Garden Chores: January

Now that the holidays have come and gone (whew!), I can begin thinking about reclaiming my life. This includes my sad yard. We moved into our house with the neglected yard a few months ago, and I'm sorry to report that it remains neglected. After a spring and summer of renovations, our neighbors had high hopes for the yard, but 5 months later - nothing.

I blame it on the baby. How can I spend my time gardening when I have an adorable face to snorgle?

New year = new yard. I have high hopes for 2012. Here are my plans to kick it off right:

ORDER SEED CATALOGS: There are a number of good resources for plants, and catalogs give you great selections, tips and resources. See below for some of my favorites.

PUT UP PRIVACY FENCE: We are putting in a privacy fence in our backyard. Our yard backs up to a neighborhood street. The slope means pedestrians and drivers can look right into our kitchen and living area. I'd like to keep that from happening. Plus, it will provide a nice barrier and screen.

PLOT GARDEN: I'm installing some raised beds for gardening. I need to start thinking about construction, irrigation and seeds.

DISCARD LEAVES: We were lazy this fall (ahem, newborn baby) so our leaves are piled into corners of our yard. We need to get them into our leaf mold or onto the street for pickup.

MAINTAIN MOWER: The blades on our old mower should be sharpened this month, before the spring rush.


Seed Catalog Resources

B&D Lilies: A wonderful selection of, you guessed it, lilies. 
Baker Creek: Heirloom seeds.
Botanical Interests: Heirloom varieties. Check out the website, too.
Brent and Becky's Bulbs: Bulbs to bring your garden to life!
Nichols Garden Nursery: For those who love to cook out of their garden.
Plant Delights: My favorite, and lucky me, a local source.
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange: Southern garden and flower resource.

 Note: These chores are for zone 7B/8.