A new gardening magazine and other tidbits

Today I am turning over a new leaf and heeding the advice of some intelligent person who once said, "Handle mail only once," or something to that effect. Before filing the stack sitting before me, I thought I'd pass along any tidbits that might seem interesting.

* A new garden magazine, The Gardener, will be hitting the newsstands in early April. The publisher is White Flower Farm, a national mail-order nursery. The former editor of Horticulture magazine, Tom Copper, is among the staffers. The Gardener will offer instruction and inspiration in garden design, techniques and plant evaluation, among other topics.

* The closing of the garden.com Web site saddened me. Like many others, this dotcom company simply couldn't make it on Internet business alone. Perhaps that says something about gardeners. Though we can find good information and products on the Internet, it would appear many of us still like to speak directly to our nursery workers, our peers and other local garden experts about our plant needs and problems. Gardening is a hands-on operation. Whether it's a hobby or a lifestyle, it's a passion that feeds our senses. This is something the Internet cannot do.

* For those interested in cultivating mushrooms, the Lost Creek Mushroom Farm is selling shiitake mushroom logs. The company will send you a log that is guaranteed to produce shiitake mushrooms every two months for up to four years. For more information on the mushroom log, please call (800) 792-0053 or e-mail lcmf@cowboy.net.

* For frugal gardeners, there's a new quarterly newsletter entitled The Tightwad Gardener: How to Enjoy Gardening More, For Less Money. Publisher/writer Joan Burgins says that although she thoroughly enjoys gardening, she has experienced its dark side. By trial and error, she has learned to avoid doing things the difficult and expensive way. She says, "It's possible to have a beautiful garden for not much money and to have fun creating it."

Burgins is offering a free introductory issue. Send a business- size, self-addressed stamped envelope to The Tightwad Gardener, P.O. Box 190076, Atlanta, GA 31119-0076.

If you like the newsletter, a year's subscription (four issues) is $8. Or, if you're truly a tightwad, you can borrow your neighbor's copy.

* When ordering garden catalogs, add One Green World based in Molalla, Ore., to your list. This nursery specializes in unique plants from around the world. Along with their many regular selections, this year they're offering a new red flesh plum with beautiful red foliage, two new varieties of sweet cherries from Hungary and a hardy persimmon from the Nikita Botanic Garden in the Ukraine. To request a catalog, simply call (800) 418-9983.

Mark your calendar

The WSU Master Gardeners will again offer their Horticulture Class Series, Feb. 8 through April 26. Participants in the class will receive the 526-page Master Gardener Handbook, class handouts and reference materials.

Class topics include Inland Northwest gardening parameters, soil and composting, botany and plant identification, vegetable gardening, perennials and annuals, lawns and groundcovers, planting and pruning trees and shrubs, entomology and pest management, weeds and herbicides, landscape design, plant diseases and disease management and landscaping with native plants.

The fee for the series is $140. Since participants will not be certified as Master Gardener Volunteers, there is no volunteer work required after completing the course. Please call the County Extension office at 477-2048 for details and to register for the class.

Copyright 2001 Cowles Publishing Company
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.