a season of change
March and April are garden months full of change. Change that we like. Blooms, new growth and an awakening from winter’s cold slumber. Scents, warmth and sound accompany the visual extravaganza. Love is in the air too with wildlife nurturing the newest generation. This flurry of spring has me hearing Frank Sinatra sing, “…memories of midnight that fell apart at dawn.” Of course I’m hearing, “…memories of gardens that fell apart at planting.”
Spring does that to us, it ‘makes’ us drive, with intent, to the garden center, with an idea of buying plants, dirt, mulch, fertilizer; perhaps a new tool, focal point or patio furnishings and of course the beautiful, unexpected thing. Yes, that is where trouble begins in our gardens, the beautiful, unexpected thing. I don’t think we go to the garden center in spring to purchase what is on our list or in our imaginations. We go, with full knowledge, but we don’t admit this to ourselves, some call it denial, that we want to fall in
love and purchase the heretofore unknown magical blossoms or beautiful statue instantly rendering our landscape the most beautifully conceived by mankind.
Can you hear it, the sound of your garden falling apart in spring? How can you stop this ruination of your garden? If I tell you to make a landscape plan for your garden and only purchase what is on the plan, well, it proves I don’t know human nature and I’m not gardening on planet Earth. Yes, I’m a garden expert specializing in residential landscape design, but how can I help you, this spring, while you’re at the garden center buying what you need, and worse, buying what you don’t need? I still, but not as often, purchase what my garden does not need.
My landscape designs used to fill up every inch of a landscape, wasn’t that what I was hired for and taught in college? Yes, but human nature is more powerful than any plan drawn. My plans now leave space for the unexpected garden purchases. In your own garden and planning just accept the fact that there will be unexpected purchases and leave planting room for them.
Sun and shade will dictate where most purchases will be planted but also height. No sense in planting a 10’ shrub in front of a low window. Lots of people do this, they just have to prune a lot but I prefer low maintenance. Another approach to planting the unexpected plant in your garden is its foliage. Large leaves should be placed next to small leaves, variegated leaves look best next to solid green leaves and burgundy foliage looks best next to light or dark green foliage.
If you’ve bought the unexpected focal point just remember the second most important rule of focal points, one focal point per area. Don’t have a birdbath next to a bench next to a sundial next to a pond. Except for the pond and bench those focal points should have some separation in the landscape. The first rule of focal points is applied before you reach the cash register. Ask yourself, “Is this focal point so wonderful it will be fought over at my estate sale?” Exactly! Why would you want it if no one else does?
Patio furnishings should be chosen for aesthetics and function. A chair or bench should be beautiful, or classic, and comfortable. Also include easy. Aim for furnishings that don’t need to be painted or stained or that have cushions.
Tools can also be unexpected purchases. Please, do not buy cheap tools. Cheap tools are bad for plants and can be bad for you, causing injury. It’s obvious I know this about tools because I have bought, used and suffered with cheap tools. Good pruners cut properly, shaping your plant nicely with a wound that heals properly. Cheap pruners can rip a plant, allowing insect and fungal damage to enter, and malfunction causing you to cut and injure yourself.
The first rule of garden design, keep it simple sweetie, should run through your mind this spring while shopping at the garden center. Before the garden center, when planning your garden, keep it simple sweetie. It’s amazing the number of gardening mistakes you can avoid by keeping it simple. More than avoiding mistakes, simplicity amplifies the beauty of a garden.
Yes, buy the unexpected plant, focal point, tool or patio furnishing this spring but remember a few of the ideas you’ve read so your garden won’t “fall apart” this spring.
Tara Dillard hosted her own TV show on CBS and has been designing gardens for 20 years. She’s author of The Garden View, Beautiful By Design and other garden books. Tara is a motivational garden lecturer nationally and locally at corporate and garden venues.
Visit Tara at www.taradillard.com
