THE WINTER SOLSTICE is this week, Friday at 2:23 p.m.
And thus, at 2:24 p.m. the sun begins its return back to our northern reaches.
That is great because the last bits of ice only disappeared from my pond at the elevation of 994 feet early Wednesday morning as our cold snap gave way to seasonable rains.
So now we are at the cusp of the year’s end and the sun’s wayward trek away from our gardens.
It is also the holiday season, the bustle of shopping and parties, visiting friends and seeing family — all begin to coalesce in one hectic month that accumulated with the New Year’s Eve countdown to midnight.
This is why today I ask everyone to slow down, pause, relax and definitely reflect back on this gardening year.
Take some time this week to pour a glass of eggnog, start a cozy fire, cuddle up in your favorite chair and gather up all of your garden photos, notes and catalogs.
Before the beginning of next year this is the ideal time to review your gardening experiences of 2018 and improve.
Soon, so very soon, spring chores will start to pile up, and the grass and weeds will start to grow vigorously.
It is the time of the year to improve the garden with some forethought.
What plants did poorly? Which one did very well? Was there too much pruning, not enough colorful flowers or were the weeds overwhelming?
Did the lawn look poor or a pathway need to be wider or extend further and what about getting water spigots and electricity to the far-reaching areas?
By setting down for a few hours and jotting down — in an organized fashion — your desires, problem areas, likes and dislikes along with plant, soil, nutrients and maintenance needs, a carefully laid-out battle plan can be made for next season.
By identifying problem plants and replacing them, adding drainage to wet areas or a water system to very dry spots, the hours of work could be reduced greatly.
Your yard will look better as well because you have formulated a fertilizer schedule, adding an extra application of nutrient as need is assessed.
Inform yourself because it will just make each successive gardening year easier.
I offer a great opportunity for you to take advantage of the second largest flower and garden show in all of America to help you plan, plot and purchase.
Save the date.
February 20 – 24 at the Washington Convention Center in Seattle, the “Northwest Flower & Garden Show” comes to our neck of the woods.
I will write about it extensively in a few weeks. But go you must.
And if you are still looking for a great Christmas gift, remember I escort the “PDN Garden Bus” to opening day of the show in a luxury tour bus full of food, drinks, seminars, load and unload services.
This all inclusive trip on Wednesday, February 20 sells out quickly at $120 per person or $230 per couple (any kind of couple). Call me at 360-417-1639 and get your Christmas gift card today.
But please, as the year ends, let’s all take time to reflect and plan for a better next year.
Happy solstice.
As an added bonus for your winter plans and gardening, Peninsula College is offering two different horticulture courses this coming season.
I will be teaching.
In both Sequim and Port Angeles, you can enroll in “Winter gardening” at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 3 and Feb. 10 at the Dungeness Audubon Center in Sequim and 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 16 and Feb. 23 at the Lincoln Center in Port Angeles.
On Jan. 13 and Jan. 20, my favorite class and the most beneficial one I teach, “All season pruning” will be held in Port Angeles at the Audubon Center.
Contact Peninsula College at 360-417-6340 for details or go to www.pencol.edu/ce and register for these two informative classes that will include a personal garden tour.
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Andrew May is an ornamental horticulturist who dreams of having Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him questions c/o Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email news@peninsuladailynews.com (subject line: Andrew May).
