Howard's gardening hints

Jon, 6.22.2012

I live in a condo, and the advantage of being in a condo is that you generally don't have to do any outside maintenance -- snow shoveling or yard work, that kind of stuff.  Our condo is one of only two in a building of a couple hundred units that has an outdoor patio, which is one reason we bought this unit, but a downside is that we need to keep it presentable-looking, and this year it has been suffering from benign neglect.  Jon, my son the garden-freak, couldn't stand to see our patio with only one plant and a six or seven empty pots any longer, so my Father's Day gift from him was a trip to the garden center to buy some plants.

So, after an evening last night of buying and planting with Jon, I have these tips to all of you reluctant gardeners:

-- Be a procrastinator.  By this time of June, everything is 50% off, maybe more, and everything is picked over enough that your choices are somewhat limited, which makes your decisions much easier:  Less to choose from!
--  Since everything is 50% off, you can stress variety and buy some plants that you think might not make it, and if they croak you'll only be out of 50% of your money.
--  Get to know my son Jon.  He has become quite the amateur landscape designer.  If you don't have a Jon in your life and you are unmotivated, then you might be staring at empty pots all summer.
--  Your yard will look so much better if you do it.