NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE A COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE WITH RESOLUTIONS WE WILL CARRY THROUGH
Again, Happy New Year! As gardeners, there are gardening trends that we can try to attempt in 2025. Here are a few resolutions I think about and talk to customers about weekly.
FIGHT INFLATION WITH GARDENING
VEGETABLE GARDENING
A well-planned vegetable garden can be expected to yield hundreds of dollars in produce. This produce is highly nutritional food that tastes fresher and better. As we watch the nightly news every evening, many news stories are on the rising cost of food. So, it makes sense to invest in vegetable gardening. Vegetable gardening is an inexpensive recreational activity for all family members to participate in and learn. Gardening is, without a doubt, both physically and mentally therapeutic. Give it a try this year!! Don’t forget that you can grow vegetables, fruits, and herbs in containers.
CONSERVE ENERGY
This past November, I did one of my NBC 12 television segments on CONSERVING ENERGY WITH LANDSCAPING. I got a big reaction from viewers who called and wanted to learn more. It is proven that well-placed plantings can significantly temper the microclimate around a home, resulting in a more comfortable environment and significant savings in heating and cooling costs over time. Think about planting deciduous shade trees on your home’s south and west sides. These trees will block the hot sun from heating your house in the summer, thus reducing the strain on your cooling system. Then, in the winter, these trees without leaves will allow the sun to come through and warm up the home, thus reducing the heat needed in the winter. This is a significant saving for your wallet and is helping to conserve energy overall.
PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT
REDUCE CHEMICAL USE IN THE LANDSCAPE
Every year, more and more homeowners are looking for alternatives to using chemicals in their landscape. Going more organic is a huge gardening trend with much momentum as we head into 2025. Reducing or eliminating chemical use is helping our overall environment. We are saving our bees and other valuable pollinators from destruction.
NATIVE PLANTS
Plan your landscape with food and shelter for wildlife, and incorporate wildflowers and native plants around your home. More and more homeowners are very interested in planting native plants that support our natural wildlife. And, don’t take more from the environment than you return to it if you heat it with wood—plant as many trees as you cut down.
CONSERVE WATER – BECOME WATER WISE
More and more homeowners are finding ways to capture rainwater to water their plants. It has been a few years since we have experienced a water shortage that has led to water restrictions. This past fall was abnormally dry for us. Thank goodness that our plants were in a dormant situation and not needing a lot of water. Also, proper watering will encourage plants to develop a deeper root system with greater tolerance to dry spells. Mulching cuts down on water loss due to evaporation. Tree gators, tree diapers, and soaker hoses are all suitable forms of watering to conserve.
IMPROVE OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
We must get our children outdoors and involved in growing plants and vegetables. Give children their plants and teach them how to care for them. When I talk to parents about gardening with their children involved, it warms my heart. I also love talking to some of our local elementary schools, which now include the basics of horticulture in the curriculum.
So, never think that what you do can’t make a difference. We can make a significant difference in our individual lives, and gardeners can collectively impact many of our nation’s problems.
Let’s make 2025 a remarkable and memorable year for us all.
HAPPY 2025 GARDENING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!