THE LAND, FEBRUARY 7, 2014
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Now is the time for planning your dream garden Only a mailbox stuffed with garden seed and plant catalogs can make me eager to venture out to get the mail in this recordsetting cold weather. Winter is a gardener’s dream time. A cozy fire, a cup of coffee and a bunch of new garden catalogs to IN THE GARDEN explore make for a perfect afternoon. Now is the time By Sharon Quale to think about and plan for this spring’s dream garden. Childhood memories surface when I reminisce about my mother’s love of gardening. She made extensive orders from the seed catalogs and always
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marked the pictures of what she had ordered so she would know what to anticipate getting in the mail. One year she grew — or rather tried to grow — both cotton and peanuts. The seeds were sown and although the plants didn’t mature because of our short growing season, we kids delighted in looking at the tips of the cotton plant where the bolls would be developing and hoeing up the peanut roots to get a peak at the developing legumes. Gurney’s and Jung’s were Sharon Quale two major sources to order from back then and those two companies are still going strong today. Gurney’s used to have a children’s package of vegetable seeds that would be included in any order for only a penny more. I also recall children going door to door in the spring selling seeds to earn a little money. The plethora of catalogs available now is astounding. The slick pictures and enticing descriptions makes one want to order one of everything. It is fine in a vegetable garden to have lots of different varieties but to achieve harmony in a flower garden it is best to have groups of the same plant — at least three to five or more of the same kind planted together. Resist getting one of five different flowering plants and get five or more identical plants. The reward will be a unified, harmonious garden that makes a statement. Just for fun every year, I order a vegetable and a flower that we haven’t had in the garden before. Last year the vegetable was edamame (edible soybeans). They were delicious with a nutty flavor and can be used like peas or lima beans. I will definitely plant them again. Pulmonaria was my choice for a flowering plant. It is a shade lover that blends well with hostas and ferns. Its common name is Lungwort. With a name like that a plant needs some redeeming attributes. It shows off pretty pink flowers that turn blue with time. The leaves, however, are what are most prized. The plant gets about 12 inches tall and 16 inches wide with dark green sword-like leaves speckled with silver spots. Pulmonaria brightens shade gardens and tolerates dry conditions. If you have access to the internet, just a few clicks can get you a free catalog sent your way, or even immediate seed shopping online. Gurney’s website is www.gurneys.com and Jung’s is at www.jungseed.com. You can also do a Google search for “seed catalogs” for hundreds of other sources. Get ready to spend many pleasant hours planning your dream garden. Sharon Quale is a master gardener from central Minnesota. She may be reached at (218) 738-6060 or squale101@yahoo.com. ❖