As 2006 came to a close, New Mexico saw record breaking snowfalls in parts of the state with ample amounts elsewhere throughout the state. Perhaps this signals an end to the drought. At a minimum it provides an insulating blanket for perennials, moisture for tree and plant roots, and an image of winter that’s clean and white for at least a few days. The snow is much welcomed by Mother Nature and gardeners. The inconveniences it causes are outweighed by its benefits.
The New Year brings promise of a better year for gardening. Coupled with this assurance is the arrival of gardening catalogs in the mail with new plants to discover or old standards to rediscover. Perusing the colorful pages while viewing the fresh snow and absorbing the warmth of a crackling fire is a wonderful activity for January. Not much can be done in the garden now except planning for new plants and perennial borders or ordering plants and seeds.
I have not used seeds as much as I should have in past years. I don’t have the patience to carefully place them or wait for them to sprout. At other times I have scattered seeds and then been pleasantly surprised much later when they appeared, grew, and provided colorful blooms. Most recently I have planted seeds of Papaver somniferum given to me by Susan Blevins, a friend who had a fabulous garden in Ranchos de Taos. These gorgeous single and double poppies have thrived in my garden for two summers and, in turn, I have passed the seeds along to others, confessing that they are better known as opium poppies but it’s alright to grow them so long as they are used just for their ornamental value. I also purchased a pot of the single purple variety developed by Lauren Springer Ogden so now I have purple poppies retuning as well. The beauty of it is that I don’t have to do anything. The seeds fall and the plants return, spreading down the hill a bit further each year.
When Susan gave me the seeds she said to scatter them during the first snow and then do a little dance on top of them. I followed her instructions, except it was in January and not our first snow, and the seeds flourished. I harvested seeds from a native red penstemon that grows in my horse pasture to give to Susan. Exchanging seeds allows for new plants and new beginnings in your garden without the need to spend any money.
January is the month when we typically make resolutions to change some aspect of out life for the better. Include your garden in your resolutions and make plans for new plants and new beginnings for your landscape.