It is finally time to get the new gardening season started. Spring will be here before we know it and it’s good to be ahead of the game instead of playing catch-up for the rest of the year.

January is the perfect month to start shopping for roses, fruit trees, berries and grapes, along with other shrubs that are dormant this time of year.

Recently I had one of my readers reach out to me and inquire about how all the weather extremes of 2021 might impact our gardening experiences in 2022. It is a good question that is worth exploring, especially since I suspect this won’t be the last time we see such extremes in temperature, rainfall, and snow. Here are some of my thoughts…

As we wind down the 2021 gardening season it seems prudent to have a discussion about what this winter might look like. It will be the second year in a row that La Nina is the major influence in our winter weather patterns. What that meant for us last year seems to be proving true for this year as well.

For those of us that miss the pleasures of gardening this time of year, growing things inside the house can be a good substitute.

Forcing bulbs like Paperwhites and Amaryllis can help us fill a need to be grounded in nature and can uplift any soul mired in the gray doldrums of a northwest winter.

It seems like every year when I sit down to write a column on thankfulness, I keep coming back to the same things.

We live in a horticultural paradise and with the exception of a few heat lovers, we can grow practically anything our little heart’s desire.

Now that the thrill of summer has passed and the warm colors of fall are fading with each passing storm, our eyes should be being drawn to attractive broadleaf plants like Hollies, Aucubas, Fatsias, and Nandinas; and of course plants that have berries like Pyracantha, Cotoneaster, Snowberry, and Beauty Berry.

Last spring when my bulb buyer was sitting down with our bulb vendor working on our fall order of tulips, daffodils, and all the other wonderful bulbs that garden centers offer this time of year, I decided it would be fun to add a few varieties for my own garden.

By the time my wife and I narrowed down our choices, we had ordered no less than 2500 bulbs.

There is no excuse for a drab garden in the fall, or winter, considering that there is a multitude of plants to choose from that will brighten our gardens over the next five to six months.

In my world, September always feels like a continuation of summer, whereas October puts me in the mood for fall.

Shrubs and trees are starting to really color up, everywhere you look retailers are displaying mums and pumpkins (not to mention Halloween candy), lawns are waking up from their summer dormancy, and homeowners are going nuts with their Halloween decorations. 

If you are like me, you are probably a bit conflicted this time of year.

My summer containers, while looking a bit worn out, are still drawing droves of honey bees and hummingbirds and the thought of ripping everything out and denying these delightful creatures their meals is almost more than I can bear.