I don’t want to make my readers in northerly climes too jealous of what is in bloom in my yard in January. I just wrote down my list of things to do because I’m feeling overwhelmed with all there is to do in the garden in spring. And because I’m an inveterate procrastinator (and had the flu in December), some of these things are left over from fall. OK, I confess, some are left over from fall of 2008. Or was it spring 2008? But still, LOOK AT THIS FRIGGIN’ LIST! ACK!!!

 List of things to do in the garden

Get potting soil, compost and manure

Plant 2 blueberry bushes

Plant strawberries

Plant allysum

Plant snapdragons

Plant pansies

Plant Valencia orange tree

Plant Eureka lemon

Plant other lemon tree

Plant golden yarrow

Plant remaining iris, daffodils and narcissus bulbs (fall chore)

Plant remaining yellow onion bulbs (fall chore)

Plant leek seeds

Plant Cippolini onion seeds

Plant ginger

Plant horseradish

Plant potatoes

Plant sunchokes

Plant bok choy

Repot bromeliads

Repot aloe

Repot kalanchoe

Get Early Girl tomatoes

Plant Early Girl tomatoes

Set up bamboo tower in back

Plant Mammoth snow peas in back and side

Paint chicken coop

Install netting on egg door

Get hens!!!

Weed Garden of Perpetual Responsibility

Weed Garden of Infinite Neglect

Deadhead mums (fall chore)

Get hose connector from Home Depot

Connect two water barrels in back

Put lids on open Rubbermaid barrels

Muck out pond

Remove old pond pump

Set up new pond pump

Place seed catalog orders
Holy cow! Spring is certainly a busy time in the garden, but this is ridiculous! Some of these were fall chores, but my flu really slowed me down and put me behind schedule. Well, I won’t get any of these things done sitting at my computer. I’m off to the great outdoors.

(To read more of Lou Murray’s environmental writing, see her weekly column, Natural Perspectives, in the Huntington Beach Independent at www.hbindependent.com /blogs_and_columns