What is January without resolutions? Getting to the far side of the holidays in and out of the garden often leaves me feeling overwhelmed, over done and over the top. Perhaps this is why so many of my resolutions are variations of cutting back, cutting down, and clearing out. January in its essence is simplicity. Photo: The full moon falls on the cusp of the New Year 2010.
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The (blessed) rains (and snows) have come again to the North State and my garden rain gauge has measured 4.2 inches of rain this month. My rain barrels are full to overflowing, and this harvest gives me a small but happy sense of self-sufficiency. We’re only talking three barrels at this point, but still, their harvest provides me with a happiness along the lines of being able to build a campfire, make my own preserves or knit a sweater. (more…)

Camellias - also known as the Queen of Winter Flowers because almost all varieties of the genus bloom from late fall through late spring - are for many gardeners synonymous with history, beauty and refinement. These flowering evergreen shrubs or small trees, idealized in Chinese and Japanese art and literature for centuries, are indigenous in much of Asia. Camellias have been treasured in Europe since first being introduced there in the mid- 1700s, and specimens were first brought to the United States in the very late 1800s. Thriving in the American Southeast and along the American West Coast, the camellia genus is comprised of many species - including Camellia sinensis, from which black and green tea is made from the young leaves - and thousands of named varieties, cultivars and hybrids. Interest in camellias reached fervent levels early in the 20th century when Western plant hunters scoured the globe for new plants to record, collect, propagate and eventually hybridize. It was at this time that individuals and botanical organizations began collections of the prized plants. Photo: As winter bloomers, camellias provide valuable nectar and food for pollinators during the colder months. (more…)

Vertical gardening is any gardening that goes up and makes use of vertical space rather than using just the flat surface of the landscape. Vines growing up a nearby tree or ferns growing out of a rocky embankment are natural forms of vertical gardening. As a gardening technique, vertical gardening dates back to antiquity – the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which were elaborate terraced gardens considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World, were written of admiringly by Greek thinker Herodotus around 450 BCE. When we stake our beans, tie up our clematis or trellis our roses, we are gardening vertically. Photo: One of Patrick Blanc’s Green Walls or mur vegetal in Paris in 2007. (more…)

I’m not much of a cook, not much of a seamstress, jewelry-maker, painter or musician. I’m a gardener and so when it comes to homemade gifts this time of year, I turn to the garden. Luckily, it’s not even essential that I’m much of a gardener for gifts from the garden to be easy, inexpensive and elegant. Photo: A simple wreath made from Indian Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepsis indica), of which I have a lot in my garden, inherited from previous non-gardeners. For most of the year, I unkindly think of Indian Hawthorn as highway landscaping. That said, it is an excellent broadleaf evergreen for winter structure in the garden and winter crafts such as this wreath. Not as fragrant as English box, Indian Hawthorn is not as fussy either.
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