Gardening Magazines Shine Light On Winter

Garden magazines can do a lot to brighten one’s spirits on these cold, winter days. What’s in them can also burn a hole in your pocket. Just when you think your garden is where you want it to be, along comes another irresistible plant or piece of garden art.

I hadn’t even made it through the first 10 pages of the first magazine, and the cash register was already humming — kaching, kaching.

The first item had my name written all over it: the Garden Fairy of Lost Things. This delicately detailed concrete statue carries a bag full of lost possessions. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a few lost clippers in her satchel. Resting on the top of all the items is a sparkling little silver gazing ball.

Page 11 was no different. I have been searching for a garden arch that would be wide enough for a small tractor to fit through. There it was, an English-style Gothic arch 54 inches wide. Its graceful arches will make handsome supports for clematis or a delicate pink climbing rose.

Before closing the pages on this treasure magazine, there was one more item that was too interesting to resist: a wire topiary system. It’s simply a wire claw base that supports a 32- to 38-inch tall pole that, in turn, supports a wire basket. The system is anchored by inserting the wire claw into the soil of a planter. (The picture shows it in a large terra cotta pot). The wire basket is lined with sphagnum moss or a coconut fiber liner mat. Both pots are filled with brightly colored annuals and greenery. What a charming display to place near the doorway or on the balcony of an apartment.

Before ordering, I’ll check with my favorite garden haunts to find out if these treasures are available locally. If you would like to see these gems, look for the Better Homes and Gardens’ Garden Ideas & Outdoor Living at your favorite magazine rack.

More All-American winners

Last week we looked at a few of the new flowering plants. Today, let’s look at some new vegetables.

First is a new pea called Mr. Big. The literature on this variety gives it two thumbs up. Mr. Big is an improved English garden pea. It has 4-1/2-inch long pods containing 9 or 10 plump dark green peas. This sweet pea usually begins setting fruit within 58 days after emergence. If grown on the ground, the vines will spread 2 to 3 feet; if trellis-grown, they can reach 5 or 6 feet.

Mr. Big is resistant to Fusarium wilt and powdery mildew. That alone makes it a winner in my book.

Savoy Express is a 55-day hybrid cabbage. This is a real breakthrough since most savoy cabbages take 100 to 150 days to mature.

If you’ve ever tasted savoy cabbage, you know it can be a bit strong and bitter. This new variety though, is touted as being tender and sweet. So much so that it can be eaten raw or slightly cooked. It makes great kraut, as well as giving excellent texture and taste to salads and slaws. And as an added bonus, this new cabbage doesn’t take up the entire south 40 like most larger varieties. It has little heads that only grow 8 inches tall by 6 inches wide with a plant spread of only 10-12 inches.

Blushing Beauty hybrid pepper is the last on the list for today. This is a large, thick, meaty-fleshed sweet bell pepper that changes color as it matures. It starts out ivory, changing to blush red, then to orange-red and finally to a darker red as it matures. Imagine seeing all this color in the garden on one plant. Blushing Beauty matures in 72 days, although its sweet fruit can be eaten at any time of development.

Mark your calendar

A class called The Artist’s Landscape will be given Wednesday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Corbin Art Center. Katherine Cole leads a visual tour through the gardens of Monet, Farrand and Jeckyll. Learn how to implement their ideas, inspirations and insights into your own garden. You are asked to bring a rough sketch of your yard to class. The fee is $10.

A Landscape for All Seasons class will be taught Feb. 9 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Corbin Art Center. The focus is on creating a design of selected plants that will provide enjoyment throughout the seasons. You are asked to bring a sketch of your yard to this class. The fee is $10.

To register for either class, call the Spokane Parks Department, 625-6200.

The Kootenai County Cooperative Extension in Coeur d’Alene begins its horticulture workshops Feb. 7 with Good Idea Gardens presented by horticulture consultant and WSU Master Gardener Diane Notske.

The class will help gardeners glean ideas from area gardens as well as from those elsewhere in the world. Learn how you can create interest in your yard and solve landscaping problems.

The class will be held at the Coeur d’Alene Extension Office from 7-9 p.m. The fee is $5. To register and for directions, call (208) 667-6426.

The WSU Master Gardens still has openings for its annual horticulture class series. The series runs Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. from March 2 and through May 18. These are the same classes those training to be Master Gardeners take. The cost of the series is $140. To register, call the Cooperative Extension at 533-2048.