Gardening Archive

NOBLE UNIVERSITY | Gardening
February 2009

I grew up in small home in Garden City, Michigan. The name of the town would imply that every home had a garden, but this was not the case. The roads all formed uniform blocks and in front of every home was a foundation planting that consisted of yews, junipers, barberries and forsythias. An occasional lilac was scattered here and there, usually in the backyard and often at the lot line. The exception to this rule was our house. Still not too adventurous along the base of the home, the yard (a double lot) was the host to several fruit trees, grapevines, vegetable garden and cutting garden. Everything was in rows or right angles as that was the way my father felt gardens should be and fit in nicely with the grid of streets the city planners had so neatly created. The custom of square or rectangular garden beds and plantings lean toward a more formal approach or in the case of a vegetable garden, serve a more utilitarian purpose allowing for the rows to be easily tended.

I recall a lot of garden tips from my parents and grandparents. I completed the Oakland County Master Gardener’s Program and have attended numerous seminars sponsored by Horticulture Magazine and various local nurseries.

When it comes to my own philosophy on garden design, I prefer a more irregular and “natural” approach. A curved or serpentine line seems to be softer and more organic. The fact is there are individuals that like a formal, stately approach and others that like it a little wild and wooly. The beauty of gardening is that it always is full of surprises. No two summer seasons are the same and the bloom performance, size and shape of the plant and the interaction with neighboring plants is always changing. This is a great time of the year to evaluate your current garden and make plans for changes once the weather breaks. Here are some helpful hints and reminders to aid in your 2009 garden season.

Remember the elements of design.

A good garden is a blend of the following: line, shape, form, color, texture and light. Find a photo of your 2008 garden and make a black and white copy. Without the presence of color, is the garden still interesting to you? Are there too many shapes that are the same or do any areas seem dull? Possibly the garden looks better in black and white because there were too many colors in battle with each other in your original photo. Evaluate what you see as the problem areas and research what new plant(s) you could introduce to make it more exciting.

The principles of design should not be forgotten.

Proportion & scale, balance, emphasis, unity and rhythm play an important role in the making of a great garden. Many published gardeners attribute their success by creating gardens that have sweeps of color. Unfortunately, not all of us have the space to offer a sweep of color, or we are such plant nuts that we rather have one of everything we can get our hands on, diminishing any hopes of emphasis, unity, or rhythm. In the future, get in the habit of buying plants in 3’s or 5’s and plant them in a cluster or possibly multiple clusters for balance.

If it isn’t growing it may not be your fault.

Often a plant doesn’t seem to take off and look like the photo in the nursery catalogue. It may be the soil conditions, it may be the light, it may be the climate, but chances are, it isn’t you. Like most gardeners, a replacement plant will be bought of the same type and that too will not perform any better. The third try will be planting it in a different location, and this too may result in failure. Evaluate your garden “problem children”, the ones that require more care, have poor growing habits and attract every insect from the area and three states over. Yank them out this spring and throw them on the compost pile. Consult neighbors and friends and ask them what plants seem to do well in their garden. This may give you a new lead to something that you may want to try with almost guaranteed success.

Perennial Gardens are not forever.

Prepare yourself for perennials that didn’t make it through the winter. Many perennials aren’t as tough as we would like to think. Often a gardener plants a perennial garden, seeing it as a one time investment, never having to purchase a plant again. Usually the second year offers a reality check and the third year barren spaces appear in the perennial garden that was to last a life time. Depending on weather conditions, perennials may be done blooming by the end of July, leaving a lot of green leaves for August, September and October. Plan now on introducing annuals into the perennial gardens for color that carries into late summer.

Gardens are more than plants.

Think now about introducing bird houses, fountains, ornaments, benches, etc into the garden. Their shape and color are as important to consider as your plant choices. More importantly, water features and shelters will invite birds, toads, frogs, and other beneficial creatures to make a home in your sanctuary, keeping insects in check.

Involve Children in the gardening process.

I enjoy gardening because of my exposure to it at a very early age. It is important to teach children about the joys of gardening and get them involved in the process. On a cold snowy day, sit down with your children or grandchildren with a nursery catalogue and ask them to pick out their favorite flower. Find out what they like about it and show them with a ruler how tall it is expected to grow. When the weather warms up, surprise them with the plant and plant it in your garden. It is never too early to be a gardener, and if you are no longer a child, it is never to late to start gardening.

Next Month: Children’s Gardens