Welcome back gardeners! Today we tackle the fear of planting. We all know the plant hoarder. This person goes to the nursery, (or neighbor, brother, mother) and brings home a plant and another and another and so on. Soon the driveway is covered in black pots and the edges of the garage have things tucked around the corner. All these plants are ‘heeled in’ because their owner can’t commit to where to put them. I once dug a Japanese maple out of a front bed of a condo. It had been in the pot for 5 years…a small 2 gallon wooden pot. The root had grown out of the pot and under the drive way (the septic was over there). The pot was wrapped around the trunk like a tight waistband and the plant had grown sideways trying to stay upright. Unbelievably it survived the surgery required to release it into the garden and was given to a home that took many other sad unhappy plants. If you don’t look to closely it looks great. It responded well to water, manure and mulch, oh, and soil.
OK so plant it!
1. Plants can be moved. Those little babies are not meant to be permanently in nursery pots. sometimes just sticking it in the ground where it can grow will give you the inspiration you need to put it in a permanent place. It looks different in the ground believe me.
2. You can learn a lot from your plant choices. It is amazing when I see 20 kinds of Hosta and I say “I guess you like Hostas?” The answer I guess so. Pay attention to your plant choices and it will direct you to the proper planting space.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for professional help in this area also. Many people ask at the nursery. They give vague or detailed descriptions of a area to get advice about what plant to buy. It is REALLY hard to do this without visiting the site. A garden designer knows what questions to ask (what kind of sun, when, how long, etc.) By looking at the site a professional can really help find the perfect spot to put that treasure.
4. Don’t get sucked into media that shows us new plants and fads. It is not always the plant for you. Just like the new colored skinny jeans… not everyone can or should wear them. Plant what you like and what appeals to you.
5. Most of the time I see one of each kind of plant. If you really like a plant think about adding three or more. I leave the one of a kind for a central focal point in a bed and plant companions around them to create a foil for them to shine. A bed looks much better if it is filled out right away. The weeding and upkeep is easier because the new ‘sweep’ of plants is filing the space that can be a weed problem. Sometimes I see a person with a slow growing plant by nature waiting for it to fill in when it may be 5 to 7 years before it can accomplish that.
I will confess I do have quite a few plants sitting around not planted. Usually I make myself set aside a time to plant at least once a month. I don’t plan anything else, don’t prune, don’t weed. don’t rake, just plant. My garden is full and mature and sometimes I do have to dig out a plant to plant a new one and sometimes the wander around the garden with a pot in hand trying to find the right spot… it can take a while. The upside is after the black pots are gone there is no reason not to buy more!
Here are some great examples of how planting in multiples is helpful for filling out a garden space.
Stay tuned for tomorrow when we explore growing our own food!
On tip 3, you can help the people in the nursery out if you take a picture of the bed you want to plant in during the morning and afternoon. That way, we have a better idea of how much space you have and what type of sun it gets.
I love great nursery people. I have several in my area that keep their eyes open for cool plants,and new introductions. The new smart phones are great for plant id and communication.