Posted on 01/01/2026 5:52:41 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to/removed from our New & Improved Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a MONTH Ping List, but we DO post to the thread all throughout the month. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time.
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
These Should Be Your Garden Resolutions in 2026
This year, resolve to reconnect—with your garden, your senses, and your wild self.
In the quiet months of winter, when much of the garden is resting, there’s an unexpected richness just below the surface. It’s a time for reflection, small shifts, and sensory immersion—the kind of recalibration that doesn’t require a to-do list or a total renovation. For Neive Tierney and Stephanie Lin, the duo behind Los Angeles- and Santa Barbara-based firm Nectar Landscape Design, this slower season offers exactly what many of us crave: a chance to reconnect with intention. Think of this season as a poetic lens to look at the landscape—and a compelling argument for skipping the performative pressure of New Year’s resolutions in favor of mindful presence. With a restorative design philosophy rooted in ecology, balance, and beauty, Tierney and Lin invite us to treat our gardens as places of return, not reinvention. In the spirit of a more grounded start to gardening season, we asked them to guide us through a handful of intentional shifts—gentle, achievable ways to cultivate calm and connection, from the ground up.
Less Can Truly Be More
Designing for Emotion, Not Just Aesthetics
Listening to the Land
Building Ritual and Resilience
Designing Around the Senses
The result? Gardens that grow with the seasons and keep inviting you back.
https://www.sunset.com/home-garden/garden-basics/new-years-resolutions-for-gardeners-2026
Beautiful, Diana!
Happy New Year!
10 Of The Best Gardening Books For 2025
https://www.gardenersoasis.com/best-gardening-books/
2025 Garden Book Reviews: Our Top Picks
https://www.hortmag.com/2025-garden-book-reviews-our-top-picks
Gardening Books to Curl Up With This Winter
https://gardenseason.com/gardening-books-winter-reading/
https://www.thekitchn.com/boursin-cheese-recipe-23761797
Hey, I got a little bit of indoor gardening in the other day!
I gave my son’s girlfriend a dish to put succulents in as a Christmas gift. I had some plants that were getting unruly, and many of them had “babies”. So I set up a space on the dining room table for us to create a new planter for them. Brought in a fresh bag of succulent potting mix and a few trowels.
We loved getting our hands in the soil for a half hour. Her arrangement turned out really cute, and she sent a picture when she got home with some miniature clay critters that she had added. (She took a pottery class not long ago, so had some little animals she had made with some of her clay.)
The dish I gave her wasn’t handmade, but it did have a pretty light green and brown glaze on it.
Anyway, it sure felt good to stick my hands in the potting mix. I think she liked it too.
Thank you! I love that stuff but have never made my own. It doesn’t look too hard!
I’ve made it and it is fabulous!
A fresh frozen Alaskan Happy New Year to you all!
Happy New Year from southern New Hampshire! A dusting of snow but not as cold…so far.
Seed catalogs are arriving.
How we start it out..from the NWS forecast discussion..
Central and Eastern Interior...
- Persistent cold weather in the Interior remains with
temperatures well below normal through the weekend.
- Most cloud cover moves northeast later this week, leaving much
of the Interior clear and calm as isolated snow showers along
the Alcan Border dissipate.
- Widespread temperatures in the 30s/40s below zero or colder will
continue with possible 50s/60s and below zero in the coldest
spots later this week.
- A long term Cold Weather Advisory has been issued through the
weekend for the Central/Eastern Interior. Areas of ice fog are
ongoing in Fairbanks and are expected to expand in coverage
heading through the weekend.
Mmmmm...That looks GREAT!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Happy new year my friends.
>>Coffee and Pastries on me
Please, no. Way too messy. You’ll spend the whole first day of the New Year cleaning your clothes. Coffee and pastries on someone else. Wonder who?
>>Homemade Boursin Cheese
Putting it into my recipes file now. Thanks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.