gardener dreaming

the brightly colored seed catalogs have started arriving at my door, bringing with them dreams of spring. there are so many gorgeous options but i have so little space. if i want to try anything new i either need to get a lot more creative with space planning or make some hard decisions about which plants will and will not come back this year.

definitely staying:
- tree fern
- split-leaf philodendron
- shindeshojo japanese maple
- shiroshima bamboo
- pygmy date palm
- artichoke
- rhubarb (need new home)
- arum italicum (need new home)
- gardenia (needs new home)

on the chopping block:
- lemon tree
- peony
- tomatoes
- beets
- sunchokes
- horseradish
- basil and other herbs

waiting in the wings:
- black bamboo
- lemon & orange treelings which were purchased for work

i'm beginning to believe i just don't have the temperament (or maybe it's just the time) for annual veggetables. i prefer plants that come back year after year, getting larger and stronger and more prolific with each passing season.

today i hope to get out and plant (and transplant). on this sunny, chilly winter day between rainstorms, it seems the perfect thing to do.