One of the pleasures I take in my garden is watching it change as time passes.
The long-awaited flowers of early-blooming bulbs like crocus and daffodils provide the first splash of spring color in my garden. However, before their flowers have even started to fade, multitudes of other plants start appearing on the scene.
The slow, steady progress that my spring bulbs make as they pop out of the ground gives way a few weeks later to warp-speed growth from every corner of the garden.
I walk around my garden every day at this time of year, and I always see something new. Inevitably, too, I see plants emerging from the soil that I had forgotten I had planted. Those discoveries are why I enjoy gardening so much, and why I love adding new plants to the garden every year.
One of the benefits of gardening for so long is that I now have a rather “full” garden. Over time, I have selected plants that are attractive yet require minimal effort on my part to keep them looking good.
Many homeowners just starting a garden make the mistake of buying plants for their yard all at once. They often purchase trees, shrubs or perennials during one or two trips to the garden center with the idea of “completing” the landscaping as quickly as possible.
The problem with this approach is that most people tend to choose what is in bloom at the time they are shopping. It’s the reason industry professionals always say, “Color sells.”
There is nothing wrong with buying what looks good at the garden center when you are there. The problem is that planting your yard full of plants that all bloom at the same time means that in future years your yard will only look good for the few short weeks during which those plants are in flower.
For a more interesting garden, spread your visits to garden centers out over the course of the season. Buy a few things in the early spring, a few in midspring, a few in late spring and so on.
Having once owned a nursery, I can tell you firsthand that the customers who continued shopping for plants during the summer months and into the fall have far more interesting gardens than those who only came once or twice each spring.
Remember: Creating a good garden takes time. It is a process and one best done over the course of multiple seasons. Eventually, all good gardeners come to love the process of creating a garden as much as they do the outcome.
“Sean Conway’s Cultivating Life” (Artisan Books) describes 125 projects for backyard living. His website is cultivatinglife.com.
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Neighborly inspiration
One of the best ways to get good ideas for both plant and design options is to visit other gardens in your area. Garden tours and walks are great ways to see successful gardens and to meet good gardeners.
Seeing what others have done with their yards will provide you with loads of ideas for your own. Homeowners are often present on garden tours, and most are happy to answer questions or offer advice.
Go prepared. Bring a camera and notebook. Wear comfortable clothing and comfortable shoes, and pack an umbrella just in case. Some of the best tours I have been on were in the rain: Fewer people attended, and the plants seem to perk up with a good drink.
— S.C.
