Before the holiday rush begins, buy your garden calendars now. Purchase extras to keep around for gardening gifts. These make great hostess gifts during the holiday season.

Willow Creek, a leading publisher of calendars, has several 2011 designs that will be of interest to gardeners. These are View From the Porch and A View of the Garden.

Because these include four bonus months of September through December of 2010, you get to enjoy the beauty of these calendars for a long period. These large wall calendars have lots of room for recording important appointments.

The calendar for each month also lists the major American and international holidays. On one corner of each monthly calendar page you’ll see a handy thumbnail-sized calendar for both the next and the previous month. These calendars also provide details on the phases of the moon throughout each month.


A View of The Garden 2011 Calendar

This delightful calendar features very inspiring garden vignettes. Several present beautifully designed garden beds and borders in full bloom. For each month, it has a lush full color photo that does justice to the exquisite beauty of the garden.

Some of these photos feature seasonal flowers, such as daffodils or sunflowers. Some of the shots portray special garden focal points and cozy garden scenes. One of my favorites shows two pale blue wicker chairs amidst a luscious pink and white flowering garden.

The cover depicts an informal cottage-garden style setting overflowing with bee balm, black eyed susans, and other perennials surrounding a rustic log cabin. Several of the scenes are secret garden spots that invite one to sit and enjoy the fleeting richness of the moment.

View From the Porch 2011 Calendar

This stunning calendar allows you to experience life on the porch year-round and provides a glimpse of the many styles of porches, which still remain an immensely popular addition to many American homes. It features every imaginable style and type of porch from a traditional wrap-around to a lakeside retreat.

These portray a vast range of color schemes and decorating styles from the very traditional to the informal. While some are grand and expansive, others are very simple, uncluttered spots that offer an inviting place for a moment of serenity. With all the comforts of home, these porches are so special that I find it hard to choose a favorite. These provide sheltered, protected spots on hot days.

For disclosure purposes, I received samples of these calendars from the publisher for review purposes.