January is filled with garden dreams

I think Josephine Nuese, author of "The Country Garden," said it best: "Anyone who thinks gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year; for gardening begins in January with the dream."

Many gardeners enjoy dreaming about their gardens as much as tending them. We dream of renovating overgrown perennial borders, enlarging vegetable gardens, installing new beds, and experimenting with new plants. There are probably as many dreams as there are gardeners.

Plant catalogs

Plant catalogs have been helping gardeners dream for centuries. Starting as simple price lists, they evolved into thick catalogs filled with photos rich with color, detailed descriptions and growing tips of hundreds of plants - fruits, vegetables, annuals, perennials, shrubs - depending on the grower.

Like a child with the "Sears Wish Book" of Christmases past, we devour them circling prospects, dog-earing pages, dreaming of the possibilities. Logic doesn't have to take over until order forms are filled out.

Journals and photos

Garden journals and photographs of last year's landscape help gardeners reflect on past seasons and give us a place to begin our dreams for the upcoming season. If September was devoid of color in the perennial border, imagine Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium) or goldenrod (Solidago) strutting its stuff in the garden next year. Notes made about plant combinations seen at a local garden centers will jump start container dreaming.

Jot down thoughts, map out container ideas, and make long lists of new plants to try without restraint - dreams have no limits. As spring grows closer, long lists can be reined in to match available space and wallet size.

Calendars

Whether gardeners are high-tech and employ apps on smartphones or use good old-fashioned paper calendars, many a floral fantasy has begun with these. Enter events like garden walks, symposiums and plant society meetings. Plan visits to public gardens. Note timely garden activities you don't want to forget, like sowing sweet peas, pruning clematis or hydrangea, and planting fall crops of peas and broccoli.

Dream of the sweet fragrance, magnificent flowers and crisp taste while helping to avoid garden gaffes as the season unfolds.

Books, magazines & blogs

Armchair gardening includes a huge stack of garden books, magazines and a laptop computer. Cold winter nights are ideal for learning about new plants, new methods and checking out garden blogs to connect with folks passionate about gardening. Just keep dreaming!

• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield. Call (630) 293-1040, ext. 2, or visit gardenwithdiana.com.