As much as I love to cook, I love to garden, maybe even more if possible. I am passionate about my gardens, which soothe my soul every time I venture into the garden. Even if I say I will just spend a few minutes pulling some weeds before I know, I have been working in my garden for hours. No matter how long I stay in the garden, I don’t want to leave; I must force myself to stop and go inside. I love nothing more than getting up early on a spring morning, grabbing a cup of coffee, and heading out to spend the cool early morning spring laboring in my garden. Laboring, yes, but a labor of love!

Every January, I long for spring and my garden. As I put away my Christmas decorations, my mind shifts to garden plans, including new plant acquisitions to enhance my already large perennial beds. I curl up at night with a cup of tea, searching through all my favorite gardening sites and catalogs, dreaming of spring while visualizing all these beautiful plants gracing my garden. On cold and long New England winter nights, my garden blooms in my mind, and my most beautiful ideas are conceived, with the wind blowing and the snow blanking my grounds. I can hardly contain my excitement as our long winter shows signs of turning to spring, brimming with all my new exciting plans for my garden. I go through this ritual every year, filling my soul with visions of things to come in the spring. It never fails to transport me away from winter towards a new spring, a new beginning.

White Flower Farms is my favorite catalog to start dreaming of spring, spending hours pouring over the beautiful pictures. I visited the garden center’s retail operation, which is a treat if you can visit their  Litchfield, CT location. I have ordered many plants from White Flower Farms, and I have never been disappointed with the plants. Their garden stock is of outstanding quality. Customer service is exceptional if you have any questions about planting your purchases. Another grower that I go back to every year for quality, price, and service is Dutch Gardens from Holland. If you are looking for large quantities of bulbs to plant in a large area, this is the grower who can purchase high-quality bulbs at fantastic prices. Again, I have never been disappointed with their plants and bulbs. I highly recommend David Austin roses if you love old-fashioned English roses as much as I do. You can order directly from the grower, and the roses will be shipped bare-rooted. If you follow the easy instructions on how to plant bare-rooted roses, your garden will be filled with beautiful blooming roses that very first summer. I only plant these low-maintenance roses because I don’t have the time for the fussier diva roses that require more care and maintenance. Maybe one day, but for now, I love these stress-free, easy-care roses that bloom all summer long if you pick the right variety.

During the winter, dreaming about new plant designs for my garden fills me with joy almost as much as being out in my garden brings all my plans to fruition. Even if you only have a small area gardening brings such beauty and contentment into your life, working outside surrounded by nature, getting all dirty, for me it is just heaven!