Gardening Notes with Cindy McGonagle

Winter Time

As winter takes hold of the Earth, this is a time of deep creativity, learning and planning. The cold winds blow through the bare trees and shrubs and it is the variety of birds that visit the garden which bring life and enjoyment. The buds on the trees are starting to swell ever so slowly. The nests of last year's robins and goldfinches are now visible amongst the bare branches of the maple tree. Here in the Pacific Northwest the hellebores are beginning to show their flower stalks. The winter daphne buds grow ever larger and the sweet smell of sarcococa lingers in the air. The fragrant dawn virburnum has been blooming since early November with its pink flower clusters nestled amongst its branches.

• Winter is a time to feed your soul with ideas that inspire your creativity. The love between a gardener and the garden is many times a sacred one where our gardens become our canvas.
• We are grounded by the energies of our garden and its roots are apparent in design of our garden beds. A hope for new growth, and new seeds of beauty.

Tip:Working with the help of the nature spirits there is a natural rhythm, a synchronicity that happens in my garden. An underlying current of vitality that links each plant with each other and surrounds our home with love and light even in the dark months of winter's grip. It is a time to fertilize the dreams of your new creative projects.

Fragrance: Sarcococca ruscifolia offers superior fragrance from January through March. It has a very strong scent which can be experience from ten feet away, fast growing and can be easily shaped and trimmed.

Healthy Gardens

Soils that are enriched with organic ammendments; bonemeal, bloodmeal, rock phosphate and garden mulch will provide nutrients for vibrant flowers, leaves and root development.

Tip:You can mix your own formula using equal parts of the ammendments to fill a five gallon bucket with a lid. Then use a dog food scoop in a small painter's pail as you plant, sprinkling into each planting hole. For larger applications mix in a wheel barrow and spread with a shovel and double dig into planting beds.

Tip:When reading the (N-K-P) Nitrogen,Phosphorus, Potassium ratios on soil ammendments be sure you are receiving more than trace amounts by seeing amounts in whole numbers rather than in .01, .05 etc.