In This Issue:

1. Settle in for a long winter's nap...NOT!

Happy New Year, all you Gardenerds, and welcome to 2007.  This is a very promising year – namely because an all-new Gardenerd.com is coming your way very soon.  In the next month or so, we’ll be unveiling the new website with lots of exciting new features like Ask Gardenerd, where you will have a chance to submit your burning gardening questions to the Gardenerd herself.  Before then, however, there are many things to do in the garden.  Weeding, mulching, cleaning up and sharpening tools, rose pruning (read below for simple primer on how to prune your roses in no time), and best of all – seed catalog browsing.  So prepare to get motivated (if you aren’t already) and resolve with me to live deeply and enjoy this year of gardening to its fullest.   

2. Seed Catalogue Mania

They’re coming.  No, they’re here!  Those beautiful, four-color glossy pamphlets of joy known as seed catalogues.  Not only do they light up my face like fireworks on the forth of July when I open the mailbox, they kick me gently in the pants to remind me that it’s time to plan that spring garden!  This year, I’ve already received my usual favorites: Seeds of Change, Territorial Seed Company, Peaceful Valley Farms, but a new catalogue has appeared in my mailbox that shows great promise: John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds.  This catalogue features beautifully illustrated pages of vegetables and flowers, many of which are heirloom or open pollinated.  They aren’t organic, but they do guarantee that their seeds are not treated or genetically modified.  They are also members of Slow Food International, an organization I’ll be talking about in future issues of the Gardenerd Gazette. 

So check out their website for a wonderful assortment of seed collections for every occasion, as well as recipes for every vegetable you can imagine. 

Link: http://www.kitchengardenseeds.com/

3. Product of the Month: Gardenerd Sweatshirt

Let’s face it - it’s cold out there!  Don’t get stuck in the cold this winter when you can enrobe yourself in a Gardenerd Sweatshirt.  This Haines Heavyweight long-sleeved cotton/poly blend sweatshirt will keep you warm as you mulch your muddy pathways and borders. Don't go another winter without it!  

4. Gardenerd Tip of the Month: Rose Pruning

Regardless of where you live, the best time to prune your roses is after the last frost.  In some places, that’s as early as January, or as late as May.  Due to popular demand, not to mention appropriateness, I’m republishing my Rose Pruning Primer from last year’s February newsletter.  I hope it helps make this year’s pruning a less daunting task:

With all the tomes about how exactly to prune rose bushes, it's easy to get caught up in the fear of maiming or killing your prized Mr. Lincoln or Just Joey. There are a few simple rules, however, that should help you stay on track and guide your roses to bloom once again:

1) Remove all the leaves

2) Cut away any horizontal branches

3) Cut vertical branches (canes) above a bud about half an inch away

4) Make your cuts on an angle away from the bud (so water runs off the cut end when it rains)

That's really all you need to know. They say the more vigorously you prune, the stronger your plant will become. So be daring, if you haven't already taken the plunge. Let's all hold hands as we reach for our Felco pruners  (I use Felco #6’s for small hands Felco No. 6 Pruner) and dream of fragrant blossoms in the spring.

For more information on roses and rose care, click here:  

Link: http://www.organicrosegardening.com

Stay tuned for more gardening tips and tidbits from the Gardenerd.  Happy Winter Gardening!