Time for a little visit with our old friend Janus, the two-faced Roman god and eponymous source for the first month of the year. With the unique gift of being able to look in two directions at once, he is the perfect symbol for a month in which we forge ahead while also casting a couple of wistful glances over our shoulders towards the year just past.
Especially is this true of gardeners. Already knee-deep in garden catalogs, we are full of fanciful dreams, our yearnings and choices deeply influenced by the triumphs and disasters of the year just past. (My tomato crop — sigh. Too hot in July for the blossoms to set fruit, I think. But 2012 will yield a bumper crop, right?) And so it goes.
To help you get moving in the right direction and to ensure bumper crops for all, we are again publishing our ever-popular Planning Guide, full of information, charts and tips that you can use all year.
If you’re a beginner, you’re sure to take heart when you read about La Grange gardeners Larry and Lou Ann Grabowski who truly knew nothing when they began (Page 46). Hard to believe when you see the photos of their garden today, overflowing with both flowers and vegetables.
Novices and experienced gardeners alike will want to read the latest report from Jim Nau, manager of the gardens at Ball Horticultural Company in West Chicago, as he reviews the best-performing new plants from their trial gardens (Page 38).
Planning to plant a tree or two this year but concerned about picking one that won’t succumb to a disease in a few years? Deb Terrill explains how good planting practices will help you avoid problems and her chart of disease-resistant choices facilitates the decision process.
Want to try growing some plants from seed? Begin modestly, but for jaw-dropping inspiration, read about Richard Tilley, who sows and successfully grows more than a thousand seeds each year in his Wicker Park basement (Page 22).
We also offer handy-dandy charts on selecting easy-to-grow annuals and shrubs, plus a timeline for growing vegetables. Everything you need to know to get started and more (Page 52).
This issue we introduce our own take on the “plant of the month” concept. Throughout the year, a different writer will pick his or her “favorite” plant each issue. Since we’re now in the depths of winter, Betty Earl is writing about her favorite houseplant, one that has provided her with sure-fire success over the years. Turn to page 13 to find out what it is.
And since this is January, it’s the month for — what else — resolutions. So Cathy Jean Maloney has conducted a little poll among our members, asking us for our chief gardening resolutions for 2012. The guiding principle was to be “reasonable” resolutions, meaning ones that we might actually keep. I’m already feeling a little dubious about mine.
Carolyn Ulrich
Editor
