Cheering Yourself Up

The view out my window hasn't changed much in many days. Looking at it with an artist's eye, I could say that I see a stark, but textured landscape with rich colors playing off one another when the cloud covering moves for a short moment, revealing the lazy, late winter sun.

But really, all I see is brown, grey and more brown. Maybe some tan.

February and March are tough months to get through here - no matter how busy I am, the sameness of the daily landscapes this time of year works against my mental healthiness. Staying connected electronically is cozy and fun, but I wouldn't mind posting a little garden news instead of recycled NPR stories. Seriously.

Luckily, a fellow gardener friend shared this link the other day and it was a bright spot in the blight of my morning...when I felt as though I was pushing myself through another day. Read the whole story here, but let me share a rundown of some wonderful tips my friend Maralee Karwoski stumbled across to help us keep the faith that Spring will indeed come. My comments are in green (of course).

1. Sow seeds. Choose something easy that will germinate in a sunny window. It doesn't even matter if whatever you start never even makes it to the garden later. I've got 5 little spider plant spider-ettes in 3-inch pots on my kitchen window sill. Watering them and tracking their progress is at least something - and if I end up with something I can put out later, all the better.

2. Buy some annual/semi-hardy plants. This is the time of year when we see poor little primroses giving their lives in the name of Spring - showing up in the supermarkets, usually displayed outside. Buy some and enjoy them however, or however long, you can. Even our grocer wants us to be happy.

3. Treat yourself to some fresh flowers. Amen on this one. And as this blogger said: Slow down, turn on some good music, get a cup of tea. Take pleasure in arranging them. And if you think, as pointed out, that buying flowers is a splurge - think how much cheaper it is than therapy.

4. Read inspirational gardening magazines. Well, ho hum and pass the yawn on this one - like we haven't had our noses pressed into those type of pages every day. (Okay, I do try to alternate with seed catalogs). I'm also reading "Flower Confidential" by Amy Stewart, which explores the ways that flowers make their way into vases as I mentioned above - often traveling thousands of miles, from places your wouldn't even imagine. Scent removed; fungicide dipped for longevity. (That sure makes a case for growing your own).

Amy Stewart is a great garden writer and gave a talk on this book at a Master Gardener state conference last year, where she was our keynote speaker. That was all well and good until I saw how dang funny and engaging she was on stage; I was on the program to give a presentation that night at the banquet - "Gardening with a Sense of Humus" - and, quite frankly, I'd counted on being the funniest person at the conference. So, before I went on, I changed up my opening to comment on that - saying that when I saw I couldn't compete with Amy for laughs, I'd decided to give a talk on the reproductive cycle of the Spotted Wing Drysophilia instead (and suggested they refill their drinks). Whew. Good opening laugh.

5. Watch movies you love that are garden themed or have gardens or landscapes in them. This blogger suggested Jean de Florette, Howard's End, and A Room With A View. All good, and I would add Bread and Tulips to those, as well. My Netflix is definitely getting a workout the longer this winter drags on.

6. Check out gardens and nurseries. Oh. So sorry. But that won't fly in our area. I scarcely have time, what with movies and blogging, to walk around and look at a garden center's stack of last year's pots - because beyond the long suffering Primroses, nothing much is out yet.

However, this past week - here in our own homeland, we put the covering on the little hoop house out by the raised beds - and I moved about 100 pots of perennials in there to wake up and start growing. So, naturally, I have to visit there several times per day: It smells like garden in there; yes it does.

7. Visualize your garden as you dream it to be. I surely didn't need to be reminded of this one. My thoughts rarely stray far from gardening. And when I do that, I often lapse into Tip #8: Nap.

Maybe when we wake up, spring will be here.