $24.95 plus $3.50 shipping to: Garden Book Orders, 490 Briar Hill Ave., Toronto, ON, M5N 1M7
For those comfortable in the digital garden world, or who have just received a new smart phone or tablet this week, there are lots of garden apps to spend time with. Below are a couple provided courtesy of The National Garden Bureau. Email me for the full list.
•Leafsnap — a free app created by researchers from Columbia University, University of Maryland and the Smithsonian Institution, allows users to take a picture of a leaf then use the app to help identify the species.
•Garden Compass App — a free app that allows you to take a photo of a plant, disease or pest and submit it to a team of garden advisors who will identify it for you, as well as provide you with specific product recommendations to resolve any problems you may have.
Dream Garden Conference
Back in the real world, this coming month brings the first major event on the local garden calendar, the Galt Horticultural Society’s Dream Garden Conference on Sunday, Jan. 19 at the Grand Valley Golf Club.
It’s a day to catch up with friends (I’ll be the master of ceremonies) and hear the following entertaining speakers: Paul Zammit, director of horticulture at Toronto Botanical Gardens, speaking on The Soul of the Garden; Darren Heimbecker of Whistling Gardens, speaking on designing and creating of 20 acres of paradise, and Lorraine Roberts, author and photographer, speaking on Recipe for Continuous Bloom.
Tickets, which go fast, are $40, which includes lunch and door prizes. Call Nancy Smith at 519-623-7085 or email nancy@nsmith.ca for more information.
That should keep you busy for a while.
Happy New Year, gardeners!
David Hobson gardens in Waterloo and is happy to answer garden questions, preferably by email: garden@gto.net . Reach him by mail c/o Etcetera, The Record, 160 King St. E. Kitchener, Ont. N2G 4E5
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