Every year I seem to have one major project or another on the go. While these projects have been crucial to our landscape, managing these projects along with trying to keep up with the necessary garden chores often meant that small jobs kept getting pushed off to another year or that some areas of the garden suffered from neglect. Well, not this year. With no major projects on the horizon, 2012 is the year of the small but mighty. So here are my top 10 garden resolutions for 2012.
1. I will plant more daffodils. Every spring I look out and lament that I have too few daffodils in the back woodland. Yet by the time fall has come over the past few years I’ve just been too tired to tackle planting several hundred bulbs. But this year it’s my number one objective.
2. I vow to do a better job keeping my garden journal. While my blog serves to highlight what’s happening, I strive every year to keep better records of what was planted, what did well and what did not. With more time on my hands this year I hope to take my camera and a small notebook around the garden at least once a week and document what I see.
3. I resolve to deal with all my ‘lonely’ plants. I have too many places where one plant was popped in to fill a space. I promise to move these poor souls closer to their companions, creating better masses of colour and texture.
4. I will remember to do a better job of succession planting. While we plant a wide variety of vegetables in our garden, we could do a better job of filling a garden space with a new crop once the previous crop if finished. Better yet, I really need to tackle using cover crops to protect the soil after harvesting.
5. Plant asparagus! I have been meaning to do this for four years now.
6. I will plant better annuals. Having discovered the advantage annuals bring to the garden in terms of providing all season colour as well as helping with weed suppression. I need to broaden my horizons a bit and experiment with some different varieties.
7. Related to #6, I will do a better job with my planters. The last few springs have been a bit hectic, which has basically resulted in either planting that same old reliable combination or running out and purchasing a pre-planted pot. I used to enjoy spending time in the garden center greenhouses early in spring, planning out some terrific containers. This year I vow to return to that.
8. I promise to create a better herb garden. And better yet, use it.
9. Try, try again, to grow another Paw Paw. I have planted four native Paw Paw plants in our yard, all to no avail. This year I promise to search for a healthy specimen at a native nursery and try ‘one more time’.
10. Most importantly I promise to have coffee outside in the morning with no contractors interrupting the sound of the birds.
Happy New Year all.