It was about 10 years ago when I realized I was no longer a gardener who writes; I had become a writer who gardens.

I didn’t understand it at the time, but today, the distinction is very clear.

Back then (and a few decades before), I was a weekend gardener who used all available time gardening.  Maximizing my hours, I would shop for plants, amendments and such, after work and at lunch, so my weekend hours were not wasted running around.  Then, as now, I like it when I never have to go anywhere on the weekends.  (Accept for garden tours and open houses.  Those don’t count, right?)

As an example, THEN, at the end of each productive day, I would write about my garden forays.  Actually, it was more like documenting those forays.

NOW, I write about the nuisances of each tiny fragment of each foray.  I want to remember more than I weeded; I want to research and know what I weeded, how I could prevent it next year, how I could kill it, how does it spread, does it feed wildlife, could it be considered more than a weed on any level?  As I weeded, I would also consider ways to change my lack of tolerance for it.  After all that, I want to write about it.

Not only did I want to write about it, I wanted to wax poetically, too – to explore the weed from many facets, not just to express my intolerance but to find the good in it, if there was any.   And if not, at least show that I explored it.

I also want to relate the weeding experience with, say, the arctic cold that followed prime weed gemination time, precipitating the need for me to be weeding at all and the determination of doing it now and not waiting for a day when the sun’s rays would warm my shoulders.

I owe a lot of my good fortune to seeing so many gardens and meeting the gardeners whose passion it was to make the gardens they did.  First and foremost, my work with the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program, is what, I believe, lead me to do this point.

As a freelance writer, I’ve been very fortunate to get some great garden writing gigs.  This, I owe to perseverance.  Just like making a great garden takes hard work and perseverance, so does diligently working at one’s craft of writing.

I take immense joy when profiling a garden, a gardener, or a plant, and if it resonates with my readers.  My goal is to have you feel like you are there with me as I journal the experience.

During the last 3 years, I found a new medium to write – social media.  Starting with Twitter, I’ve written nearly 10,000 tweets.  These tweets didn’t amount to anything amazing like the guy who tweeted the entire New Testament (King James Bible).  He was on a mission.  When I started tweeting, I had no mission other than looking for ways to share my most recent blog posts.

I soon found Twitter opened many doors for me – beyond what I thought was imaginable. I also found there was no convincing others of this, though.   I later realized, people either got it or they didn’t.  My evangelical days to get people on Twitter or any other social media platform, are over.  I know how it helped me share my messages and I grew tired of listening to other’s defend why they don’t want to do it.   I felt it was best to just lead by example.

While on Twitter, I met a community of gardeners, writing 140 characters at a time.  A huge community.  There were more mes out there, then I could have ever guessed.

Chatting with friends on Twitter, led me to opening a Facebook account, both for Helen Yoest and Gardening With Confidence™. I like Facebook.  A wave of us twitterers went to Facebook, as opposed to the high school and college kids who started micro-blogging with Facebook first.

I’m of the opinion, Facebook, is not being used to it’s fullest, by most.  The vast majority aren’t.  My goal is to direct my friends from the Helen Yoest page, to like me on my Gardening With Confidence™ page.  If you haven’t done so, please do me the honor.

There are many advantages to the business page that aren’t present on the personal page, such as having a landing page, creating discussion, putting up photo albums, and other cool stuff.

With all that is possible, Twitter and Facebook are both considered micro-blogs, but truly, Twitter, is a minimicro-blog, compared to Facebook which acts like a grown up manlymicro-blog.

As I blogged and micro-blogged via Twitter and Facebook, I learned the value of this form of communication; after all, I’m a garden communicator – and blogging and micro-blogging are just other ways to communicate. I also learned everything I need to know through social media.

While I’ve given up convincing friends and peers the power of the internet as a means to communicate, I am still convinced, communicating via social media deepens one’s digital footprint, resulting in ramifications that can’t be defined, yet.

This led me to being evangelical to JC Raulston Arboretum in starting a Facebook page They listened and are glad with their growing success.  I’m pushing for a blog and still hope to see that happen one day.

I also preached to the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association to start a blog and to have a Facebook and Twitter presence.  Another success story.  The goal was more traffic to website.  Bingo!  Plus, we were able to educate in a more friendly, one to one way, which is the real appeal to social media.

The next thing I know, my writing, through social media, has caught the attention of businesses wanting to use this mechanism to reach out to others.  A good example is the Moss and Stone Gardens – Where Moss Rocks! blog, Twitter @Moss_Rocks, and Moss and Stone Gardens – Where Moss Rocks! Facebook accounts.

In the short time we’ve been launched, I’ve received a few email from David Spain, one the owners of Moss and Stone Gardens, to tell me his webiste has received record numbers of unique visitors. I’m not surprised, through his blog’s anaylitcs, I see the numbers of hits he’s received.

I’ve gotten many other companies and individuals, representing companies, blogging, tweeting, and booking faces.  I still see (and communicate with) them on the net, so I will assume they are still doing it, because they found success.

So how is blogging and micro-blogging writing?  If done right, it takes finesses.  Each tweet or fb post is done with purpose, taking the reader on a journey. Each word is writing — weather it’s for a 140 character count or a 2,500 word count for an in-depth journey through the garden gate.  It can be more that shouting a meme or stating what your had for breakfast.  It can resonate, interrupting your day with a reason for deep thought.

Others are catching on.  Lately, my dance card has been full as companies recognize the power of the internet to promote their products.  Because of my blogging, in the past calendar year alone, I’ve attended 5 media tours.  Earlier this month, I was fortunate to travel to Miami to visit with Costa Farms; next month, I travel to Little Rock to visit with P. Allen Smith.

It is my hope, both will recognize the value of having regional bloggers to help the good works of both companies – with me at the pulpit in the southeast, of course.

In the mean time, I’m still working on my book and hope to have it complete by the end of the year.  Writing a book is the old fashioned measure of writing success.  Alas, I’m a bit old fashioned; I have a book in me.   But, I’m also a modern girl, who likes the fast pace of social media, so step aside baby, I’ve got a tweet or two in me, too.

Here’s where you can find me writing….

Helen  Yoest is a garden writer, speaker and garden coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

As a garden communicator, when I write about a plant, I like to present as much information as possible,\’a0 at the same time making it readable.  Also, most times, I have had a good experience with a particular plant, bringing me joy and I want to share this experience and hopefully encourage the reader to plant one in hopes they experience\’a0 similar joy. I don’t like to write about a plant I don’t have a personal experience with.

What I want to know about a plant may be different than what you want to know.  The variables per reader are vast.  Most gardeners will want to know about the plant’s USDA hardiness, sun requirements, soil type and the like. There are those plagued with deer who want to know if it’s deer resistance, with nearly every communicator qualifying the answer with, “But as you know, deer will eat anything if hungry enough.”

I need to know the plants water needs.  I have a waterwise garden design, so I need to know if the plant of my desire will go into my oasis, transitional, or xeric zone.  From there, I can decide if I have room, or if I really want it, I’ll make room by trading up. I find it frustrating when I see a plant I want and have to go to several sources to get all the info about a plant that I need.

When I’m gathering gardening info, I’ll gather even more info than I need personally, in the event I really like the plant and want to put it in a clients garden or if I want to write about it.  For example, I am plagued with bunnies.  I need to know if a plant is resistant to bunnies.  I don’t have deer.  However, I will want to know this information to file away for a client’s need or for a writing assignment.

The magazines (me included) are currently writing about the 2009 Perennial Plant of the Year,Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ ornamental grass.  A timely endeavor.  I like it.  It looks good in the photos and I want it.  But with having made too many plant purchase mistakes to mention, and finding that zonal denial only benefits the nursery or garden center, I’m getting to where I need to be gaining more knowledge and killing less. If a plant is listed as a bunnies favorite, I’ll stay clear of it.  No use building a buffet line for those marauding, munching, members of the cute critter club.

Here is what I want to know about a plant.\’a0 The list started out organized and ended up random as I continued to think of things I wanted to know:

Hardiness range My garden, Helen’s Haven, is in Zone 7b.  I have to really, really like it if it’s at the end of it’s zone.  Preferable, I like to have another zone wrapped around it.  I no longer buy zone 8 plants; those days will be here soon enough if you listen to the global warming conversations, but for now, I’m sticking to my zone.

Water requirement I will accept most conditions, dry, moist or wet.  I don’t have all the waterwise zones covered, but I do have most of them including, sunny oasis, sunny transition, sunny xeric, shady transitional, shady xeric and a tiny bit of shady oasis.  I need a plant’s watering need so I know where to plant it.

Sun/shade requirements Absolutely need to know. Boy oh boy, this simple concept can be so confusing. A footnote could accompany just about any plant going something like this – give afternoon shade in hot climates, or give extra water if planted in sun…you get the point.

Height We all gotta know.

Width Ditto.

Good for containers Very useful for those with limited space and those of us who like to use containers throughout the home and garden.

Drainage requirements  For the most part, most of Helen’s Haven is well drained. This is by design.  As I created my gardens, I amended the heavy clay with lots of organic matter. However, there are parts of my oasis zone that receive a lot of extra water either by my neighbors lawn sprinklers or from fountain splash.\’a0 As such, these areas stay wet.

Soil structure This usually goes hand-in-hand with drainage, but not entirely. There’s more too it when growing a living thing. Every gardener needs to know their soil structure.  We are solid clay.  The kind I imagine potters use to throw pots – I sure would like to throw it about.  But, reality sets in and it does make good soil, if amended properly.

pH Every plant has a pH preference. It is no coincidence here in the south that pines and azaleas are the most common combination.  Not only do the azaleas benefit from the dappled shade provided by the pines, they also benefit from the acid soil the pines provide.  The pH in Helen’s Haven tends to be acid; a common occurrence in the south, which is why our hydrangeas tend to be blue and if we want to change to the color to pink, we need to go through some hoops and amendments, too many for me, besides I like blue.

Does it reseed? This could be a good thing or a bad thing. I also need to know more than if it is listed as a reseeding annual.  Poppies, Larkspar, Cleome, Monarda are all considered reseeding annuals. But the the success of each will depend of many factors, including mulching. I can mulch like crazy and my Cleome and Monarda are snug as a bug and perform beautifully.  If I treat my Poppies and Larkspar with mulch, they will not survive.

Evergreen, semi-evergreen or deciduous This is most important in design.\’a0 If I’m building a buffer hedge, I may well benefit from an evergreen hedge for year round privacy. Or I may like the lightness a deciduous hedge offers in the season I’m not in need of as much privacy since I’m not outside cooking burgers on the grill and such.

Deer resistance More and more people need to know this.\’a0 The deer population is growing at about the same rate as land is being claimed for new developments. I don’t even want to consider how this gets balanced.  But my clients want to know what they can grow that the deer won’t eat.  I make suggestions and then of course I say, “But as you know, deer will eat anything if hungry enough.”

Bunny resistance This is my biggy.  I need to know.  I don’t recall reading this as clarification on a plant tag.  As such, I’m always doing extra research, usually with no success.  My success comes if I find it is still standing the next day.

How it spreads and how fast.  Is it invasive?  You have to look for code words to know.

• Reseeds freely
• Spreads by stolons
• Plenty to share with your gardening friends
• Oh, it’s easy to pull up if it gets out of hand
• It’s worth it

Origin Some want to know if it’s native.  Others not.  I think in general it is good to know.  Sort of like all of us. Our origins are conversation worthy.

As I lust over the 2009 Perennial Plant of the Year Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ ornamental grass, I decide to consult the current literature and see how many source reviews I needed to do to get all the info needed necessary to decide if this beauty will go into my garden.

Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’

Golden Japanese forest grass

Hak-on-eh-KLO-ah MAK-rah

The table above, represents 6 reputable reference I consulted to answer my questions about this plants performance. I have hidden their identify with letters. But, just to give you an idea, one was a nursery, one an e-magazine, one a botanic garden, two were gardening magazines, one a professional organization.

My, my this exercise thought me a lot. Did it you? I  had other referenced I could have considered, but I had enough trouble importing this table as it was.  But it didn’t matter, the sources I referred to all varied as you can see above.

Notice all the blank blocks?   Me too.  Who knew?

Sadly, I still do not know if this plant is favored by bunnies.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum\

In the winter, the garden is often thought of as the pause season until spring returns; an interruption in the time when a garden can be beautiful. Often, the winter season isn’t based on the solstice, but rather, from first to last frost; too long a pause not to plan for the season.

With the fine weather we experience from the Triangle to the coast, we have the potential to garden year round. No snow to compete with, we can add to the landscape so that our gardens can be just as interesting in winter as they are in spring, summer or fall. What you do in winter, will also enhance other season’s appeal.

Even with a professional design, the winter interest aspects are often overlooked. It’s never too late to evaluate your garden’s winter appeal.

The Umstead Hotel and Spa, in Cary, NC, recently did just that. Landscape designer, Suzanne Edney, of Custom Landscapes, Inc., was brought in to evaluate and add winter interest elements to the 6 acres surrounding the Five Star hotel.

My mission was to give a sense of place by using cultivars and ornamentals that have characteristics of North Carolina plants, says Suzanne. Working directly with Ann Goodnight, Suzanne evaluated and added to the existing design. What Suzanne found was many of the plants used in the original design were deciduous perennials, therefore, the landscape looked bare from December to April. Suzanne’s design added to the ground plane and broke up a single plane of plantings.

This sense of place is an important factor for hotels of this caliber. As Suzanne explained, When you arrive at The Umstead Hotel and Spa, you want to know that your are in NC, not in Italy or Miami or some other place.

Plum yew, juniper, and Hellebores were some of the ground covers used in the design along with boulders to fill voids while giving the eye a restful place to pause. Grasses were added to give movement, evergreen vines, perennials and shrubs such as Clematis Armandii, poet’s laurel, Fatsia, roof iris, Spirea, and Deodara Cedar were added for winter interest and to add rhythm to the design.

Implantation of the design began this fall and will continue through the winter. It will be most interesting to visit often during this time to see how the transformation progresses.

Now and after the holidays is a great time to evaluate your winter landscape. Plan on making your winter more interesting with plants and other elements such as boulders, benches, or accents. You too will be enjoying your garden all winter long.

FOR MORE WINTER INTEREST

The JC Raulston Arboretum hosts an annual A Walk in the Winter Garden program in February each year. Enjoy a winter garden themed presentation and tours and see what the winter garden has to offer. Visit their Web site at http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum/ for details.

Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend’s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence™ Face Book Fan Page.

Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum