don’t know about your part of the world, but in mine, this winter has been utterly miserable, weather-wise. And to top it off, we just endured a snowstorm, followed by several frigid days and ice-slicked sidewalks. I’ve had it. Though spring doesn’t officially arrive for a couple of weeks, I’m taking matters into my own hands and getting a jump on this season of hopeful beginnings. I’m starting with gardening—here’s how.
Force your soul to bloom: See some flowersI visited the Philadelphia Flower Show last week to spring-ify my mood. The crowds were daunting, but the Italian-inspired gardens were treats for my winter-weary soul—even if the stunning displays with their color riots of flowering plants (Someone please tell me how you get roses, daffodils, irises, and azaleas to bloom at precisely the same moment!), immaculately-trimmed hedges, sculptures, ponds, fountains, and even a wildly painted 40-foot birch tree, would be impossible for any mere mortal to achieve. Still, it was a sweet hint of what spring will soon bring.
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I’m still aglow remembering how lovely it was to see all that botanical beauty. If there’s a flower show or botanical garden in your neck of the woods, do yourself a favor and visit; your soul will thank you. Visit the Garden Clubs of America website to find out what’s blooming near you.
Plant a pot gardenNo, not that kind of pot. I mean, of course, the pots you fill with dirt and seeds, and plop down on whatever patch of outdoor space or windowsill you can call your own. I just succumbed to the lure of the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed catalog and ordered $50 worth of exotic red lettuces, sweet peas, Italian and Thai basil, cilantro, chives, purple tomatillos, multi-colored hot and sweet peppers, “black” cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, white Japanese eggplant, yellow Indian cucumbers, golden beets, and I think some purple string beans.
Just planning the planting—not to mention the harvest—instantly lifted my mood, and with any luck, my $50 investment should return me all the salads, salsas, ratatouilles, and stir-fries my family and I can eat. I’m not enough of a math whiz to tally up what this will save me on my veggie purchases over the coming months, but I can tell you that growing my own means that all of us around here will be getting a lot closer to eating our ideal nine daily servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
PS: Check out this website for cool ways to recycle old tires into planters, and this article for the healthiest potted plants for your home.
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