Dream and Imagine by Rambling Rose

I must warn you this is not a Christmas themed article. There are plenty of stories out there about mistletoe, poinsettias and whether to have a live, cut or artificial tree. This is about the renewal of passing the solstice, heading toward longer days and spring. Now that winter is settling in, dark grey and often times wet days, having an afternoon cup of tea is one of the pleasures of this time. Especially curled up with a garden magazine or catalog.

I do some of my best gardening in winter. Walking about the mulched or leaf covered beds is to let the imagination fly away. It must be like a quilter going into a fabric store and seeing all the possibilities waiting to be lovingly stitched together. A garden bed is similar to a tapestry, planning who compliments whom. Weaving together textures and colors that change over the growing season.

Back to the hot tea and magazines. There is so much information on line about gardening, but I prefer books and magazines. Something I can hold in my hand and turn back to when needed. I admit, proudly, I am a magazine hoarder. Some of my garden mags go back to 1986. There are articles I wasn't interested in 10 days or 10 years ago but now find the perfect solution for my latest project. Three of my favorites are Garden Gate, Fine Gardening and Country Garden. They all have stories for the Pacific Northwest area. When traveling in the UK I always bring home garden magazines, with the similar climate and passion for all things green they are very informative. Our BC neighbors have excellent resources too and again similar growing conditions.

For the holiday season my suggestion is relax, coffee, tea, eggnog or wine, snuggle down with a seed catalog or magazine and have visions of borders and flowerbeds dance in your head. (There is room up there even with all the sugar canes and lollypops floating about.)

Dream and Imagine for 2020.