Gardeners: It’s No Time to Let Your Gourd Down

In the quiet days of early January, I have a chance to take a good look at my garden. Though there are a few chores to do such as pruning roses, it is a much less hurried season than other times of the year. I can think about how far my garden has come and where I want to take it.

As I listen to the birds chirp and admire winter bloomers such as camellia and cyclamen, my wish list for the garden starts to form. Soon I grab my garden journal and start writing down everything I want to do. Before long, the list is longer than my bougainvillea, but I’m not deterred.

One of the benefits of gardening is that it gives you hope. Spring always comes, plants bloom and when they don’t, you can replace them.

Of course, gardeners usually can’t accomplish everything on their list, but having one is a great start. There’s something about writing down or sharing garden goals that makes us try extra hard to accomplish them.

Joining a garden club is a great way to stay inspired. In a club you’ll not only hear great ideas and have access to rare plants and supplies, the enthusiasm shared at club meetings will motivate you to get outside and make your garden dreams come true. There are many garden clubs throughout Orange County and many are listed weekly in this section.

Here are garden resolutions for 2001 from gardeners throughout Orange County. Some are more ambitious than others, but they all express an exuberance for the garden and a desire to make it a more enjoyable place.

Jonell Schlund, Orange: “In the new year, I want to continue to plant plants that will attract butterflies and create a habitat where they will thrive.”

Virginia Carlson, Fullerton: “I resolve to eliminate the weeds when they are small and not allow them to get large and steal nutrients and shade desirable plants. That also goes for self-sown plants.”

Mary Ann Mealey, Costa Mesa: “My goal is to transform my 30-by-70-foot backyard into an orchard with an English garden appearance. The yard was previously dominated by a lawn and two 35-year-old trees, which were all removed. I plan to place retainer wall blocks in free standing forms that are 12 inches high. I’ll plant three to five fruit trees in each hole, keeping them pruned to 6 feet. Repainted recycled containers placed randomly about will hold flowering plants and vegetables. Purchased or hand-made stepping stones will designate meandering paths. I have a head start with 17 fruit trees already, but it will take about three years for my garden to have the look I am trying to achieve.”

Greg Guichet, Villa Park: “I’m going to plant at least 10 species of exotic palms this spring.”

Debo Tracewell, Villa Park: “My frontyard is currently all dirt--good dirt I might add. We’ve brought in compost, sand and sulfur pellets and rototilled. My wish list for the coming year is a white picket fence, an arbor, a new driveway, grass and an English cottage garden.”

Catherine Hall, Laguna Beach: “Last April, while working on my hillside, I fell. Not a big fall, but not a good fall--one of those twisting, bending falls. When I started to get up, my knee protested. After a year of struggling with physical therapy, crutches, canes, braces, I have admitted defeat and will have knee surgery on [Friday]. My New Year’s resolution is to work so hard at recovery that I can be back in my garden in April. It will be one year later and lots of pruning needs to be done! Now where did I leave those loppers?”

Martha Wida, Westminster: “I recently retired and now have the time to work in my garden as I’ve always wanted. I’m having a wonderful time and have discovered the pleasure of tea made with fresh herbs. The taste is so superior to any tea bag on the market. I plan to expand my herb garden and experiment with the different flavors of herbs for tea. I will also use herbs to flavor my cooking, as opposed to using salt and fat. In addition, I plan to do some experimenting. I’m going to test the theory of planting mustard greens and turning them under to suppress nematodes.”

Edward Wada, Buena Park: “I had rosemary cleared from a sloped bank. I resolve to have it terraced and planted in flowers and vegetables by summer’s end.”

Ron Vanderhoff, Lake Forest: “I have a few goals. First, after the fifth unsuccessful year in a row, I’m going to give up trying to grow chocolate cosmos. I seem to rot them out every winter. Second, I’m going to let my dear wife occasionally cut a bouquet of flowers from our garden. I prefer my flowers on the top of my plants, with roots attached, but my wife prefers them in a vase. Third, I’m going to stop digging out and throwing away perfectly good plants just because I’ve brought something new home from the nursery that I just have to have--even though I have nowhere to plant it. Fourth, I’m going to be a totally organic gardener. I’m 95% there, but I haven’t completely weaned myself of a few herbicides, such as Round-Up. A squirt here and a dab there sure makes things easier. It’s a hard habit to break. Fifth, I’m going to cure some olives, I think I know how to do it now. I just need to harvest the olives before they shrivel up in the fall. Sixth, I’m actually going to eat what I grow in the vegetable garden. I love the decorative value of certain vegetables such as ‘Bright Lights’ chard and radicchio, but I don’t know quite what to do with them come harvest day.”

Jan Tilford, Yorba Linda: “My New Year’s resolution is to find and use in the garden more unique and colored foliage.”

Pat and Jerry Dobbins, Placentia: “We are going to plant a 20-by-40 foot patch of strawberries this January. We’ve gotten information from Web sites throughout the United States and have found a wholesale grower from whom we bought 200 plants for a good price, and we’re getting more. This is our first time for such a large patch, but we’re up-to-date on how to prepare the soil, care for them and use them when they’re ripe. We’re hoping for many jams and jellies.”

Sharon Cohoon, Huntington Beach: “I’m going to find a way to fit Cleveland sage into my landscape. It’s a big, rangy plant, and I’ve got a small yard. But it’s one of the best smelling plants on the planet, and I’m not going another year without that fragrance. I’m also going to spray my roses with dormant oil after I prune them. Every January I tell gardeners why it’s a good idea, and every January I neglect to do it myself. Not this year. I also will not buy another garden book. I won’t even open the covers to avoid temptation. Every bookshelf in the house is full.”

Mary Steele, Laguna Niguel: “This past year we transformed our entryway from a boring walkway with skinny, little ground-level beds into a walkway with beds of varying heights and seating areas. I’m going to finish stuccoing the walls, so the project will be complete.”

Victoria Michaels, Anaheim: “I have several affirmations for the new year. First, I want my weeping willow tree to be healthy and happy. Second, I want my crape myrtle trees free of powdery mildew. Third, my husband gave me a Eureka lemon tree for my birthday, and I want it to be healthy and bear fruit. I also want to attract butterflies and hummingbirds to my garden and I’d like my flower beds to look outstanding, with beautiful, healthy flowers. I will also create great compost, so my plants will grow healthy. And I want to plant my angel’s trumpet and have it flower magnificently.”

Elaine Byrd, Norco: “I’m going to plant wildflowers this year. I’m also going to try growing some unusual plants.