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• January jobs in the garden: Plant, prune, prepare

  January jobs in the garden: Plant, prune, prepare

  Q. What tasks should I be doing in my garden in January? — Philomena Reid

  A: If you’re interested in working off that holiday fare, look no further than your garden. January is a quiet month, especially on the first, and meditation is never better than when working outdoors. But just because you have survived the holidays does not mean that it is now the time to sit back and watch the weeds grow.

  The Rose Parade may be inviting, but planting a rose bush of your own is infinitely more rewarding. January is just the month. Bare-root roses are available and ready to plant. Choose according to growth habit and your growing conditions. Along the coast, disease-resistant varieties thrive in cooler conditions.

• The fruits of their labor

  The fruits of their labor

  John and Robin Godfrey moved to San Luis Obispo County in 1997, not for its beaches or wineries, but for its favorable growing conditions.

  “We both worked at a nursery and wanted to start our own,” said John. “We chose the area for the climate, but also for the affordable land at the time.”

  On 10 acres off Lopez Drive in Arroyo Grande, the former San Diego-area residents opened Ben Joy Nursery (named after John whose full name is John Benjamin Joy Godfrey). The nursery sells to homeowners, landscapers and contractors, and specializes in landscape ornamentals such as trees, shrubs, ground covers, palms and screening plants.

• There’s plenty to do in your December garden

  There’s plenty to do in your December garden

  Q: Are there chores I should focus on in the garden during December? — Dennis Neil, Los Osos

  A: Wear an extra sweater and you’ll find that December is a beautiful time to work in the garden. You may need a breather from the holiday ruckus and keeping the garden tended will make for less work in the spring.

  Winter is a great time to assess what worked and what didn’t in your garden. Grab your hot coffee, tea or cider and take a stroll. The bones of your garden are more visible at this time of year. Now, you can set some goals for 2012.

• Longwood Gardens of Pennsylvania: A grand, must-see garden destination

  Longwood Gardens of Pennsylvania: A grand, must-see garden destination

  I had never heard of Longwood Gardens just west of Philadelphia before visiting relatives in New Jersey last summer. They knew of my interest in gardens and said, “We have somewhere to take you that you won’t believe!”

  What a surprise to be introduced to this grand 1,000-acre estate garden, developed and preserved by Pierre DuPont in the early 1900s. DuPont (1870-1954) was the greatgrandson of the original founder of the E.I. DuPont Company. Pierre DuPont was not only an industrialist, but a gardener, farmer and conservationist.

  In 1906, DuPont purchased the property from a Quaker family named Peirce, which had planted an arboretum on the farm in 1798. DuPont’s main interest was in saving the fine collection of trees for posterity and incorporating elements of grand gardens he had visited throughout the world.

• Learning from a garden’s living classroom

  Learning from a garden’s living classroom

  Named for the series of mountains visible in the distance, Garden of the Seven Sisters occupies a gently sloping half-acre adjacent to the University of California Cooperative Extension office. The garden is designed and maintained as a living classroom and working laboratory to teach the home gardener sustainable, science-based gardening practices.

  The sizes of the garden displays are created for the urban backyard. A small kitchen garden display shows how successive plantings in a limited space can provide a remarkable variety and plentiful supply of vegetables all year round.

  The orchard demonstrates how two or three fruit trees, planted in a single hole, can maximize use of limited space and lengthen the season of harvest. The garden also provides a variety of droughttolerant ornamental plants, including many California natives that attract birds, bees, and butterflies.