Edited by Dayle Cheever.
What is your 2017 garden resolution and how do you plan to implement it?
Vivian Blacky: To prune back heavily this year, because of all the rain and potential growth. I started already with orange, fig, and persimmon trees.
Lisa Rini: When water-loving plants die, my resolution (a continuation of a resolution in 2016) is to: Not replace them at all, or find a suitable low water-using plant substitute, or find some creative way to fill the space (e.g. glass, pinecones, driftwood, or boulders)… anything that does not require water!
Susi Torre-Bueno: Now that I have retired as the editor of the SDHS monthly newsletter, I have more time on my hands, so I plan to do more of the garden chores myself (instead of having our gardener do almost all of it). It’s great exercise, very relaxing and rewarding, and if I do some every day, it is a pleasant task rather than an onerous burden. I’m also hoping to try to stick to finishing one small area before flitting off to another part of the yard, no matter how much the weeds or pruning or deadheading, is calling to me from afar.
Giana Crispell: We will be moving by month’s end to a smaller place, from ½ acre to about 7500 square foot lot. The landscaping has not been updated since the 1970’s (ugh), so there’s a lot to be done. This time around, simpler design, lower maintenance, greater use of California natives, and of course, water-wise!
Mike Binder: Better and more regular fertilization. Adding worms to soil and adding the task “fertilize fruit trees/roses/ groundcover, etc.”
Nancy Carter: Find a happy home for more of the succulent pups and other usable trimmings from my garden by timing cleanups better to correspond with upcoming plant exchanges. Al Myrick: To be more at one with nature.
Cathy Tylka: I will take out all the plants that aren’t water smart for the North Escondido area of San Diego County. I may ask my husband to start tomorrow, as it has rained and they are easier to remove when the soil is wet.
Candace Kohl: I worked very hard on my garden last year and it looked wonderful. This year, may plan is to work less hard, allow it to be less perfect, and to spend more time enjoying it.
Tynan Wyatt: My resolution is to put in hardscape before I buy more plants. A nice saying I heard was, “Hardscape is the bones of the garden, the plants are the flesh.” If I can stick to my resolution, then I might just be able to get more plants in the ground than go into pots!
Sharon Ward: In April, I’m moving back to my house with a very large yard in San Marcos. I’m going to plant all the potted plants and trees on my deck in the yard and free them.
Stephen A. Zolezzi: New Year’s resolution: get rid of as many pots as possible! If planted properly the plants will flourish, take less water, be less susceptible to heat spells, and best of all, I can spend more time enjoying all the hard work!
Debra Lee Baldwin: I hope to make my garden more bird-friendly in respect to food, water, and shelter (i.e., provide feeders, nesting boxes, birdbaths, the ‘right’ shrubs and trees, and use no chemicals). I am also planting milkweed again for the monarchs—so very important!
Gerald D. Stewart: My 2017 garden resolution is to stop buying plants (bareroots being the exception at the moment) until all impulse buys that are still sitting around in pots are planted in the ground, or those for container use are planted in containers large enough that they won’t fry if overlooked during a heat spell.
Suzy MacGillivray: As a brand new member, I’m not used to sharing secrets… it may reveal some shortcomings! But my New Year’s resolution is a decent one for 2017 because, for once, my resolution has been resolved! I finally finished a new deck in early September, for the back of the house, in order to see over the Taj Mahal my new neighbors completed (that is a whole different story). It was 18 months in the making as permits, variances, adherence to code requirements, etc., were necessary for compliance. The downslope, of about 20 feet by 20 feet, made the whole facelift look naked and abused compared to the snazzy new deck. However, I had been collecting bits and pieces of hardy and xeric plants and shrubs since mid-2016. Then I got some bigger trees, and better plants. When to plant? The initial plan was mid-September 2016, but conflicted schedules got in the way. New Year, I resolved that I would get the garden planted ASAP! On January 3, 2017, I accomplished my resolution to finally get my numerous trees,shrubs/groundcover, and mulch (and most of the required drip) installed!!!