HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

Dear Fellow Gardeners and Future Gardeners,

Do you like surprises? I do, and I received a very nice one the other day in the form of a telephone call. It was Pauline Duncan, and she told me she was downsizing and wondered if I would like her mother's books on gardening. Of course, I said "yes" and she brought the set of books to the house.

There were 13 books, so I will have lots of fun going through them. As I opened them, there were her mother's notes, magazine articles and newspaper clippings, etc. The books were a treasure-trove of gardening ideas, and I realized I was looking into the soul of an avid gardener, one who loved the soil and one who had experienced the joy of gardening. I shall delight in using these books to share all the information I can glean from them with you, my readers. As I read all her notes, I have acquired a deep respect for her and all the time she put into this labor of love. Thank you, Pauline.

While we are experiencing the cold breezes which have slipped into our area, let's sit down and make plans for our next year's garden. It is good to have a plan, and maybe write it down, or draw a sketch. Plan where you will put your garden.

This is a good time to plant your bulbs for next spring. Clean out the area you want to plant. Dig down at least 6 to 8 inches, add your bone meal or bulb booster, mix well, place your tallest bulbs in the background, cover with composted soil, and place the bulbs with the pointed side up. Water in. Give them a good drink and cover with a 2- to 3-inch mulch. The mulch will protect them if it freezes. Some suggest that you wait until the ground freezes to put out mulch. I have given you a choice. Let me know which was most successful for you. Now, sit back and wait for your efforts to bring you great joy in the spring.

Here are a few time-savers and helpful hints to use:

*Order your bulbs from catalogs as early as possible. They seem to have a better selection and healthier bulbs.

*Try adding a new bulb with your older bulbs for this next sprint.

*Prevent damage from squirrels and other rodents who just love to eat bulbs by covering the planted area with screen or chicken wire. Remove this protection in early spring.

*When you are shopping at a flea market and find an old golf bag and perhaps a golf pull cart, purchase them. Put the bag on the cart, fill with the tools you will use in the garden and the yard — rake, shovel, hoe, edger, clippers, etc. Put in hand tools, plastic bags, string, old hoses for tying up fragile plants, etc. Attach your work gloves, plus paper bag for lightweight debris. When you go into the garden you can pull all your tools with you. There is a readymade ring on golf carts that can be used for a hand towel. You are ready for the work.

These are just a few timely tips for the future.

Now go, read, plan your next year's garden, write it down, sketch it out, and prepare the area. Look forward to the coming new year. You have a clean palette on which to paint your canvas.

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers." Claud Monet

The Happy Gardener

"Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint and the soil and sky as canvas." Elizabeth Murray