Gardening

I am firmly in the "How could you possibly have enough, let alone too much?" camp, when it comes to growing most vegetables. This is perhaps not the wisest way to decide how much to grow and why I have a 2nd freezer and a wall of canned tomatoes in my home.

For those of you starting your first vegetable gardens this year and for the wiser experienced vegetable gardeners out there who are trying to keep things under control, here are some guidelines for how much to plant in the vegetable garden, gleaned from my own experience, friends and the bean counters (literally) at cooperative extensions around the country. I say guidelines, because it all comes down to what you like to eat and how well it grows. If you have some suggestions of your own, they'd be most welcome. Use the 'comments' link below.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Cut flowers look so beautiful in their wrapping that they can be intimidating. I'm sure we've all had rose buds that drooped the day after we put them into water. Sometimes you can fault the flowers themselves, but that doesn't really make you feel any better. Here are some cut flower tips, to make sure your Valentine's Day flowers last longer than your chocolate.

Photo: michaelaw / stock.xchng

The weather has kept all of us guessing this winter. What fun. It's been unusually sunny and snow-free in my area and I've been taking advantage of the weather by doing some pruning and even some weeding. I know it could still snow at any second, so I'm holding back on tasks like pruning my roses. The last thing I want is for them to start growing, only to be killed back by frost. But some of you already have pruners in hand and others are wondering when to start, so now is a good time to bring up spring rose care.

When you think about it, roses are probably the most common of garden plants. I mean, what garden doesn't have a rose or two in it? Very few. With so many people growing roses, how come they're still so intimidating? I'm guessing it's because they require pruning. If all of gardening requires faith, cutting something back to make it grow better is the true leap. But jump in and do it. You'll become a believer in no time.

As your roses start to wake up this spring, prepare to give them a a dose of TLC. A little judicious pruning, some food and a bit of preventative maintenance will save a lot of work this summer. Give your roses a running start this spring with some spring rose care.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

The emails have started. It seems some of us never got around to planted our spring bulbs. We've all done it at some time; bought bulbs, but never planted them in the fall. I realize some of you still can't work, or perhaps even see, your soil yet. So if you do have spring blooming bulbs you stored away, at leasat check that they are still firm and plump, in a cool, dark spot.

We've heard from gardeners who've managed to salvage their bulbs, despite the oops. A couple of folks potted up their bulbs and put them in a cold garage to chill for the remainder of the winter. One person successfully stored her bulbs in the refrigerator, in a paper bag. Another simply spread them on the ground and dumped a large bag of soil over them.

So you do have options. Here are some more ideas of what to do with your unplanted spring blooming bulbs. If you have a trick to share, we'd love to hear it.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti.

I have a thing for blue. Maybe it's because I don't look terrific wearing it. I will plant any flower that comes close to a true blue. Very often I'm disappointed, but there are also times when I make a delightful discovery. Only once was I successful growing the Himalayan Blue Poppy (Meconopsis betonicifolia ) pictured here . It was a challenge for me, but it was worth it. Here's my list of favorite blue (bluish) flowers. If you have any to suggest, I'd love to hear about them.

Photo: Hedwig Storch (Creatvie Commons) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Hedwig_Storch

Has Valentine's Day panic set in? Before you rush out to order the typical dozen roses, give some thought to expressing yourself more creatively with flowers. How about saying "Perfected Loveliness" with camellias? Maybe "Gratitude" with white bellflowers. Not the flower type at all? Send a basket of hazelnuts in hopes of a reconciliation.

If you can't decide, there are still always roses. Just be careful what color you choose... When it comes to the language of flowers, you have to watch what you say.

• The Language of Flowers
• The Meanings Behind Rose Colors

Photo: Sergio Dionisio / Getty Images Entertainment

The deadline for nominations for the 2012 About.com Gardening Readers' Choice Awards is Wednesday, February 15th. Get your favorites in the competition.

• Best Garden Blog
• Best Classic Gardening Book
• Best New Gardening Book
• Best Gardening Catalog for Plants and Seeds
• Best Garden Magazine

Nominations run January 18 - February 15th
Voting runs February 22 - March 21
Winners will be announced on March 30th!.

There's no prize -- just the bragging rights that come with getting recognized as "The Best", by the readers of a leading website, owned by The New York Times Co. Finalists and winners will receive a badge that they can place on their website and use in other promotional material.

You can read more about the awards. Sign up for my newsletter, if you'd like to get weekly updates (along with a lot of other gardening news and tips).

I'm still waiting for the chance to take a great shot of my red twig dogwood against the snow. The first year I planted them they were covered with several feet of snow. This year we have no snow (not that I'm complaining). I planted several trees and shrubs for the interest they would provide during the winter. I didn't even realize these river birches had exfoliating bark until they started peeling. Imagine my surprise!

I've read that bark peels to expose over-wintering pests, spores and bacteria to winter chills and predators. Smart trees and lucky us, because they really are a sight to see. If you're planning your garden for next year and want to add some texture to the winter garden, North Branch Nursery has a nice list of trees with exfoliating bark. And I'd love to hear which are your favorites - or if you even like them at all.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

You have to wonder what goes through the minds of the folks that name plants. Osteospermum? Really? It doesn't help to learn that it's some Latin/Greek combination for bone seed. Don't hold it against this plant. Think of it's many common names - African Daisy, Cape Daisy and my favorite, Blue-Eyed Daisy. It's the unusual combination of colors that makes Osteo so captivating. I was given these '3D' Osteos to try out this summer. They were doing fine - until the groundhog moved in. Apparently he loves them as much as I do. So my plants never really took off and the fluffy tufts of '3D' never finished filling out. Don't let that happen to you. Here are my tips for growing an caring for Blue-Eyed Daisies.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Sooner or later we all venture into the dark side of gardening - pests search and destroy. I think I'm more tolerant of problems on my flowers than my vegetables but looking through Debbie Hadley's 12 Worst Vegetable Garden Pests gallery, I see that I've had them all. Luckily she also gives some chemical-free ways to annihilate them.

Which got me wondering how garden pests decide which plants they are going to ravage? Do they choose to go on cabbage binges or are they just too lazy to crawl all the way over to the other side of the garden to woof down some peppers? Debbie also tackles the question of How Plant-Eating Insects Find the Right Food - a first step in how to prevent them from finding it in your garden.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti