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| THE CASUAL GARDENER, Shawna Coronado TOO MUCH WINTER! What in the Sam Heck is going on with this winter? This, I’m sure, is the longest documented winter in history! This weather is up there with my Grandfather’s descriptions of winters when he was a young man, “Back in ’06 we had to walk eight miles to school through blizzards and ice storms – uphill both ways! I’d arrive at the schoolhouse with my legs frozen stiff and they had to melt my fingers over the radiator to get’em to feel again!” At the time, being eight years old or so, I would roll my eyes and laugh with my Grandpa. Now, I’m not feeling so happy about the situation. I am cold. To the bone! Without any encouragement at all I fall into raptured fantasies dreaming about warm beaches, sunny days, and a fruity drink with one of those funny little umbrellas on top. This is the time we nature and garden addicts dream. We dream about plants. It’s not that we are obsessed with plants – we are obsessed with being outdoors in the green. Plants give us an excuse to “live the life.” We love the warmth and sunshine. It is healthy. It is wonderful. It is free. There is not much in life you can have for free these days. Sunshine is one of those pleasurable bare necessities you can enjoy without having to take out a bank loan. If you are a gardener AND a mother, you might just find yourself locked in your bedroom or bathroom desperately clutching a seed catalog, searching for a private moment to live the dream. Kids, work, and commitments can wait while you are temporarily surrounded by solitude and seed possibilities. You are thinking about the little bit of heaven that is your garden. Your fantasy involves sunshine, warmth, and blue skies. What are the possibilities? What colors? What wildlife might you encourage? What new plants were discovered last year? How can I get my family to become “greener”? All these answers you can find in seed catalogs. No worries. There are a lot of incredible seed catalogs to look at this year so you can ignore your responsibilities a bit and fantasize as much as I do about warmth and sunshine. Ideas abound, work will wait, at least for a few minutes while you fantasize about greenery and the smiling faces of daffodils. All will be well. Here are my favorite online catalogs this year. Go take a look and grab some fantasy for yourself. Burpee – www.burpee.com Harris Seeds - http://gardeners.harrisseeds.com Park Seed - www.parkseed.com Renee’s Garden – www.reneesgarden.com Stokes Seeds - www.stokesseeds.com Seeds of Change Organic - www.seedsofchange.com Thompson & Morgan - www.tmseeds.com Tomato Growers – www.tomatogrowers.com While you are looking at those catalogs, my suggestion is to consider vegetables this year. Reduce your environmental footprint by growing your own vegetables instead of depending on the extensive transportation system to bring you the food you enjoy. Spring will be here soon – get busy and order some seeds! Please send your gardening questions for Shawna Coronado, The Casual Gardener to dearshawna@thecasualgardener.com or The Casual Gardener, P.O. Box 358, Warrenville, IL 60555. www.thecasualgardener.com |
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