Wednesday, January 13, 2016

The Dream

"Anyone who thinks gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year; for gardening begins in January with the dream." Josephine Nuese
I saw this lovely quote recently, and it couldn't have come at a better time. You see, our mild winter is finally over, and real winter has begun. It's been snowing for hours, and after the snow, we'll have bitter cold. January in Ohio can be a cold, cruel place, and gardening is not generally a part of it. But I almost forgot about the dream! You see, January is time to peruse the seed catalogs.
Seed catalogs allow you to plan and scheme for spring when there's no other gardening to do. I've heard other gardeners call these catalogs "garden porn". But maybe it would be better to call them eye candy. Either way, this is where the dream starts.

When I look out the window, all I see is white. But if I dream, I can remember the flowers that grew there not long ago.

And if I dream even harder, I can imagine the flowers that will grow there next time. That's the beauty of dreaming, anything is possible.

As we plan ahead for the upcoming garden season, gardeners will often say "This year will be the best garden ever!" We're an optimistic bunch. I guess we're just a bunch of dreamers.

Personally, I do think that this will be a banner garden year for me. My shiny new knee means that I'll be able to garden more efficiently. I'm already envisioning being able to better care for my flowers, and to once again be able to process the bounty from our expanded vegetable garden. My husband has already revamped our vegetable garden, with new raised beds that are more than double the space we had before. I can taste it all now.

So next time you think that gardeners aren't busy in January, don't forget about the dream. That's where it all starts.

18 comments:

  1. Robin, I felt like I was dreaming as I wandered through your garden. You're right. It's good to dream.~~Dee

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    1. Dreams are lovely, but reality still seems too far away. Bring on spring!

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  2. Winter dreams keep us going, don't they? We have been under two layers of snow since Christmas with temps hovering around 0. This morning it is above freezing, 34. The warm before a new storm. My new seed catalogs are still unopened. I'll get them soon. I did buy fresh daffodils at the super market the other day, knowing that the ones in the garden are hopeful gearing up for a wonderful show in a few months. Lovely photos here, reminders of what is on it way. Stay warm.

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    1. It took until mid January before we got any real winter weather, but even then, the snow has been very, very light. I don't think we've gotten over an inch at any given time. If it's going to be cold, it may as well be snowy and cover up the gray!

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  3. Love that quote, Robin -- it is so very true! Glad you are healed and ready to test the new knee. Wishing you a wonderful new gardening year. P. x

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    1. I can hardly wait to get back to gardening this year!

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  4. Fantastic photos, Robin. I especially love the morning glories, but they're all wonderful. Here's hoping we have an easy (ish) winter and a good gardening season.

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    1. Those simple morning glories delight me every summer. I never have to plant them anymore, they just seed themselves around freely. It's okay, they are welcome guests!

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  5. Enjoy your dream time! Gardening can continue, if I choose, almost year round here, but I love those cold, wet January days when I peruse the catalogues and make plans. Happy gardening in 2016, and best wishes for you and your new knee!

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    1. Cold, wet Januarys don't sound like good gardening time to me, so feel free to enjoy your seed catalogs!

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  6. Hello Robin girl ... we all need that dream period ... I have been doing that myself .. You never have your gardens out of your thoughts completely .. especially if you have a nice view of them.
    I have to put some practical planning into the dreaming part some time soon .. on paper ! LOL
    Take care with the new knee girl !
    Joy

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    1. The dreams are nice, but I'd sure rather have the reality in spring!

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  7. Nothing wrong with dreaming in January about gardening - gives us something to look forward to! Did your husband build the raised veggie garden beds?

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    1. Yes, Brian built them all with cedar so they'll last, but we didn't get around to filling them with soil. We'll have to do that as soon as we can in the spring, so we can plant those cool season crops.

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  8. Beautiful post, Robin ... I don't do seeds :( ... never seems to be enough time, especially with running back/forth to the lake. But I certainly admire those like you that do ... Happy January thaw!

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    1. Thanks Joey! I seem to waste a lot of money on seeds over the years, but the successes are worth it. Zinnias especially must be seeded, and I love them so.

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  9. Hi Robin. We are all Garden Dreaming. Winter here has been brutal. While the snow on the ground now fell Christmas and the days after, it has been melting the last couple of days, but is not totally gone. Now the next storm is on its way. The weather people say a lot of snow. They tend to over estimate the snow fall. None the less, Winter seems to reaching full steam. Thanks for the pretty flowers to rekindle our dreams.

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    1. Winter has been kind to us this year, thank goodness!

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