Show #121 - New Year’s Garden Resolutions: Growing Plants, People & Perspective
As the New Year approaches, Great Gardens Radio reminds us that gardening resolutions are life resolutions. Gardening isn’t just about plants—it’s about patience, appreciation, learning, and enjoying the journey.
A garden that’s 80% ready today becomes better every year, just like the gardener tending it.
Resolution 1: Enjoy Gardening & the Journey
- Gardening is a luxury and a therapy
- Dirt under your fingernails connects you to life
- Results are proportional to effort and knowledge
Soil is the refrigerator of nature, storing life until plants need it. Use coir-based soils, mycorrhizae, and humates to improve soil health and root growth.
Resolution 2: Appreciate Every Season
- Spring dazzles with renewal
- Summer overflows with color and growth
- Fall delivers perfection and reflection
- Winter gives us perspective and rest
Leaving seed heads, ornamental grasses, and berries supports birds through winter. Native plants like holly, viburnum, dogwood, spicebush, and beautyberry provide essential fats for wildlife when food is scarce.
Resolution 3: Reduce Salt in Gardening
Just like excess salt harms people, it devastates plants, soils, waterways, and oceans.
- Choose fertilizers with high slow-release percentages
- Avoid high-salt ammonium nitrogen
- Protect rivers, fish, coral, and soil biology
Europe solved this decades ago—quality fertilizer standards matter.
Resolution 4: Be a Smart Garden Consumer
Always read the “box of truth” on the back of the bag:
- Slow-release nitrogen percentage
- Actual grass seed content
- Trace element inclusion
Low-quality products disappear quickly but leave salt behind for a year. High-quality fertilizers feed longer, cost less per week, and protect soil health.
Resolution 5: Skip Liquid Fertilizers
Liquid fertilizers:
- Are diluted 256×
- Have no slow release
- Contain few or no trace elements
Granular fertilizers deliver steady, complete nutrition every day. Liquids are useful only for seedlings—once plants grow, solids outperform every time.
Resolution 6: Never Stop Planting Trees
Trees:
- Grow 50× larger over time
- Support birds, bees, and wildlife
- Improve air, soil, shade, and beauty
Winter is ideal for root growth and feeding trees. The strongest lawns and trees wake first in spring—nature always tells us who is healthiest.
Resolution 7: Embrace Container Gardening
Containers allow creativity and flexibility:
- Mandevilla, million bells, pansies, violas
- Dwarf conifers for winter structure
- Decorative rocks, lighting, and driftwood
Containers can be moved, refreshed, and redesigned anytime.
Resolution 8: Carry Christmas Forward
Kindness shouldn’t end with the holidays.
- Appreciate first responders, neighbors, teachers
- Practice quiet, anonymous generosity
- Small gestures can lighten heavy loads
Gardening teaches compassion—every flower, and every person, has beauty.
Resolution 9: Use Wilt-Pruf Wisely
Wilt-Pruf:
- Extends effectiveness of sprays
- Protects beneficial insects
- Controls spider mites without chemicals
- Adds shine and protection to foliage
It’s one of the most versatile tools in horticulture.
Winter Lawn & Garden Care
- Remove leaves promptly
- Mulch beds for insulation
- Fertilize and lime when ground isn’t frozen
- Avoid walking on frosty lawns
- Divide perennials and relocate shrubs now
Winter work sets the stage for spring success.
Houseplants & Holiday Plants
- Water lightly but consistently
- Feed once with high-quality granular fertilizer
- Amaryllis and paperwhites thrive with care
- Avoid trimming spring-blooming shrubs now
Houseplants rely on us—no worms, rain, or natural nutrients indoors.
Wildlife Care in Winter
- Feed birds with seed, suet, and feeders
- Protect landscapes from deer using repellents
- Control moss safely on lawns and hardscapes
A healthy garden supports life year-round.
