It’s the time of year when gardeners get itchy. This is exacerbated in 2012 by the unusually mild winter we’ve experienced…everyone in the Northeast is already thinking spring. Let’s face it: sometime in mid-February what plant people call “winter interest” is no longer interesting. The landscape is brown and tattered and nothing would please us more than to move right from Valentine’s day to spring cleanup.

Unless you’re living in Georgia, or somewhere equally southern and warm, this isn’t likely so we have to settle for the next best thing. Gardeners make do with planning and advance plant buying and I’m doing both. Today I began to plan what I’m going to put in Annual Alley this summer. Last year it was blue, purple and white in honor of Jesse and Maya’s wedding. This year I’m leaning toward oranges and yellows, with dashes of blue and pink.

I have a hard time imagining this bed without ‘Blue Horizon’ Ageratum, so that’s pretty much a given. This year I also plan to go very heavy on the vining Nasturtiums and signet marigolds. Perhaps some of the low orange Cosmos as well…

Passionate travelers often say that planning the trip is as much fun as the travel itself. Cooks and foodies frequently enjoy reading recipes or menus as much as eating the actual meal. And I think that most gardeners would probably agree. Screw winter interest…let’s plan for spring.

Two years ago Annual Alley was filled with 'Blue Horizon' Ageratum, 'Cut and Come Again' zinnias, red Salvia and self-seeded Ammi majus.

I also used Marguerite sweet potato vine - which kind of took over in an appealing way. I'm thinking maybe the nasturtiums might do the cascading in 2012 so I've ordered seeds for a couple of different varieties.

The Ammi majus finishes in late July and I need to cut it out. I'm pretty confident that it will be back gangbusters this year, and I like having it as cut flowers early in the summer. Here's how the bed looked in 2010 once it was gone.

Today was one of those wonderful fall days: warm but not humid, with all the landscape refreshed from yesterday’s rain. We savor such weather at this time of year, knowing that the mild temperatures, and the plants that continue to thrive, won’t be around much longer.

As I strolled around the garden, relishing the dahlias, Nicotiana mutibilis, and the summer squash that’s still producing, I found myself planning for next year. I love how the red and peach dahlias look along the outside of the vegetable garden and I want to plant more of these in Annual Alley next summer.

The nursery industry has had great success with their “Fall is for planting,” campaign: this slogan is firmly entrenched in the minds of home landscapers. Sometimes too much so, I’m afraid. I’ve had people tell me that they are shy about planting in July and August because, “Fall is the best time to plant, right?”

Sure, plant in the fall. I certainly do, since my plant mania doesn’t go dormant after Labor Day. At this time of year, however, I’m also looking forward. It’s the perfect season to practice the delicate balance between being totally satisfied with how things are at this moment, while still planning and planting for the future.

This is a complex state of being, filled with practice in staying in the moment, gratitude, and living with paradox. It is as rich and full as my Annual Alley.

Fall is for planting and planning.

Note to self: mark these red and peach dahlias so that I remember which plants to put back along this fence next year. Another note to self: try to keep my mind in the moment as I make those labels and stick them by each plant. Hear the cries of the crows, feel the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the fall breeze. See the brilliant colors of the annuals and the vigorous ingenuity of the weeds. Be in the garden now, while working for the future.

Every week I start off GardenLine with I Love This Plant/I Hate This Plant. Yes, there have been several plants that I’ve admitting disliking, but the majority of those selections that start of the show are in the “I Love This” category. Tomorrow I’m breaking with the norm of ten years and highlighting those annuals that I make sure to either grow or buy every year. I guess instead of “I Love This/I Hate This” I should call tomorrow’s segment, “I Must Have This Plant!”

Scaevola – be it Blue Wonder or Whirlwind, you can’t go wrong with this plant. AKA: fan flower. In boxes, pots or the garden, it flowers all summer in full sun and needs no attention other than some fertilizer. A low-grower or cascading container plant, this annual mixes well with Wave petunias, Superpetunias and Verbenas. Let them mingle.

Snow Princess Alyssum – every garden needs it. Fragrant, flower filled and fabulous. It might look wimpy in the pot when you buy it, but take it from me: after one week in the ground or in a container it fills out and remains tight and full until hard frost. A must-have plant in sun or part-shade.

Mecardonia ‘Gold Dust’ – Fresh green foliage covered with small, bright yellow flowers all summer. A low, front-of-the-border or container plant that you can’t kill.

Profusion Zinnias – Round mounds of flowers, whether you deadhead them or not. My personal favorites are the pink and apricot shades, but all perform well and are perfect for adding to annual or perennial gardens.

Fusion Impatiens – Unusual colors and a more interesting look than the normal impatiens. Look for Peach Frost which has variegated foliage and peach-colored flowers.

Fuchsia Gartenmeister Bonstedt – upright fuchsia with coral flowers that blooms well in sun or part-shade. A striking, no work plant that is perfect for containers.

Setcreasea pallida, AKA purple heart – Dark purple foliage and small lavender flowers, a addition for mixed containers or a sunny border. Very drought-tolerant.

Blue Horizon Ageratum – Old fashioned, available in six-packs and a must-have plant for the cutting garden. Don’t look for flowers on the young plants – this isn’t one that will be in bloom when you buy it. But it is dependable and a beautiful shade of cornflower-blue. Not to mention one of those annuals that just gets better as the season goes on.

These aren’t the only annuals I love, of course – but they are the ones I make sure to plant every year.

I bought this Snow Princess Alyssum last week, and it was thin with only a few buds. After only one week in the soil, this is how it looks. I know that each of these plants will grow about 18" in diameter or more, be flower-filled until hard frost and it's fragrant!

There are some plant that I refer to as Brylcreem plants. They are the ones that explode in the garden: a little dab’ll do ya indeed. Licorice plant, Helichrysum petiolare is just such an annual. This  licorice plant that’s climbing up, no attempting to devour,  a Harry Lauder’s walking stick, is an excellent example. There are three Helichrysum in this 7′ by 10′ garden. Yup, only three. If the growing season was longer here, this plant would be up and over the walking stick and on top of the grape arbor in no time.

I’m not complaining – in fact, I’m enjoying the plant’s exuberant nature….since it’s an annual and I won’t have to be ripping it off of that grape arbor. It is, however, a great reminder of the wisdom of finding out what a plant will do before we put one in our gardens.

Yes, I’m talking about being forced out of our usual preferences, prejudices and habits. If not kicking and screaming, then with reluctance. When we’re forced.

Do you think I’m being too harsh? You’re more flexible, perhaps, in your life and garden then I’m giving you credit for. Maybe. But most of us are pretty set in our ways and opinions.

For example: I’m not really drawn to red-flowering plants. If a mix of zinnias includes red blossoms I’m happy to have them in with the pink, orange and lavender shades, and this year I did choose to include red salvia in with the other bright colors in Annual Alley. But generally I’m not prone to planting red in my gardens.

I’ve never been tempted by a coleus that was totally red. Usually I’m drawn to lime or dark purple foliage, or those leaves that combine green and pink. So when the Simply Beautiful folks sent me some Redhead Coleus this year, I wasn’t too excited. Needing some foliage contrast in the fragrance garden, however, I planted these annuals and yes, I’ve been dragged away from my narrow-mindedness into absolute admiration for these plants.

Redhead Coleus is the star of this garden. I planted five small plants with some time-release fertilizer in June and other than watering I haven’t touched this plant since. No deadheading, no fertilizing and no pinching. It’s pretty much in full sun and it’s glorious.

I’m thrilled…and grateful to be dragged out of my rut.

This Coleus is easy and spectacular. It's perfect for places that get early morning or late afternoon sun, and for any garden that needs added pizazz.

As I walk around Poison Ivy Acres, there are some plants that I marvel at for their endurance. Despite a hot, dry season, and given less than ideal irrigation, these plants continue to shine.

Of the five varieties of petunias I planted this year, the Royal Velvet Supertunias from Proven Winners have performed the best. This annual has remained full without pinching, and keeps on flowering despite a hot location in heavy soil.

I’m reminded that frequently our ability to be successful depends on fortitude and the stubbornness to continue showing up with flowers. (Metaphorically, of course, although actual bouquets are effective and appreciated in a variety of situations.) A recent email exchange with a friend reminded me that this is partly what I’m up to here.

I wrote to her about some health issues I’ve been having, and Sheri responded, “I now know that those poignant posts you make are a reflection of your optimism and not your health.” Hopefully my blog posts will be a reflection of a return to health in the future, but in the meantime, showing up with a bouquet of confidence seems to be the percentage play.

In the world of various illnesses, my issues are painful and limiting, but relatively minor and not life threatening. In the grand scheme of things, they aren’t all that important. Better to focus on the splendor and abundance of the garden and to emulate those Royal Velvet petunias…they are the best of colors, purple, and they have staying power.

I've been pinching back leggy petunias all over the property lately, but Royal Velvet has stayed full and in flower. The shrub behind the petunias is Clethera 'September Beauty', in bloom three weeks early just like most other plants this year.

Here’s the best thing about opening your garden up to guests: after it’s over, the beautiful garden is all yours. Today members of the Connecticut Horticultural Society came to Poison Ivy Acres, and they seemed to enjoy what they saw.

I, of course, have been a whirling dervish lunatic for the past month. After a great deal of work and some help from friends and fellow professionals, however, it came together well enough for today’s visit. There are many things to be done before the next Grand Tour of PIA next week, however, so I’m not finished yet.

After the bus tour left today, the first thing I did was to sit down and ice my hip and knee. Iliotibial Band Syndrome, and yes, I have been overdoing it physically the past three or four weeks.

Next, I grabbed my camera and strolled around the gardens. See the photos below. Finally, I put Sweethearts of The Rodeo on the CD player and turned it up loud. Time to celebrate.

I’ve spoken to many people who have been asked to put their garden on a tour, but they’ve said “no.” Some say that they “don’t want the liability,” while others confess that “it’s too much work.” I think that it’s ultimately a gift to the gardener.

The true party starts once the visitors are gone.

The cutting garden is filled with Sweet William...

an the Fragrance Garden has Valeriana officianalis.

The entry garden is filled with blue, yellow, white, and coral flowers.

There were pitchers of lemon water for the guests...

and the most asked about plant was the Verbascum.

Even the garlic scapes earned notice.

OK, not for all gardens, of course. I’m in love with perennials, shrubs and trees, not to mention houseplants, mosses, lichens and…well, you get the idea. But there are times when annuals are indeed the solution.

I have an area at the end of the driveway, just before the grape arbor, where I’ve planted a Corylus avellana ‘Red Majestic’. I’m crazy about this plant. There was lawn here when we bought the house, but I used the newspaper and mulch technique to smother it. Now I have an area of mulch, and I’m not sure what else I want to plant here.

Clearly annuals are the answer. They will provide color all summer, and cover up the rather ugly wood chips, but I’m not wedded to anything that I might regret later on. In the winter the plow dumps snow on this area, so shrubs might be a mistake because they’d get squashed. A friend suggested groundcover such as Vinca minor, but I’m not convinced.

There are times in our lives when planting something that will grow for a season, but no longer, is a good idea. If you’ve moved to a new area, for example, doing some volunteer work for a few months, or working at a job you regard as “good while I’m getting to know the area” might be wise.

Similarly, many who are unemployed take temporary jobs outside of their field because working at something is better than no work at all. Just because you’ve decided that a temporary job is expedient doesn’t mean that you’ll always be there.

Too often we think of our decisions as being “forever and ever” when we might be better served by thinking about “what’s good for the season.” What was short-term might become permanent, or we may move onto something else. In either case, a temporary planting can serve us well.

Here's how the area looked right after we laid the newspapers and mulch. Serviceable, but boring, right?

The catkins on this plant are stunning. It's kind of nice that there's nothing to distract from these elegant blooms in the early spring.

If you’re a gardener, being in the present means focusing on the current moment, while keeping a foot in the past and an eye to the future. This sounds like a balancing act, but really it’s just a matter of taking care of seasonal business.

The Past: I finished clearing weeds and frosted annuals out of Annual Alley today. The frost-killed container plants were also emptied into the compost pile, and the pots put into the shed.

The Present: Every were I looked, colorful fall foliage stopped me in my tracks, so I spent some time taking photographs before returning to my fall clean up. I also took pictures of the recently emptied clay pots, now in the seed-starting part of the shed. These pots will absorb the sun’s heat during the day, releasing it at night and helping to keep this room warm. One of the pots I’d emptied contained some succulents worth saving, so I potted them up and took them downstairs.

The Future: I have a tower of power in the basement, where many of the Epiphyllums, and assorted cuttings are overwintered under lights. The small pots on the lower shelf contain succulents, Plectranthus and Coleus cuttings that are taking root. These are components of next year’s garden.

What we grew last summer dictates fall garden chores, and what’s done now will helpful for next summer’s gardening. I was fully present in today’s landscape, aware of the past and providing for the future.

Here is how Annual Alley looked this past summer.

The only color left in this area is on the small current bush at the end of Annual Alley. Today, I pulled all the dead annuals out.

You can't beat this Amsonia hubrichtii (yellow) and the 'Center Glow' Physocarpus (red/purple) for fall color.

And look at this Franklinia - Foliage color and flowers!

OK, I admit that we didn't plan for these pots to be a heat-sink in this seed-starting shed. But they function beautifully this way, and after mid-February the temps in this shed never go below freezing.

Here are some cuttings taken for next year's garden. See the lovely epiphyllums flowers?

This summer, fur balls came to my garden, and I’m not talking about the stuff coughed up by cats.

Two nights ago I spoke to a group of Master Gardeners in Rhode Island. As we finished the evening up, they asked what plants I was excited about this year. I told them about Fornari’s Favorites, posted on my website, and then went on to rave about Gomphocarpus physocarpus. This plant is also called Asclepias physocarpa, and neither name exactly trips off the tongue, which is probably why this plant is stuck with the common name of fur balls.

Plant this Gomphocarpus if you want something dramatic to use in flower arrangements in September and October. Plant this if you want to attract pollinators to the garden. Plant fur balls if you want something that will delight children, or if you need a tall annual for that certain spot in the garden.

I got seeds for this annual from Thompson & Morgan, and started them in late April, in the shed. The cold wet summer that we had this year probably delayed the flowers and the hairy green balls, but next spring I’ll plant the seeds earlier to give them a good head start.

If you have a passion for plants or other positive pursuits, there is always something new to learn. We are well served by making a commitment to growth, in our gardens and in our lives.

I know that the flowers aren't the showiest, but they are very sweet, and they attract an assortment of pollinators.

The seed pods, the "fur balls" are what this plant is all about.