Press Banner

I miss the Christmas tree and decorations that bring color to the house over the holidays. After they're packed away for another year and the tree recycled it looks a bit bare around here. The houseplants get their favorite places back now near the windows. This an important month for them when the garden is asleep. I want them to look great but Mother Nature delivers darker skies and less daylight hours. Even though they are still green they are taking a break and don't grow much over the dark days of winter. Don't become a clueless houseplant killer. Remember houseplants clean the air. We need them.

Last year Scotts Valley 12-year-old Hollie Amaro performed a Robin Hood. Named after the famed archer of lore, an arrow Hollie shot during competition in Sacramento split an opponent's arrow that had previously struck the bullseye.

I plan to turn over a new leaf next year. I'm talking about gardening. The rest of my New Year's resolutions are too numerous to list here! I wish I could tell you that I'll never put in another plant that might freeze during the winter. I wish I could tell you that I'll really start that compost pile this year and duke it out with the raccoons. I wish I could tell you I'll make more garden journal entries and not rely on sketchy memories. But the reality is gardening shouldn't be so much about regrets. It's about the delight we get from coaxing plants from the earth. A garden reflects our lives; there’s always room for growth as well as reflection.

Scotts Valley shows early improvement