The weather is not cooperating but that doesn’t mean we cannot be thinking of ways to amp up our garden. With, no doubt, the pain of heating bills still dipping into our pocket books this year might be the best yet to consider cheaper solutions to a magnificent garden, please read “Thrifty Gardening” to learn some valuable tips on saving some green while growing the green.

The weekend is almost upon us and now is the time to dust off your shears, don a long sleeved shirt and go partake in a little rose pruning. March is the time to trim off the dead winter growth, ventilate our roses with some trimming and reshape these tried and true plants for another gorgeous show. By trimming roses they will not only perform better but their blooms will be more prolific and larger, to learn more please read my article, rose pruning. Enjoy one of the first garden tasks of this young growing season!

Mid-February signifies that it is time to start sowing our seed packets. Yippee, the gardening has begun! It is best to use fresh seeds, you’ll need a sunny window and in a couple of weeks…voila, little sprouts of broccoli or pansies or whatever seeds you choose will be poking their tiny heads up welcoming the arrival of spring. To learn more about which seeds to plant when and how best to get started, go check out my article about starting seeds. Enjoy, truly bringing a plant to life from those first roots and that introductory sip of water to the mature plant it will soon flourish into.

Finally the weather is warming and all those thick sheets of ice are melting, turning lawns into sloshy, soggy marshes. It might be time to strap on those boots and wade through the garden with a journal in hand. Sketch areas in your garden that are lacking and start to plan what you might sow in the spring…go check out my article - a gardeners journal. It is full of inspirational reasons to write down thoughts on your garden, tear out pictures from magazines, keep seed packets, and compile a diary on the earth that frames your haven.

The big V-Day is quickly approaching. I’m traveling in Mexico enjoying the natural beauty of this lush, tropical paradise. If you are in a colder climate and can’t walk out on the patio and pluck a hybiscus straight off the bush to extend to your lover, no worries. Check out my newest article about flowers, their meaning and much more at •Mi Amore! and kisses to you and yours.

Hey lovers, Valentines Day is right around the corner and if you are looking for a unique gift that will keep on giving, try planting a chocolate lovers garden. Believe it or not, there is a bevy of flora that sports shades of the lush chocolate brown color and/or wafts of the sweet aroma of chocolate. From chocolate scented lilies to chocolate cosmos blooms, this garden will only grow with your love. Check out this informative article about how to get started on a chocolate garden.

Valentines day is right around the corner, and hopefully this year your sweetie will be showering you with all things pertaining to love. If your betrothed shells out the big bucks for fresh flowers, slather him/her with kisses and set them in a prominant place…no where near a heating vent! Unlike your deep abiding love, flowers sadly fade, wither and die but there are some steps you can take to keep them looking fresh and lovely as long as possible. Read my article, “Make Your Flowers Last” under “informative”, it is a how-to with lots of tips you’ll use from this Valentines Day until…well, with any luck your 75th anniversary. Happy love!