After enjoying time off for the holiday season, we are looking forward to the year ahead. Some suggestions that will get your gardening season off to an early and fine start:

1. Feed the birds. Use a quality seed mix so that it does not get wasted and you attract quality birds.  We recommend Mark’s Choice Bird Feast (and the other products in the line up) exclusive to Home Hardware.

You will pay more for Mark’s Choice bird seed. And you will get more
birds.  Customer testimonials tell us so.

2. Enjoy your amaryllis. And enter our contest. As the blooms finish, cut them off, stem included. But keep the long, strap-like leaves intact as they are the ‘food factory’ of the bulb, converting energy in the sun into plant sugars that beef up the bulb so that it will bloom again next winter. Isn’t Mother Nature amazing?

3. Buy seeds. Whether you choose to shop the seed catalogues (of which we have many. Ontario Seed and Veseys in PEI are favourites) or peruse the seed racks at your local Home Hardware (where you will find 8 premium seed varieties in the Mark’s Choice line up) be sure to do it soon.

First, you are only going to get busier as the gardening season
approaches and this job does not get easier when you are time-stressed.

Secondly, the selection is at its best. Don’t be disappointed.

4. Don’t start seeds. Unless you are growing geraniums or impatiens (do people still grow impatiens?) which should be started later this month. Seed starting becomes a priority next month.

For more advice and answers to over 10,000 gardening questions, visit www.markcullen.com and sign up for Mark and Ben’s free monthly newsletter.