Tucked In For Winter

The sunshine persists and although part of me is glad for it, the gardens need some snow. I have been dragging hoses around for the past two weeks watering trees, shrubs, and perennials and will continue to do so until surface roots get some "natural" moisture. On another topic...despite the complaining I hear about plastic in this industry, it certainly holds up over the years. The dozens of plastic pots on our deck have been with us for well over a decade and show no signs of wear. I reuse them (and the container mix in the bigger ones) every spring when I plant them up with annuals. Even the smaller plastic colorbowls and 12" hanging garden pots are emptied, scrubbed out, and stored for next season. We buy the same plastic trays/flats from the same supplier every year, so we can keep about 95% of the plastic used for growing "in house". Over a thousand get rinsed, stacked, and stored at the end of every season. We are unable to take trays/flats from other stores because they come in such a range of shapes and sizes, they cannot be stacked and stored. So, hopefully, you'll have a chance to clean and store your plastic containers this winter. We will have plenty of beatiful flowers to fill them with this spring.  

Sunny, But Cold

Managed to spend some time last week trimming some overgrown shrubs. Pruners, loppers, and even the chainsaw were needed on a willow that had lost some inner branches. One more willow to go, and since tomorow is forecast to be sunny (but cold), looks like my best bet to get out and finish this early winter chore. All of my plant orders; including shrubs, trees, perennials, and annuals, are in for the 2012 season. The trees and shrubs are sitting in a bunker somewhere in Minnesotta and will arrive in late March. The rest of the perennials will be transplanted by the end of February and then I'll start in on the annuals. Have placed a large order for decorative containers and am looking forward to offering some upscale container gardens in 2012. Pansies have always been a favorite of mine and so have Wave Petunias, so I was excited about a new Pansy variety called Cool Wave which is suppose to have a spreading rather than an upright/mounding habit. Am looking forward to trying it. Despite the cold, I have been spending as much time as possible outside soaking up the rays that nurture my psyche. Northern Nevada has some outstanding sunshine and I'll enjoy it while it's here.