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"Joy is a more powerful motivator than fear."
~Dr. Dean Ornish
No Time to Waste.
There is a bone chilling wind out of the north, causing large whirlpools of dry snow to twist around the yard on the south side of the house. Today I am pleased not to be an apple tree, winter hardy as they are, much preferring to sit at my computer with the wood burning stove not too far from here. Heat is good.
Last week I went to the gym 4 times in a pre emptive strike against a turkey. And sure enough I managed to over indulge just the same. With a birthday dinner just around the corner there is little hope of burning enough calories to keep up to the intake this time of year. Oh well, as someone once said, winter is a gardeners time to accumulate some fat and spring our opportunity to work it off. At this rate spring cannot come fast enough.
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Canada Blooms the Flower and Garden Festival
Canada Blooms the Flower and Garden Festival will be celebrating its 15th Anniversary March 15 - 20, 2011 at the Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto.
Especially for 2011:
� The 'JUNO Rocks' Gardens, honouring the 40th Anniversary of the JUNO Awards.
� Sit back, relax in the Twinings Tea Garden or the Niagara Wine Garden.
� Master Gardeners' Advice Clinic - On Sunday March 20th from 12-3pm, Master Gardeners will have one-on-one sessions. Bring your pictures, your plant problems both inside and out, let them help you plan your garden for spring, summer or fall.
� Make & Take Workshops - Learn how to MAKE a magnificent hand tied bouquet and TAKE your finished project with you (extra fee applicable).
� Special After 5 pm programs - reduced admission fees after 5 pm - education sessions, entertainment and more.
� Find the latest and greatest in gardening exhibitors and artisans have to offer in The New Products Showcase.
� Theme Days. And so much more.
More show info.
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When I was much younger January was a drag. It was a month that I had to wait out, in anticipation of warmer weather and the increased activity level that it brought with it. This is no longer the case. 
Wood burning stove or a cranked up furnace: the result can be the same. Let the warmth of home sink into your bones while you gaze out into your frozen Canadian yard. Let your mind go. Try to imagine what your yard and garden looked like in spring, summer and fall. What was in bloom and where? Did you attract birds? With what plants? Will you move some plants to better suit your overall garden design? Will you add some more? Make a flower bed bigger by carving away some lawn area?
This past year I brought in several truck loads of mushroom compost combined with 30% sharp sand. I used this in every hole that I dug and around the roots of every plant that was planted. 40 yards of the stuff. I built up established beds with it. I hand dug bushels of twitch grass (my enemy!) and burned it. I ordered a full trailer load of bark mulch, 110 cubic yards of it and I spread it over my entire garden path system. I bought enough that I have a pile left over for this spring. I hope. 
Take the time this winter to review the digital pictures that you took of your garden last season. Just looking at them will help you visualize the garden that was and will help you develop a vision for garden possibilities this year. Take your time with this. Make some notes either on your computer or on paper, jotting down your thoughts as you consider changes that would enhance the visual and practical qualities of your garden. 
Amsonia hubrichtii is the Perennial Plant Association's 2011 Perennial Plant of the Year.
