January 31, 2012

Tick Tock...

My word for 2012 is STRETCH...

Just because he is so cute.

In an effort to stretch my knowledge about the best timing for taking care of gardening tasks in Central Texas, I've been reading the Garden Guide for Austin and Vicinity, published by the Travis County Master Gardeners Association in 2009.


Filled with anticipation at being organized for the new year I went through the list of tasks for January and circled those that needed to be done in my own garden. 



Roses were planted,  larkspur seeds purchased, a few summer and fall blooming perennials were divided and transplanted...things were rolling right along.  I was feeling organized.

The last day of the month stealthy approached.  Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.  I kept going over my mental list of the jobs needing my attention.  A couple of small shrubs needed to be planted and the daylilies, irises, pansies and roses needed to be fertilized.

I made it just under the wire!   I can put a big check mark next to the items on my list!  Now to start thinking about February's list...I'm gonna have to be on it; February is such a short month.  Luckily, it's leap year...we get an extra day!


What about you?  What kind of gardening tasks are you checking off your list and what will you 
do with your extra day in February? 


Really cute.







29 comments:

  1. Aw, your dog is a cutie!
    I'm not even quite sure what to do with the unusually warm weather since we're sure to have a cold snap in February, but I've been doing a lot of pruning. I have so many projects to do, so little time..

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  2. Not much to do in the garden here apart from tidy up and order seeds for the spring. I've thought about doing both! If I had such a dog I'd take it for a walk.

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  3. Wait, I'm supposed to have a list of things to do? No wonder I'm always scrambling around in the garden! ;-)

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  4. In the fall…say around October, I begin to weed all the beds really well. Then, I bark mulch them. Next, I throw down a collection of seeds. I love poppies, larkspur and all the Texas wildflowers. I’ve also had a large garden project going on with my front garden, so with all that I just finished bark mulching my last bed this past weekend. What a feeling! Now, I’ll go around and thin the seeds I planted. On Valentine’s Day I’ll begin to prune the roses. This time of year is so exciting! Anticipation feels the air!

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  5. At this time of the year, up here, further north, I usually read, read and read. Also lotsa planning. I am planning what plants will go where since the new backyard last fall.
    Also, I am speaking at Canada Blooms, Ontario's largest garden show. It is my first time at the show as a speaker for the Master Gardeners of my region. So this winter I am doing lots of prep work for the talk.

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    1. That's wonderful, Patty! Congratulations on your speaking engagement. As thoughtful as your posts are I know you'll do well!

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  6. I like your word for the year. With this mild winter weather, I think my calendar will be moved up quite a bit.

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  7. You've been busy! Now I feel very far behind - I'm still weeding out the winter weeds!

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  8. Wish we had a garden guide like that...you are certainly far ahead of me...

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    1. No Donna, just reversed. You probably do a lot.more heavy gardening in the summer than I do. It's too hot here then. That's when I daydream and plan!

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  9. Most of the snow melted here with the recent mild days, but now the forecast is a bit too cold to do much gardening. I'm planning, though. :) And before we know it, the heavy-duty lifting and hauling will start. Good luck with your task list--you are very organized!

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  10. Unfortunately, I'm not checking ANY gardening tasks off my list :( It's a good thing the garden seems to have a forgiving nature.

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  11. Beware of diarised gardening guides. I relied on one a few years ago and it all ended horribly.

    I tend to wait until my body tells me it wants something to do before I start jobs! If I'm too lazy, it must be too cold!!!!

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  12. Doesn't it feel great to get your month's gardening chores all done?! My biggest project for February is pruning & fertilizing my 60 roses. Since the weather has been so mild this winter I feel as if I need to get some of my gardening chores done sooner. All the spring blooms are starting already! Your dog is so sweet and what a photogenic fella!

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  13. So far watering and repotting. I did try my hand at manual pollination (?) today. Hopefully get some great-looking hybrids.

    Your dog is a handsome one.

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  14. hermosa la imagen del perro, me encanta!!! hermoso modelo!saludos!!!!

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  15. Oops! I'm late. Still need to fertilize some things.

    I need to do some digging. But, it's muddy from the rain the other day, and more coming. Not complaining, though. The digging can wait.

    There is a lot of new growth coming out there. It's early for some of it. Must be this weather. Quite different from last year.

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  16. I have quite a few tasks on my list: annual pruning, planting up shared bed with neighbor, painting outside wall, repainting my gates, refilling sand between pavers that washed out recently... Need to get on it!

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    1. Sounds like you're ready to start tackling some big projects! Are you painting your succulent wall?

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  17. Hey Cat, wanted to let you know that I have awarded you the Versatile Blogger award. Thank you for your wonderful photographs and heartwarming posts!

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  18. Hi Cat, You are well ahead of me. Despite mild weather, the gardening season, with its associated tasks, is still a long way off.
    Nice to know that we have an extra day in February. (I obviously haven't been paying attention to the calendar.) It seems like a nice idea to plan something special for the bonus day. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

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  19. Cut doggie photos! My list is always longer than my time to accomplish it. I still need to transplant several shrubs and some perennials. Weeds are sprouting everywhere. Too soon!

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  20. I finally cut back a few plants. I had been refusing to do it on the grounds that winter would eventually arrive and the plants would need their extra wood/debris. But their gangly stems were driving me crazy so my urge to tidy up won out. :o) Plus, I've been buying new ceramic pots to repalce my ugly plastic ones.

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  21. Hey Cat,
    I think I just figured out what "pinning" is. I just looked at your Pinterest site! Thanks for pinning my potting bench. I see that it has been "re-pinned" (or whatever it is called) -- Cool!! Oh, wow! That site looks like a lot of fun! What a great way to keep track of cool ideas -- instead of having a file overflowing with pictures. How do you do that? I MUST start one :-)

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    1. Yes, Toni your bench is popular!! I do love pinterest. It's a tidy way to stay inspired. Contact me through email and I'll send you a pinterest invite.

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  22. Goodness, you are impressively organised Cat. I have a far more "fluid" approach to gardening tasks, which means when things happen can vary by a couple of months from year to year. Mind you, the climate I garden in is rather more forgiving than yours, so I think it matters less. Good luck ticking things off your list in February!

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  23. Have to agree with everyone who says how cute your dog is!

    As for gardening jobs, our Big Pond Project is still taking up most of our spare time. Hopefully with have the filter shed finished this month (weather permitting!)

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  24. What a great book! I will have to get with Toni (Signature Gardens) to see if Tarrant County has one. Silly me did not even notice there was an extra day. Where have I been? Outside, again, in winter denial. Isn't it great?

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