Planning Ahea
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Nobody starts their gardening life with a plan, but if
they stick with the hobby then ideas come to them, unbidden.
Casual planting comes from having a plant in hand and
putting it in a spot because the spot is empty.
Planning requires a little time and thought. Are you
going to put the plant in a bed dedicated to a single hybridizer? Or
one featuring only those created in you county? How about putting
together all of those that bloom at the same time? Or all of the red
ones in a separate bed? Or those that have white flowers with colored
borders, separate from the “selfs”, which are single color
flowers? Or all the short ones together? Or a mix with tall ones at
the back and short ones at the front? Have you tried having tall ones
in the middle, then medium sized in a circle around them, then short
ones around the border resembling a mountain?
A decision might be made between getting primarily
those of a type, for example late blooming Satsukis, or enjoying a
wide mix of types. Those who collect a single type will smile as you
give them something else, but will be immediately thinking about
re-gifting.
Which makes me think of the decision to be made when a
plant has to go. Maybe it is growing poorly, maybe you don't like the
flower, maybe there aren't enough flowers on the plant, maybe it
looks like a million others and is just taking up space. Should you
shred it? On the one hand it's nice to have a gift plant for a
visitor. Maybe they will like it. But, if you don't like the
plant should you give it to someone you also don't like? Alternately,
the compost pile awaits, its jaws almost audibly clicking. Is that a
little drool I see coming out of the side of the stack?
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| Variations of texture and color make a nice shade bed, June 2018 |
Decisions, decisions. But I think that it is better to
have decisions to make than to put plants in a space simply because
you are standing there.
Visiting other gardens starts the inspiration
explosion! Should all the plants be in shiny, colored pots? Some in
the ground and some in pots? A mix of sun and shade suggests plants
that love one or the other.
What are you going to enjoy in August when the azaleas
and daylilies are spent? Late daylilies like 'August Flame', some
Fall Aster (invasive!), Black-eyed Susan and Ligularia (in October)
give me something to look at when it is hot and dry.
Some people look for plants that still look good in the
dead of winter: their remaining foliage or branch structure giving
the frozen garden some character. Rohdea Japonica, arum and, of
course, hellebores.
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| Crocus' in the snow, February 2007 |
Will anything announce the spring while they (and you)
fight through the last snow? Winter Jasmine, snowdrops, and crocus'
will remind you that spring is coming and you'd better start planning
ahead!
