Green Thoughts in a White World
Greetings!

I keep saying that surely spring is around the corner, but
that the corner is way down at the end of a very long street. Sheesh. Can you believe all
this snow? And as I write, another few to several inches are predicted. Hand me the
snow shovel and the Advil, please.
Ah,
well. The plants are happy enough. Snow is considered "white mulch"
so they're well protected, that's for sure.
Meanwhile,
I've lifted my spirits by taking notice that the days are getting longer. And
I made a greenhouse visit to buy some seeds and get plants for a little
herb dish garden (see below). It's astounding, how much pinching off a leaf of
sharp-scented cilantro or brushing the lavender leaves to release their clean
fragrance can warm my soul.
Happy Indoor Gardening!  Veronica Lorson Fowler |

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Dishing on Herbs
My favorite centerpiece this time of year is alive, fragrant, and
tasty. It's a dish garden (planted in the big flat bowl I usually toss salads
in). I simply went to the greenhouse and picked out 4-inch pots of some of my
favorite herbs--basil, lavender, variegated thyme, cilantro, and parsley--and
planted them in the bowl. Total cost: $25.
Usually
outdoor plants, these herbs will do okay for a few weeks indoors before getting
straggly. Then I'll cut them down completely to use in cooking and pitch
the rest. In the meantime, I snip off leaves here and there to use in the kitchen.
Sometimes my son, Will. and I even pinch off leaves right at the table, adding a
few cilantro leaves to our quesadillas or a little basil to the spaghetti
sauce. How fun is that?
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Come to the Des Moines Home and Garden Show!
The Des Moines Home and Garden Show is Thursday, February 11
through Sunday, February 14. I'll be speaking daily on "Roses for Iowa
Made Easy" and The Iowa Gardener will have a booth there. Ben and I would
love it if you'd come by and say hi! We'll be selling and signing the book I
wrote, "Gardening in Iowa" and having a drawing of a cool English trug basket filled
with garden supplies.
The
home show is a great place to stroll and view an installed garden or two (smell
those flowers!) and learn all about the newest in home and garden trends and
gizmos.
Bonus:
I have four free tickets to give away. The first two people to email me and tell me that they want to come will each win two free
tickets!
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Snippets Coming Soon
Snippets will be starting next week! If you haven't yet signed up for this new service of short, quick, occasional emails on everything from weather and frost warnings to great deals spotted on plant and supplies, you can do so by just clicking here to send an email and say "sign me up for Snippets." If you've already sent an email, you've been entered to receive Snippets.
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Advertise with The Iowa Gardener
Your business will reach thousands of avid local gardeners
with some of the most reasonable rates around. Click here for advertiser
information, which includes a publishing schedule, or email us at info@theiowagardener.com. |
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Cool Beans
While you're perusing through those seed catalogs, don't
forget the humble green bean. Fresh green beans from the garden are so
delicious, that when they're picked really small--no bigger than a cigarette--I
love them as much as homegrown tomatoes and sweet corn.
Click here for my three favorite green beans and
growing tips. They're super easy and produce a ton, an excellent way to reduce
your grocery bill July onward.
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Good Label Solutions Anyone?
My friend, Craig, was appalled when he moved from San
Francisco to Iowa. That first summer, he carefully labeled all his roses with
"permanent" marker on zinc labels. And poof! Worn off by spring.
Welcome
to trying to label plants in Iowa. I've experimented with various labels, but I
can't find anything that is attractive (a garden is supposed to be pretty,
after all) and inexpensive and easy to make. Email me with what's worked for you. If I get a
good label suggestion, we'll feature it in this newsletter. I'll also mail you
a copy of my book, "Gardening in Iowa."
If I get several, we'll
create a whole web page on 'em!
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Update Your Iowa Garden Journal
If you started creating a garden journal using our templates, you can update your binder by clicking here and getting the February To-Do list. You'll also find the January list and a pretty cover page. Each month, we'll have another to-do list for you to print and add to your garden journal!
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Ask Veronica a Question
If you're a subscriber, email Veronica with your garden questions and she'll do her very best to get back to you within two business days. Click here! |
Garden Quote
"There's one good thing about snow; it makes your lawn
look as nice as your neighbor's."
- Clyde Moore
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Garden To-Do List Click here for a printable version of these garden tasks.
When shoveling snow, as
long as it doesn't have salt in it and isn't slushy, don't worry about tossing
it onto perennials and small shrubs. Fluffy snow is called white mulch and
actually insulates against weather extremes.
Pore through catalogs, garden books, web sites, and
magazines to plan for spring. Put your ideas into a garden notebook, made from a three-ring notebook, with pages for notes and photos, pocket folders for articles and
notes and a zip pocket to hold spring receipts and plant labels.
Make on-line and mail-order
purchases early. Supplies of the most popular items tend to start running out
in March or so, especially this year when vegetable gardening promises to be
popular once again.
Take inventory. Look over
your supplies, fertilizers, potting soil, soil amendments, and other garden
materials and stockpile now. You'll be ready to go once the spring rush hits.
Tidy up and organize your
garden supplies. Wash up pots. Use hot soapy water and rinse so the pots are
set for spring planting.
Start seeds of parsley, onions, perennials, and other slow-growing plants. Don't
start other seeds too early (follow label directions or read on up on them on
line). If you do, they'll languish indoors too long without the powerful
natural sun and get leggy and diseased. The vast majority of seeds should be
started 6 to 8 weeks before your region's last average frost date. For Iowa,
that means starting seeds in March.
If houseplants are
struggling, it's probably time to pitch them and replace. Otherwise, give them
a good rinse, trim off brown or problem parts, and top off the soil with fresh
potting soil.
Avoid fertilizing
houseplants this month. With less daylight, their need for food is less.
If you've
forced bulbs, they're probably ready to
take out into light and warmth now. Once the bulbs have sent up shoots a half
to one inch high, take them out and put them in the sunniest, brightest spot
possible.
Inspect any stored bulbs or
corms. If you dug up any last fall to store over the winter. They should be
firm and healthy looking. If they're shriveled or mildewed, toss them.
Force flowering branches in a couple of weeks. Once
spring-blooming branches start to develop tiny buds, cut them and bring them
indoors for forcing. These include forsythia, redbud, pussy willow, crabapple,
and more. Just soak the branches in a tub of cold water for a few hours. Then
arrange in a vase and watch them open over the next several days.
If we get any really nice
thawing days sometime soon, you can start to prune most deciduous trees
in late February or March. but wait until July to prune oaks
and walnuts to avoid wilt diseases.
Consider a cold frame. Build it now and you can start radishes, spinach, and
lettuces in a few weeks.
How's your mower? If you
didn't get it tuned up
last fall and the blade sharpened,
do it yourself now or take it in before the spring rush.
Same for any shears or
other sharp cutting or slicing objects, including spades and hoes. If you
haven't already, invest a few bucks in a sharpening stone. It makes all the difference. Click here
to learn how. It's easy after you do it once or twice.
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Sponsored Links
Iowa City Landscaping and Garden Center
Check out the
line-up of weekend seminars, including one this Saturday, February 13, on
cooking with vegetables.
On Saturday,
February 20, Tammy Yoder of Green Earth
Design will talk about
easy-care perennials that thrive on benign neglect.
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Garden Events Now through March Reiman Gardens, Ames Sit and relax in the conservatory with a collection of whimsical, traditional and colorful seating. Free to $7.
Sunday, February 14
Project Green Forum, Iowa City
2-4 p.m. at the Iowa City Public Library. Corporate gardener for test
gardens at August Home publishing, Marcia Leeper, will speak on
"Simplifying Your Garden". Free.
March 19-20
All-Iowa Horticulture Exposition II, Ottumwa
"The
state fair of horticulture," sponsored by the Iowa State Horticultural
Society, includes hands-on demonstrations, lectures, and vendors. Keynote
speaker will be Dan Heims of Terra Nova Nurseries.
March 26-28
Quad Cities Flower and Garden Show
More than 250 exhibitors
showcasing the latest techniques, supplies and equipment; landscaping companies
and DIY projects. The Iowa Gardener will have a booth and Veronica will be
speaking daily. Free to $6.
Include your upcoming garden event (we love garden clubs!) in our Events
listing. Click here to send us the info!
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