Here we are on the final day of 2009, eagerly awaiting the end of one very challenging year and looking forward with hope and anticipation to the beginning of the next. We usually spend this last day reminiscing over past accomplishments or being reminded about what we left unfinished. And isn't that what resolutions are all about? We aim high, probably too high, and as the year goes by we accomplish what we can and leave the rest for next year — but next year is tomorrow.

We promised to be thinner, to be more patient, to exercise more, to eat healthier, to make more time for family and friends or any of a number of resolutions. Whichever you choose for the upcoming year, there's always champagne to wash them down.

Gardeners make resolutions too. We look back to see what we've accomplished, where we've succeeded and what we can improve on — preventing weeds from taking over the lawn or the tomato garden, learning how to can or preserve the harvest and taking more joy out of our outdoor chores.

Personal achievements and goals are one thing, but making your garden and landscape a bit greener is more than just using fertilizer and irrigation. Just how green are your gardening practices? Do they negatively affect water quality or demand constant input and attention?

Making the right choices in soil health, plant selection and location, and treating your garden as part of a much larger ecosystem, are just some of the resolutions you should be considering for your garden and landscape in 2010. Luckily, there are two support networks in place to assist you in making these resolutions a reality.