Now’s A Great Time To Catch Gardening Bug

I would like to start off the new year by dedicating the next couple of columns to all beginning gardeners - those brave, ambitious folk who would love to give gardening a whirl but simply don’t know where to start.

So, for all you beginners out there, here is the first installment of Basic Gardening 101:

1. Ask questions. And remember, there is no such thing as a dumb garden question.

Though your neighbor may offer excellent advice, the best and most up-to-date information is usually garnered from professionals. Your local county extension office - the Spokane County Extension (222 N. Havana, 533-2048) or the Kootenai County Extension, (106 Dalton, Coeur d’Alene; 208-667-6426) - offer the latest in horticulture research from Washington State University and the University of Idaho. Both offices are staffed by certified Master Gardeners during the growing season. Not only will the Master Gardeners give you the most current information, but the offices also offer informative bulletins on just about everything that creeps, crawls and grows.

Local nurseries are another great source of helpful information. The nursery staff can give you advice on the health and care of specific plants and they can help you choose the right plants for your garden. This is one of the reasons it’s best to buy through local nurseries rather than through catalogs.

And, of course, you can always contact me by writing me at The Spokesman-Review, 999 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA 99201.

2. Have a few good garden reference books on hand, but be careful. The gorgeous pictures and seemingly simple gardening techniques can easily draw you into a world of no return. A couple such reference guides you can count on are the “Reader’s Digest Illustrated Guide to Gardening” and the “Better Homes and Gardens Complete Guide to Gardening.” Both books offer simple, easy-to-understand guides on most any subject.

If you just want to try your hand at growing the edibles, check out “Gardening” by the National Garden Bureau or “Gardening in the Inland Northwest” by Spokane’s horticulture agent Tonie Fitzgerald.

Even the WSU Master Gardeners has a series of helpful garden booklets available through the extension office. Each booklet contains pertinent information on a number of garden subjects such as lawn, roses and perennials. For example, the rose booklet contains 26 pages of helpful information - rose culture, care, problems, disease resistance, roses for the Inland Northwest, climbing, miniature and antique roses. It also lists catalogs, nurseries and organizations that specialize in roses.

3. Join a garden club. Take your pick. We have dozens of very active clubs around the region. Check with the Associated Garden Clubs of Spokane or the Federated Garden Clubs for a group that meets in your area. The Gardeners of Spokane and the Inland Empire Garden Club are two very large clubs.

If your interests lie in one specific area of gardening, such as roses, irises, etc., specialty clubs will welcome you with open arms. If you are interested in these organizations, drop me a note.

4. Classes on gardening are always available through the Community Colleges of Spokane Institute for Extended Learning. These classes are usually offered during the evening hours at area high schools or at Spokane Falls Community College. Check the course schedule that comes in the mail or call the IEL at 533-3770 for information.

The Master Gardeners also offers a series of excellent classes through its Yard and Garden lecture series. Watch this column for details on these classes that usually begin in late January.

This concludes our introduction to Basic Gardening 101: resources. Next week we’ll take a look at the mechanics of gardening, always being mindful that gardening is not for the weak of heart or spirit. Be prepared to encounter a myriad of creepy crawlers, dirty fingernails and stained knees. This hobby is addictive. Once it snares you, it won’t ever let go.

, DataTimes MEMO: Phyllis Stephens is a local horticulturist and landscape designer.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Phyllis Stephens The Spokesman-Review