The Greener View: Garden Resolutions

Jeff Rugg on Dec 31, 2025

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new year. Are you ready? First, of course, there are parties to go to tonight, or maybe you will stay home and binge-watch something. I like to watch trilogy movies, starting in the late afternoon and running until just after the new year starts. "Back to the Future" is a good set, and so are some of the "Star Wars" movies. After the football games are over this weekend, reality will set in. For the gardener, that often means there is not much to do, except water the houseplants and check the mail to see if any garden catalogs have arrived.

With the start of a new year, we get to reflect on the changes we want to make in our lives. Many gardeners enjoy the seasonal changes in the landscape and enjoy making changes to our gardens. Even in the middle of winter, we are thinking about gardening and planning on making changes as we get each new garden catalog in the mail.

I know most New Year's resolutions don't last too long, but if you sign up for gardening classes at your local extension office, you might make it to spring. Make a New Year's resolution to learn more about gardening. Resolve to take a gardening class with your local extension office, which is part of your state university. All year long, they offer local classes on many gardening subjects.

Don't forget the Greener View YouTube channel has over 450 videos on gardening, landscaping and houseplants that you can binge-watch for hours at a time -- and learn a lot while doing so.

Another aspect of the learning process is to go and see what others are doing. If you can't plan your vacation around a garden show, at least visit arboretums and gardens near your destination.

To help your garden and landscape grow better and healthier this year, I have a few more suggested resolutions.

Resolve to plant more flowers. They will make your life happier, and they will help hummingbirds and honeybees.

Resolve to add at least one shrub to your flower beds to increase the chances of birds nesting in your yard and to decrease the size of the lawn that you have to mow.

Resolve to add more mulch to your flower beds, which will decrease weeds, saving you money on weed killers, and protect your environment from useless weed killer applications. Take the money-wasting mulch off the trunks of your trees, so they stop looking like the mountain of mulch is holding the tree up. Mulch piled on tree trunks kills trees; it doesn't help them.

Resolve to save time and money by pruning your trees and shrubs in their natural shapes, not goofy squares and balls.

Resolve to find out what disease or insect is affecting your plant before you pollute your yard with poisons that are used for treating something else. Saying 'It can't hurt' isn't really true.

Resolve to mow your grass at a higher height. The longer leaves will support a better root system, so it will need less water and fight off weeds better.

Resolve to start a compost pile and add to it regularly so that you don't have to waste money buying compost to add to your garden.

Resolve to take your power tools and lawnmower for servicing and sharpening. Properly adjusted tools pollute less, and sharp tools work better, making them safer.

Lastly, resolve to enjoy your garden more by eating outside more often, strolling through the yard to smell the flowers without pulling any weeds, and having at least one party with family and friends over to enjoy the garden, too.

========

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at info@greenerview.com. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.