You Can Grow That

February is a funny month in the garden, located between January which this year kept us inside with a good book and warm fire, and March which shouts SPRING. So I want to follow the advise of garden bloggers and write this month based upon 4 simple words......

You Can Grow That

Gardening really isn't as hard as some people make it out to be, it is hard physically when you are just starting a new landscape on untouched soil. Yet to actually grow something anyone can do it. Since we are in February also known as the month of Love we will focus on growing Love.

Close your eyes and think of something that takes you to a special time or place when you felt Love. What comes to mind, a sound, a place, a scent? If it is a scent is it of something cooking or a fragrance from the garden? For many of us when we walk thru a garden or park and pick up the light scent of a blooming plant we are transported to another place or time and happy memories flood our thoughts. A smile comes to our face and we feel at peace.

You can duplicate that feeling in your own garden. A few of the flowers which speak of Love are roses, carnations, gardenias, lilies. These flowers are always included in bouquets given on Valentine's Day. Why give just the flowers when you can plant a bush which will give throughout the year? For me a rose needs to have fragrance over beauty and this year I selected 85% of our roses based upon their fragrance. Right now they are still just sleeping beauties but if you plant one this Valentine's Day for your Love or yourself by spring you will be enjoying their lovely scents.



Gardenias; a fussy plant but again the fragrance it brings to a room just by floating in a shallow bowl of water. If you don't want to worry about fussy than now is the time to plant stock. To me stock is like light cinnamon toast so yummy smelling.

And don't forget the simple joy of eating with the one you Love. How about growing a herb garden together? Fragrances which evoke feelings and memories can be started in your kitchen window if you don't have a garden or in pots to sit outside your kitchen for easy access. If you do have a large area herb gardens can be formal or simple, whichever way you go just remember.......

You Can Grow That

If you get stuck we are here to help, we don't want you to fail at gardening we want you to succeed and have fun.  Let the biologist and plant propagators do the hardest part of cloning and testing. Yet if you do fail a plant or two don't give up, add it to your compost pile and go forward, grow grow and grow again.