We had a 57 degree afternoon today and I could not stay out of the garden. I put the collars on the four footed management, grabbed the camera, and we headed outside. While cutting back the dead mum stalks, I found these velvety shoots at the crown of the plant.
I didn’t clear away all the leaves because we still have some frosty nights ahead of us. However, all across the garden I discovered similar signs of Spring. The management discovered the new catnip sprouts. We were all very happy.
This past Saturday, Miss A., Mom G. and I all attended the 2015 Smart Gardening conference hosted by the MSU Extension office. This all day conference brings together a selection of experts from across the country to speak on a variety of gardening subjects. Before the day’s presentations began, updates on the Smart Gardening initiative was shared with the room of over three hundred gardeners.
The concept of “Smart Gardening” is meant to describe an approach to gardening that includes “science-based gardening, environmental awareness, and sustainability.” The main barrier to this approach tends to be a lack of information. The MSU Extension aims to overcome this barrier by making accessible gardening facts and tips to the general public. They have done a fantastic job doing so with the new Smart Gardening website, focusing on Smart Plants, Smart Lawns, and Smart Soils.
On the Smart Gardening website, there are many free tip sheets available as downloadable pdfs. Want advice on weed and grub control in the lawn? Download the Mow High pdf. Ever wonder what all those numbers on the fertilizer bags mean and which fertilizer to use? Download the Fertilizer Basics pdf. Have a shady area of the yard where you cannot seem to get grass to grow? Download the Shady Lawn Alternatives pdf.
If you are not able to find an answer to your gardening question within the Smart Gardening website, you can use the Ask an Expert feature. This allows anyone to submit a question to a gardening hotline of sorts. Maybe you found a suspicious looking insect chomping on your favorite garden plant. Snap a picture of it, attach it to your question, and send it off to an expert to be identified.
What is best of all is that anyone can be a Smart Gardener. It really is quite simple. Free information on how to do so has been made available. There are no complicated techniques or huge investments needed. If anything, being a Smart Gardener will save you time, energy, and expense. Check out the site and give it a try.
On the 15th of each month, many garden bloggers post photos and take note of what is blooming in their gardens. Those who participate post links at May Dreams Gardens. This month is usually quiet here on the Lot, so no blooms to share. But check out the snow drops and Lenten roses some of the other gardeners are sporting! The Outlaw Gardener has an especially beautiful collection.
In our Zone 6a, we are currently under a blanket of snow. When the Other Half and I attended a matinee film yesterday, the high winds were busy whipping about the most recent snowfall. With the winds we have below zero windchill that makes your chest ache a bit when you take a deep breath outside. This is the period of our Winter where even fans of cooler over warmer weather begin to look forward to Spring.
I am excited to attend the Smart Gardening conference next month. It is hosted in our little city by the local extensions office. This year I’ll have Mom G in tow! The conference is a reminder despite the weather that the chill will soon fade, the sun will return, and it’ll be the start to yet another growing season on the Lot.