There are all kinds of ways to learn more about gardening. In his 30 years of digging in the dirt, master gardener Paul James has turned to a number of great sources of garden information:
Fellow gardeners: Practically every time he chats with a fellow gardener, James walks away with a tidbit of valuable information--from a new plant introduction, gardening product, catalog, internet source for plants or gardening equipment, to a new way of doing something as mundane as mowing.
"And speaking of fellow gardeners, joining a garden club not only provides lots of information, but it can also be lots of fun," James says. Garden club members have diverse interests, so chances are that you'll find someone who shares one of your interests.
Garden tours: Just about every city has at least one garden tour a year, and very often the featured gardens are those of amateur gardeners. "I've picked up some great ideas on garden tours," says James, "and at one in particular, I witnessed what is probably the most incredible thing I've seen. The day before a woman's garden was to be featured on a tour, a huge storm hit, and the tornado-like winds knocked off all the petals of her 4,000 apricot-colored tulips. So in a panic, the woman hired gardeners to take pieces of apricot-colored crepe paper, crumple it up, and tape it to the heads of the tulips. And the most incredible part is that no one even noticed."
Home and garden shows, homebuilder shows and flower shows: Just last month James chanced upon a source for tropical plants in Atlantic City and a vendor selling motorized garden carts in Kansas City. (And another good thing about garden shows is that there's often a good chance that James will be one of the featured speakers.)
Local nurseries: The people who work in local nurseries are a rich source of solid information about what grows best in your area. More importantly, perhaps, they know what doesn't grow well. James recommends hanging out on a weekday when they're far less busy than they are on the weekends to get one-on-one advice and attention.
Drive-by tours: "Of all the sources for gardening tips, driving around town has to be my favorite," says James. "After all, you can reasonably assume that what grows in the gardens in and around town will grow in your garden, too."
Books, newsletters and magazines: James has literally hundreds of books on just about every gardening subject imaginable, and he subscribes to virtually every gardening magazine and newsletter in print. While that might be over-doing it, James says it's hard to have too much information on a subject you're passionate about. He suggests that even casual gardeners have at least three to four gardening books, including one that's encyclopedic in scope, and subscribe to at least one gardening magazine, whether its editorial slant is how-to, design or a combination of the two.
"Having said all that," concludes James, "when it comes to learning about gardening, nothing takes the place of just digging in the dirt."
