BY JANET SCHOEBERLEIN
January is a great month for indoor gardening. Sit in your easy chair and feast your eyes on the beautiful photos in the seed catalogs. When the weather is warmer, there won’t be time, so enjoy it now.
If you haven’t already received a bunch of gardening catalogs in the mail, try the internet for an unlimited supply. Here is what to look for as you browse:
First, remember that Woody Creek has a tough climate for growing any-thing, whether flowers or trees and bushes. We are at 7,400 feet with wild temperature swings, even in the same day. There are periods of several weeks when no rain falls, and plants have to receive irrigation or other forms of watering in order to survive. We live in a high desert, where sagebrush and junipers are the native vegetation,. Spruces and cottonwoods grow only along waterways.
Our soil here in Woody Creek has been described as ground-up, or de-composed granite: that is, it was formed by glaciers grinding away at the rocks, so if a plant requires a rich, fertile soil, you may have to go to a lot of trouble to provide it, such as by using compost and potting soil.
When looking in the catalogs for any kind of perennials, one of the first things to notice is the zone number. You are always safe with zone 3, but if you run across the rare zone 2, be assured you have found a really tough plant that will survive as far north as Alaska. Of course, you must also notice whether the plant can stand drought and poor soil. If so, you have a winner for our area. A plant may be labeled zone 2, but may need extra water, such as an .Alberta spruce. Some zone 2 plants are Oregon grape, kinnikinnik, chokecherries, and sempervivens (hens and chicks).
Usually a zone 4 plant will make it here also. Zone 5 is more suitable for a lower elevation and probably won’t survive the winter. I do have a Russian Sage that was labeled a zone 5 at the nursery. It has survived for three years, but does not bloom until September, whereas down valley at lower altitudes you see it blooming in July. If you want to really tough plants that can get along with out any extra water, see what is growing in the “hell strips”, or really dry places where no irrigation is supplied
If you can provide a favorable climate for a plant, such as a protected
south-facing location, then a plant may survive here even if it is listed as
suitable for a lower elevation.
Another thing to watch for in the catalogs is the rare perennial plants, which are described as evergreen. They add a touch of green to your winter garden when the snows melt. Bare dirt is ugly to a gardener, so an evergreen ground cover is to be treasured.
Enjoy your armchair gardening. Maybe even draw up a rough plan – it could save a lot of work to plan ahead. There won’t be much time for planning after the season starts. Later we’ll talk about improving the soil, raised gardens, bushes and trees, and more.
