February is the shortest month of the year, but for us gardeners it often feels like the longest. Here in Iowa, we can go for weeks without seeing the sun…just cold, windy, sometimes snowy, gray days. Now that March is here, Spring doesn’t seem so far off. We’ve had some nice, sunny days, temperatures that only require a jacket, and our first thunderstorm. We’re on the down hill slide, now!

Back in early winter, I was interviewed by Quest Magazine for an article they were doing on accessible gardening. Quest Magazine is published for families who have members with a form of Muscular Dystrophy. The article is in the current issue and can be read on the Quest website. The article turned out really good and has some great tips for making gardening tasks easier…whether you have physical limitations or not!

A Growth Industry: Gardening Offers a Great Benefits Package

We ended February with the first ever Independence Area Home Show here in town. It was a small show compared to some we’ve done in the past, but the turn out was good for the first try and it was nice to see some familiar, friendly faces. Overall, it was just a good way to get out of the rut of winter. We received lots of comments on our new banner…

The first weekend in March, we spent in the greenhouse potting up our first plant shipment of the year. And what a riot of colors! Jackie’s husband, Jim, is working with us to grow our business. He is specializing in unique and unusual vegetables and annuals. The new greenhouse is now full (literally!!) of these colorful annuals, plus more tomatoes that I knew existed…some quite strange. We’ve got one more shipment of annuals to come before our perennials and water plants start coming. Where are we going to put everything?!?

The month of May could not be any busier! Saturday, May 6th we will be vending at the Indian Creek Nature Center in Marion. That is always a fun, crazy morning!

The following Saturday, May 13th, is our annual Spring in the Country Open House. We’ve got a full, exciting day of speakers lined up, so let’s all cross our fingers for good weather!! Topics our speakers will cover include edible flowers - complete with tasty samples, evening gardening, and pond construction and maintenance basics. You can find the details here:

http://www.inthecountrygardenandgifts.com/spring_open_house.php

Finally, on Saturday, May 20th we are setting up at the Pond Expo in Cedar Rapids. This will be the first ever strictly pond and water garden trade show in the state of Iowa. The event is being hosted by the Eastern Iowa Pond Society and is being held at Hawkeye Downs. There will be vendors from all over Iowa and surrounding states selling their goods, plus seminars and speakers all day long. It should be an exciting day for pond lovers!

It’s a good thing there aren’t any more weekends in May…but we can’t wait for the time to come!