Where Does the Time Go?

Do you find as you get older you say that phrase more and more often? I swore I would never say it, but I find myself using it and really meaning it. I remember when my Dad was really sick and in hospital. He used to say "Where did the summer go?" - it was February, but, hey, now I know what he meant - time flies. I guess that's a long winded excuse for missing my blog yesterday - the day got away from me and suddenly it was time to go to bed!
Went into Spruce yesterday. Pat and Brenda (I will introduce you to them later as they wouldn't let me take their pictures yesterday!) were all tanned up from being on winter vacations. Gardening industry people seem to be more tanned in the winter than the summer - except from the bicep to the wrist, which tans quite nicely during the summer while sporting the "Team Spruce" t-shirts. Anyways, good for them for getting away before the season is upon us.
We are all busy getting ready for the Home and Garden Show starting next Wednesday. We will have two booths down there - one to showcase the garden centre and one for our landscaping division. Everyone was asking what time they will be working the show - I said, basically your shift starts on Wednesday at noon and you get to have a nice glass of wine when you get home Sunday night around 9pm - I said this in my mind, with a little smirk on my face!!
I am doing a talk on landscape design throughout the weekend and am just putting the finishing touches on my presentation. Thought I would share one element of it today, and that is some of the 2009 design trends. So here they are:

• Bamboo - screens around a patio, dried bamboo as vertical accents in pots, and furniture. It will be the material of choice this year - perhaps inspired by the Beijing Olympics?
• Square is the new round - containers this year will be square. I'm going to plant one substantial shrub or grass in each of mine - maybe even keep it simple with some bamboo sticks - at least I won't have to water!
• Simple water features will be seen in many yards to give you that wonderful sound of running water. Lots of great fountains at the store right now!
• Outdoor living - people will be opting to Spruce Up (shameless plug) their backyards to create a calming oasis rather than spending money on a lavish vacation. Dining rooms, kitchens and living rooms - extending your living space to the outdoors
• Sheds to live in - think home office, or private reading room - lots of windows, glass doors. The shed isn't just for storing that beautiful white resin table anymore!
• Colors of the year are leaning towards mellow yellow and seafoam blue. If you go to Restoration Hardware you will see the blue I am talking about - I believe they call it Silver Sage. Goes very nicely with taupes and chocolate browns. Great for cushions and accents for your patio set
• Vegetable and herb gardens - this year, more than ever, people will be growing food. You will see lots of container vegetable gardens on patios (make sure the pots have drainage). You may even consider trying an espaliered fruit tree against a wall or fence

I will leave you with a segment I would love to get some feedback on. It's called "There are only two kinds of people in this world..." Become a blogger (its super easy), and give me your version. Here is mine:

"There are only two kinds of people in this world...People who loved the movie "Napoleon Dynamite" and people that didn't" There is no Switzerland...