Now, grab your favorite garden tools and kneepads and let’s dig in together!
ONE
SIMPLICITY AND SUSTAINABILITY:
my liberating philosophy
Simplicity is not an end in art. But we usually arrive at simplicity as we approach the true sense of things.
~ CONSTANTIN BRÂNCUŞI
I have never had a client, fellow gardener or friend ask me how to achieve a high maintenance garden. In fact, the one thing they know for sure is they want to keep it simple: low maintenance but beautiful.
I want to say right up front that there is no such thing as a maintenance-free garden or landscape. Gardens will always need a certain amount of attention – they’re living things from Nature. But you can minimize maintenance and keep things simple – and still have a drop dead gorgeous garden. Of course you can.
Before I became a professional gardener I struggled in the garden (like many of us) with site selection, placement, choices, and all the other obstacles that often steal our joy and leave us feeling overwhelmed. The dynamics of my own gardens were constantly changing, like the weather. I was always rearranging, rethinking, renewing or removing. In hindsight, a lot of time, energy, effort and money poured into gardens that never quite suited me or my lifestyle. My gardens were pretty, but they were not a reflection of me. I knew it, but didn’t know how to fix it.
Flowers in my garden
If there was a philosophy of gardening – “The Rules” – I wasn’t tuned into it. So, being someone who really really wanted to be a successful, not-frustrated gardener, I set out to look more deeply into my relationship with plants, with the seasons and the soil – and I discovered the profound wisdom that resides in a balanced ecosystem. A happy, healthy garden was a place where everything worked together in harmony, with the gardener being the facilitator and not the dictator. In time, I created my own foundation for gardening – call it my philosophy.
It is not about keeping up with others. It excludes memorizing botanical names and identifying every garden insect or noxious weed (that’s what Google is for). Rather, it is an ongoing relationship, with deep and lasting experiences. For me, it is an opportunity to bring what I love to the garden; it makes me feel alive, rejuvenated and well. Gardens are my blank canvas, the one place to be fully expressed without limitation or prejudice. A garden is where hope is restored and relaxation is practiced.
Cultivating Sustainability
Sustainability is just about the most important thing to consider in planning and tending a garden. Thinking sustainably is an opportunity to enrich our lives and our souls through a better understanding of our plants and the many simple ways we can bring our garden into sync with Mother Nature. It’s not a matter of giving anything up, but more about choosing a better way to achieve the same ends – and having a more heightened awareness of the rich inner life of your garden. And by “garden” I mean anything from acres of land to a tiny suburban back yard to a small container on a sunny deck.
Getting to this place of sustainability in the garden does not have to be tricky or “easier said than done.” It does not mean you have to sacrifice beauty and design. But it does start with knowing in advance your desires, budget, physical capabilities, expected outcomes and commitments. And a few simple ground rules that will save you time, money, labor and heartbreak. Here is my Rule #1:
Right Plant, Right Place
You’ve probably heard the term. It is one of the fundamentals of sustainable (and successful) gardening. Let me tell you a cautionary tale about not choosing the right plant for the right place, and the unintended consequences that followed – both for my peace of mind and for the local landfill. I’m happy to say that my tale ends with an epiphany, but getting there was hard.
Many years ago I planted a very small ‘Hakuronishiki’ dappled willow in my landscape. And it GREW. It needed lots of attention to keep it in check. Clearly, it was not the right plant for the right place. A few years later, while hedging it (again), I realized that this just couldn’t continue. But I was overwhelmed with guilt at the prospect of taking it out. Typically, I do not like removing a healthy tree unless it is not serving a garden or the gardener well. But on that particular day, I kept reminding myself that I had spent way too much time and energy trimming, pruning, bagging and tying up unwanted branches.
Hauling away the Hakuronishiki
My yard features plenty of plants, shrubs and trees that fit the space
My small, compact suburban yard is not the ideal space to grow large trees or shrubs. I had planted this tree back in the early days, before I knew better. As the tree grew and grew, so did my frustrations. The need to constantly hedge and prune it to “fit in” pushed me and my not-so-small overgrown tree over the edge. The work and waste created in one growing season was an ongoing concern; it was not a sustainable gardening practice. Nowhere near.
When I drove to the local waste and recycle management facility to dispose of the wilted willow piled in my trailer, I knew my decision was for the best. I had often visited the site – and still do – to dispose of yard waste for clients, and I’ve often pondered the enormity of the problem of the tons and tons of refuse that are poured into waste facilities every day – but this time, with this poor, rejected tree, it really got to me. I tried to imagine how much waste I’ve created in my lifetime. I knew I could do better.
I didn’t tell this story to make us all feel guilty. It was really to show how we continue to grow and learn.
As gardeners, we have many opportunities during the planning and designing process to lessen the need to send garden waste to the landfill. One of the most fundamental practices is selecting the right plant for the right place. It is important to know the growth habits of plants before purchasing them. You don’t want to end up with a ‘Hakuronishiki’ experience. The next time you go plant shopping, carefully read plant labels so constant pruning and hauling away waste will not consume your life and burden your local landfill.
A large part of sustainability is design. The wrong plant in the wrong place is one of the biggest mistakes we can make as gardeners. I had to learn to resist the urge to bring a plant into my garden simply because it looked gorgeous at the nursery. I had to give up ignoring or trying to manipulate the requirements for that plant to thrive, because it wasn’t going to thrive.
I learned over and over again that it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature. She always wins.
Strategies for Not Falling for the Wrong Plants at the Garden Center
Proper plant selection does not have to be a mystery or complicated if we do not get caught up in the beauty. It’s important to stay connected to practicality and purpose. Plant purchases are significant investments in your homes, gardens and your life. Careful planning will allow you to reap what you sow – literally.
Make