Pause and reflect
Published 3:00 pm Tuesday, January 6, 2026
“What’s growing on?”
As I look out at my gardens on this cold and frosty winter morning, I see patterns in the evergreens and last summer’s fading grasses. It appears that time has stopped, and the earth is still and quiet under the hold that winter has taken. This is such a magical time as frost covers and coats all in its path, continuing its beauty through the early morning hours. Now is the time to reflect on last year’s gardens, as we wait patiently for the earth to warm again. I delight in this quiet, reflective time as I remember all too well the scorching heat and drought of last year, praying that we will have a gentler garden year in 2026. I see spaces that could easily be filled with new plant material, possibly changing the course of my view or leaving open spaces to broaden my view.
Either way I decide to go, it will possibly give me inspiration to reconfigure the lay of the land. Oh, how I love the winter garden dreams! Now, let’s think about our seed inventory for this next gardening year. Seed catalogs have been streaming in since early December, and this is the best time to order, as many companies are offering discounts and free shipping. You will find your best selections now and fewer if you put this on your back burner and wait…Here are a few of my favorite seed companies: The Gardener’s Workshop, Swan Island Dahlias, Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, K. van Bourgondien, Floret Flowers, Park Seed, Burpee’s, and many more too numerous to mention, but you get the point. There are a lot of choices online, as well as your favorite garden centers across the state to choose from.
January is an excellent time to plan your Spring garden and determine what you will need as the days lengthen and begin to warm. If you find a few dry days, you can add compost and work it into the soil to loosen and aerate the soil and aid plant production. Check and remove any diseased plant material. You don’t want that hanging around, getting the edge on this Spring. If you are storing glads, cannas, or dahlias, check on them to make sure they have not become moldy or soft. Remove them if they have, as this will quickly spread through the whole box. After I dug my glads last fall, cured them, and cleaned them, I put them in net bags to store. I noticed yesterday that several have already sprouted or broken dormancy and are ready to go. However, I will have to keep them inside until mid-May before returning them to the ground.
Please don’t forget to check your bird feeders and water source for our winged friends, as they need all the help we can give them to make it through the Winter. Wild Birds Unlimited in Lexington and Frankfort has a great selection of seeds and feeders for all types of birds, and they will be happy to help you with your questions.
For me, Winter is also a time to catch up on reading and relaxing (thankfully) and I have come across several interesting books over the years on gardening; Founding Gardeners and The Brother Gardeners, both by Andrea Wulf, Nature’s Best Hope and Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy, Wildlife in Your Garden edited by Karen Lanier and of course any Martha Stewart books on gardens. Also, check out your local library for its collection of garden books.
Wishing you a Happy, Healthy 2026.
Joanna Kirby