February brings hints of spring
Do I hear the rumblings of impatient gardeners out there? We’ve done the holiday thing. We’ve survived the snow and cold of January. Is it Spring yet? No. But there are a couple of events coming up that might make this month easier to take.
Next Thursday, garden author and blogger Amy Stewart will be speaking at the monthly meeting of the Inland Empire Gardeners. Stewart will speak on her latest book, “Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers” (Algonquin, 2007).
A New York Times bestseller, the book is an around-the-world, behind-the-scenes look at the flower industry and how it has sought – for better or worse – to achieve perfection. Just what you wanted know before you order those Valentine roses. She is also the author of “The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms” (Algonquin, 2005), “The Story of a First Garden” (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2002) and one of four writers on the GardenRant blog. GardenRant’s manifesto states among other things it is a commentary site for people who are “bored with perfect magazine gardens and in love with real, rambling, chaotic, dirty, bug-ridden gardens.”
A native of Texas but now based in Eureka, Calif., Stewart is noted for her ability to write about gardening in an engaging way.
Pend Oreille Master Gardeners
If an evening isn’t enough to get you over the February hump then plan on joining the Pend Oreille Master Gardeners for its second annual Winter Day in the Garden, Feb. 18 (President’s Day) at the Clearwater Lodge on beautiful Davis Lake north of Spokane.
At last year’s event, it was hard at times to decide which was better, the great speakers and classes or the beautiful setting right on the lake.
This year’s program will begin with daylily grower Margaret Dickson and Newport iris grower Robert Carr who will share their experiences about taking a gardening hobby into a business. Morning sessions will include topics such as the art of bonsai, planning a greenhouse, water-wise gardening, daylily collecting, tree care and a look at 30 years of working in harmony with the land at Tolstoy Farms.
Lunch will feature a talk by Gerry Kruger, retired owner of Blossoms and Bloomers in Spokane, on low-maintenance gardening and landscaping. The afternoon sessions will feature local author Jack Nesbit talking on the life of ants, how to extend your growing season, growing and propagating iris with Robert Carr, understanding what “organic” means with Dianne Green of Greentree Naturals, harvesting rain, modern trends in floral design and making woven twig birdhouses.