My January 2, 2015 newsletter to clients and friends...
Dear Gardening Friends,
Well, 2014 is history and now we embark upon a new year. I hope and trust that 2015 will be a good year for you, your family, your work or business, and your personal/spiritual growth, however you understand that.
My goal for 2015 is to live more mindfully or thoughtfully. In part this means slowing down so that I may be more aware (I don't mean slowing down while I'm working of course - I always want to give you the most for your money), but also it means acting more methodically and consistently in the myriad of small things every day - buying groceries and eating, keeping records, getting in some cardio time on my bike, reading my bible and other spiritual books, writing letters, keeping sabbath, and trying to encourage others. This is the goal anyway.
2014 was a good year for my gardening business. I am still not where I need to be, yet the year gave me the confidence that I can get there, and that confidence means a lot heading soon into my fifth year at career number three Of course I need to keep improving both in knowledge of plants and knowledge of design, as well as in various practices or techniques. And, yes, I am continuing to learn how I may always have work every day yet not keep people waiting unduly. It's an art and a science and I am getting there.
You know, there are not many of us generalist full time gardeners around. I have the business sense (I think) to develop along the lines of a small Hay Hill or Blue Moon, but I don't want to. I want to keep my hands in the dirt, keep my right hand wrapped around my Felco pruners, keep observing your plants and learning what ails them, and keep growing in my design imagination and technique!. I want to be a good gardener.
I just finished compiling/cataloging all of my financial information for 2014. It was with much love and gratitude that I put your names down in my ledger and remembered so many of the things I was privileged to do at that special place you call home. I just want to say thank you, thank you so much for your business and your trust, and for the opportunity to get to know you, even if just a bit. As important as your gardens and yards are, it is knowing you (and your pets - :-)) that enriches my life, so thank you.
Oh, and speaking of ledgers, if any of you need me to send you a summary invoice of paid work in 2014 please let me know.
I was blessed with many good workers in 2014. Most of them are back in school and occupied now. We will see what happens labor-wise in 2015! Terry Hemingway has been a God-send. He is a great guy and I have been blessed knowing him. I am sure he will work a lot in 2015 as his own job allows him to. And meanwhile I keep praying for a person who can prune. I could give a good pruner a lot of work! It is a disappearing art I am afraid.
I am grateful for some projects already lined up in January but as always I like to stay busy in these winter months. Oh, and before I forget, I received a catalog in the mail that reminded me about bulbs that can be planted in the spring for late spring for summer blooming or general color.texture, specifically elephant ears, caladiums, ginger lilies, dahlias, calla lilies, canna lilies, spider lilies, and so forth. Let me know if you are interested in ordering and planting any of these summer blooming bulbs.
I am still due a run over to Woodlanders in Aiken. I guess this is the last call. You can check out their selections at http://www.woodlanders.net/.
On a personal note, since many of you have asked over the last couple of years, I now have health insurance.
I've pasted the run down of things to do in the garden in January below. It is still a good time to plant/transplant, and given the absence of mosquitoes and snakes a good time to clean out ivy and vines and such.
I wish you every blessing in 2015!
Here's the January list...
Apply mulch - Mulch regulates soil temperature and moisture and does a great job suppressing weed growth in the spring.
Remove unwanted vines and trees - English Ivy competes with your shrubs for water and food and is easier to remove in the winter making way for proper bed maintenance in the spring. Although Wisteria is not an evergreen, it does not hide itself very well. It is actually easier to track down and get rid of Wisteria's underground runners (and root hubs) in the winter when access in and out of beds is easier. Green Smilax shoots are easier to see in the winter, and the tubers can be removed just as well in January as in July. Honeysuckle is not evergreen and the bark also gives it away. It can be yanked quite easily right out of the ground. Wild grape vines have very distinctive bark as well. These vines and others are so aggressive that they swarm your other plants in early spring faster than you can shake a stick. May as well get rid of them now. Winter is also a good time to remove some of the more common pesky large shrubs and trees such as Cherry Laurel, Ligustrum, Hackberry, and so forth. Even oak saplings are easy to see and remove, as they often keep some of their leaves in the winter.
Transplant - January is a good time to transplant shrubs.
Plant - January is a great time to plant a tree! Trees are good.
Clean up - One good thing about winter is that it is easier to see and remove those piles of bricks and concrete or rocks in the back of a flower bed, or old rotted landscaping timbers, or old planting pots hiding here and there. May as well get rid of that stuff while you're noticing it. It is a good time to remove dead wood from Azaleas or rake old leaves or old flower petals out from under Camellias.
Prune, Clip, and Trim - Obviously January is not the time to prune plants grown for their flowers (best to wait until after they bloom), but it can be a good time to neaten up ungainly hedges or prune tree limbs that are hanging over your shrubs. Boxwood can be selectively thinned in January and made more ready to fill out come spring. Some shrubs like Camellia Sasanqua that bloom in the fall can be pruned safely in January. Winter can also be a good time for neatening up non flowering hedges. Why be anoyed all winter by ungainly shrubs? January is a good time to trim back monkey grass, get rid of the dying stalks and leaves of last year's daylilies, cut back Ginger Lilies falling all over each other (and other plants), remove old Lantana stems, and so forth. OK, there are opposite views about when to cut back Lantana. Personally I do not think the very slight risk of water seeping into a cut stem and causing rot or fungal problems outweighs the unslightliness of gangly Lantana stems. I am actually not convinced that cutting back Lantana in the winter increases the chance of disease or cold damage, especially if one gives the crown area a good blanket of mulch. Some of the same arguments apply to Ginger Lilies and other plants. If Ginger Lilies are lying over other plants or lawn I would cut them now, and if not I'd wait until late February.
Prepare Soil - January is a good time to start to get the ground ready for a spring planting of vegetables. Bacteria and worms don’t stop working in our mild winters when the soil rarely freezes, and late fall (I think of December before Christmas as late fall) is an active time for worms and bacteria to work on decomposing leaves and enriching soil. Turning the soil in a planting bed, especially if it has some leaves or leaf litter covering it, can be a good way to prep the soil for an early spring planting.
Water - Remember to water in winter. Not only do plants still need water to live, but keeping the soil watered helps ameliorate the impact of a cold snap, just as putting water on peach buds during a hard freeze can help save the buds!
Plan - January is a great time to start thinking about and planning for the spring. Since we begin to get a lot of new growing activity by late February, Spring can sort of sneak up on us here in Columbia and by the time we’re ready for it we may have missed a window of opportunity. Best to get out the garden books and catalogs and start planning now, rather than then.
Of course I am available for these and other garden tasks. PLEASE feel free to forward this link along to anyone that you think could use my services.
Thanks,
Joel
Dear Gardening Friends,
Well, 2014 is history and now we embark upon a new year. I hope and trust that 2015 will be a good year for you, your family, your work or business, and your personal/spiritual growth, however you understand that.
My goal for 2015 is to live more mindfully or thoughtfully. In part this means slowing down so that I may be more aware (I don't mean slowing down while I'm working of course - I always want to give you the most for your money), but also it means acting more methodically and consistently in the myriad of small things every day - buying groceries and eating, keeping records, getting in some cardio time on my bike, reading my bible and other spiritual books, writing letters, keeping sabbath, and trying to encourage others. This is the goal anyway.
2014 was a good year for my gardening business. I am still not where I need to be, yet the year gave me the confidence that I can get there, and that confidence means a lot heading soon into my fifth year at career number three Of course I need to keep improving both in knowledge of plants and knowledge of design, as well as in various practices or techniques. And, yes, I am continuing to learn how I may always have work every day yet not keep people waiting unduly. It's an art and a science and I am getting there.
You know, there are not many of us generalist full time gardeners around. I have the business sense (I think) to develop along the lines of a small Hay Hill or Blue Moon, but I don't want to. I want to keep my hands in the dirt, keep my right hand wrapped around my Felco pruners, keep observing your plants and learning what ails them, and keep growing in my design imagination and technique!. I want to be a good gardener.
I just finished compiling/cataloging all of my financial information for 2014. It was with much love and gratitude that I put your names down in my ledger and remembered so many of the things I was privileged to do at that special place you call home. I just want to say thank you, thank you so much for your business and your trust, and for the opportunity to get to know you, even if just a bit. As important as your gardens and yards are, it is knowing you (and your pets - :-)) that enriches my life, so thank you.
Oh, and speaking of ledgers, if any of you need me to send you a summary invoice of paid work in 2014 please let me know.
I was blessed with many good workers in 2014. Most of them are back in school and occupied now. We will see what happens labor-wise in 2015! Terry Hemingway has been a God-send. He is a great guy and I have been blessed knowing him. I am sure he will work a lot in 2015 as his own job allows him to. And meanwhile I keep praying for a person who can prune. I could give a good pruner a lot of work! It is a disappearing art I am afraid.
I am grateful for some projects already lined up in January but as always I like to stay busy in these winter months. Oh, and before I forget, I received a catalog in the mail that reminded me about bulbs that can be planted in the spring for late spring for summer blooming or general color.texture, specifically elephant ears, caladiums, ginger lilies, dahlias, calla lilies, canna lilies, spider lilies, and so forth. Let me know if you are interested in ordering and planting any of these summer blooming bulbs.
I am still due a run over to Woodlanders in Aiken. I guess this is the last call. You can check out their selections at http://www.woodlanders.net/.
On a personal note, since many of you have asked over the last couple of years, I now have health insurance.
I've pasted the run down of things to do in the garden in January below. It is still a good time to plant/transplant, and given the absence of mosquitoes and snakes a good time to clean out ivy and vines and such.
I wish you every blessing in 2015!
Here's the January list...
Apply mulch - Mulch regulates soil temperature and moisture and does a great job suppressing weed growth in the spring.
Remove unwanted vines and trees - English Ivy competes with your shrubs for water and food and is easier to remove in the winter making way for proper bed maintenance in the spring. Although Wisteria is not an evergreen, it does not hide itself very well. It is actually easier to track down and get rid of Wisteria's underground runners (and root hubs) in the winter when access in and out of beds is easier. Green Smilax shoots are easier to see in the winter, and the tubers can be removed just as well in January as in July. Honeysuckle is not evergreen and the bark also gives it away. It can be yanked quite easily right out of the ground. Wild grape vines have very distinctive bark as well. These vines and others are so aggressive that they swarm your other plants in early spring faster than you can shake a stick. May as well get rid of them now. Winter is also a good time to remove some of the more common pesky large shrubs and trees such as Cherry Laurel, Ligustrum, Hackberry, and so forth. Even oak saplings are easy to see and remove, as they often keep some of their leaves in the winter.
Transplant - January is a good time to transplant shrubs.
Plant - January is a great time to plant a tree! Trees are good.
Clean up - One good thing about winter is that it is easier to see and remove those piles of bricks and concrete or rocks in the back of a flower bed, or old rotted landscaping timbers, or old planting pots hiding here and there. May as well get rid of that stuff while you're noticing it. It is a good time to remove dead wood from Azaleas or rake old leaves or old flower petals out from under Camellias.
Prune, Clip, and Trim - Obviously January is not the time to prune plants grown for their flowers (best to wait until after they bloom), but it can be a good time to neaten up ungainly hedges or prune tree limbs that are hanging over your shrubs. Boxwood can be selectively thinned in January and made more ready to fill out come spring. Some shrubs like Camellia Sasanqua that bloom in the fall can be pruned safely in January. Winter can also be a good time for neatening up non flowering hedges. Why be anoyed all winter by ungainly shrubs? January is a good time to trim back monkey grass, get rid of the dying stalks and leaves of last year's daylilies, cut back Ginger Lilies falling all over each other (and other plants), remove old Lantana stems, and so forth. OK, there are opposite views about when to cut back Lantana. Personally I do not think the very slight risk of water seeping into a cut stem and causing rot or fungal problems outweighs the unslightliness of gangly Lantana stems. I am actually not convinced that cutting back Lantana in the winter increases the chance of disease or cold damage, especially if one gives the crown area a good blanket of mulch. Some of the same arguments apply to Ginger Lilies and other plants. If Ginger Lilies are lying over other plants or lawn I would cut them now, and if not I'd wait until late February.
Prepare Soil - January is a good time to start to get the ground ready for a spring planting of vegetables. Bacteria and worms don’t stop working in our mild winters when the soil rarely freezes, and late fall (I think of December before Christmas as late fall) is an active time for worms and bacteria to work on decomposing leaves and enriching soil. Turning the soil in a planting bed, especially if it has some leaves or leaf litter covering it, can be a good way to prep the soil for an early spring planting.
Water - Remember to water in winter. Not only do plants still need water to live, but keeping the soil watered helps ameliorate the impact of a cold snap, just as putting water on peach buds during a hard freeze can help save the buds!
Plan - January is a great time to start thinking about and planning for the spring. Since we begin to get a lot of new growing activity by late February, Spring can sort of sneak up on us here in Columbia and by the time we’re ready for it we may have missed a window of opportunity. Best to get out the garden books and catalogs and start planning now, rather than then.
Of course I am available for these and other garden tasks. PLEASE feel free to forward this link along to anyone that you think could use my services.
Thanks,
Joel
