The Garden Post

By Kim Bius

The Great Reset of American Gardening

The Great Reset of American Gardening is in progress. What is the “great reset” you ask? It is a return to Truth. It is a return to the simple joy of creating, growing, and producing your own food source in one capacity or another. It is the journey in learning and creating. Many of us are not that far removed from working the garden with grandparents, pulling weeds, and knowing how and when to plant. The science/art became lost to the masses for about 30 years but is making a tremendous return. Why? Growing your own allows us to control our food source. Gardening is the most therapeutic activity (physically and mentally). It gives you physical exertion as well as joy and contentment in getting that rose to produce the most beautiful blooms. Gardening allows you to be creator and creative in the same mindset and enjoy the journey. Yes, even after 40 years of gardening, I will have a failure, and that is what keeps us learning and striving to correct mistakes and stay on course--sounds like life! It is very exciting to share the enthusiasm and “know-how” of gardening to these lost generations. A quick review of the top gardening trends for 2022 is much the same as it has been for years. Indoor/outdoor living with an emphasis on natural materials: stone, wood, glass, and gravel. In the plant world, new tissue cultures are being developed to give different twist to plants we know and love; variegation, longer blooming cycles, dwarf size, etc. Heirloom varieties and “own root stalk” over grafted varieties are also big. Many citrus and fruit trees are going “non-grafted.” So, what happens then? Non-grafted citrus are in bush form, but can withstand colder temperatures…as is true, in the non-grafted fruit trees, such as peach, pear, and pecan (although yield and fruit size are diminished). Speaking of fruit trees, January is fruit tree planting season. The cold and wet is a tree’s perfect planting time, and January will give you the best selection. Ensure you shop at a garden center that is carrying trees specific to your area. This is almost 100% true in an independent garden center, but not so much in box stores. You will need to know the meaning of chilling hour. A chilling hour is the amount of time below 43 degrees a tree must receive to set fruit. For instance, a peach tree in the Dallas area requires a ch (chilling hour) of 850-900 to produce. So, if we plant this same tree in the lower Houston area, the chances of it getting the chilling time required to set fruit is slim to none. Last year was a doozy, and I suspect we received enough chilling hours to grow any variety of fruit tree for that year, if the tree was not damaged. January is also the time to plant winter bulbs. Winter bulbs actually bloom in early spring and can be planted later in the season in our area. Why? Our winters are often wet, and soft winter bulbs will rot if not planted in an area with excellent drainage. Bulbs such as tulips and hyacinth will require 6 weeks of pre-chilling hours before they will bloom. So, these bulbs will need to be stored in the refrigerator, away from apples (they exude a gas that will rot bulbs). Bulbs that naturalize in our area are daffodils and narcissi. For a bulb to naturalize, it must be planted in a full sun area with great drainage, and it will multiply and return year after year to grace your landscape with beauty. January is also the best time to find and plant roses. A good rule of thumb in gardening--if it’s blooming or producing fruit, the time to plant was two months prior. Refrain from purchasing roses coated in wax. The wax is to seal in the moisture, but you never know when that was. A waxed rose has a 60-day window to plant, and they never do very well. A healthy, premium quality rose bush is not going to be “cheap”….. nothing worth the time and effort to grow ever is. We have heard, “I do not want to buy an expensive rose, because they just die.” Why do they die? “I don’t know, we did everything we were supposed to do, but they never last more than two years.” My case exactly! Given the right growing conditions and care, roses will outlive us. Our area was predicted to have a severe winter, but long-range weather is barely showing temperatures dropping to 32 degrees on 5 nights until March. We are due for an early spring, and this may just be the year! Wishing all a year filled with blessings, good health, prosperity, and successful gardening.

We look forward to serving you! From our family to yours, Happy New Year!

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