"Gardening is the slowest of the performing arts." -Author and Landscape Historian Mac Griswold
It takes time for a garden to mature and during that time it will constantly change, grow, and surprise you. But you don’t have to wait for years to enjoy the beauty of a garden. You can start with small changes that make you happy now and work your way forward to a full and mature landscape as time and resources allow.
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Many new gardeners have limited knowledge and experience, but they are eager to start, get their hands dirty, and create something new. If you are one of those people you can start with a pot on your patio, a small bed, a tree, or all these things. The important thing is to take advantage of your enthusiasm and just enjoy learning about and caring for plants.
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Having a garden design is like having a roadmap. It allows you to avoid the pitfalls of just going to the nursery and buying plants that are not well suited to your site. It is dissapointing and expensive when plants look unattractive or worse they just die when you get them home; those experiences can overwhelm even the most enthusiastic gardener. A design allows you to plan your purchases for when you are ready and to find those plants that will fit into the vision of your garden.
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We all want to have an experience that provides us with rewards and happiness at the outset. Whether you are in a temporary dwelling or hope to live with your current garden for years to come, consider planning to get the most out of your gardening experience.
A small space is a good place to begin.
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I don't have a large number of planters in the garden, but I still like to maximize their use and make them pleasing to look at.
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Using planters like pots to experiment and learn about plant life is an excellent way to begin gardening. You can start with a few greens in spring. Many greens, i.e., spinach and lettuce, prefer the cool days of spring. As spring yields to summer, the contents of the container can be changed to flowers and herbs that will thrive with warmth. This succession planting will give you something to enjoy and eat from early spring through to the first killing frost in late autumn.
It’s wonderful to be able to pick fresh herbs like rosemary, sage, and thyme (pictured left) for summer grilling and in autumn for roasts, soups, and stews. These herbs prefer a dryer climate. If you want to grow herbs that require more moisture you can combine herbs like basil, cilantro, and parsley. Just put herbs and flowers in a pot that require similar light and water conditions. ​
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This year I'm also experimenting with the little “grocery store” rose I purchased over winter. It’s very happy in a container and I'm keen to see if I can get it to grow in the ground if I transplant it in autumn. Though where roses are concerned, it is generally best to transplant them in late winter or very early spring while the plant is still dormant.
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Using perenials in pots is a great way to propagate plants for your beds while making your patio beautiful over time.
I like to lift some of my ferns and hosta from the ground in spring to divide and grow in pots around my garden and patio.
I may mix in a few shade loving annuals for color or just enjoy the greenery depending on how I feel. I just start with some of the small divisions; they grow well in pots and having them where I can really see them allows me to enjoy watching them grow.
Then in autumn I return two or three nice healthy plants to the beds where previously there was just one. This is propagation by division; the process of increasing the number of plants of a particular species or cultivar.
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So, when you think of pots and gardening think of hydrangeas, small trees, ferns, roses, and some hardy herbs, all growing in pots and then going into the garden when they need to. Many plants will stay in pots for years and many like those I’ve mentioned just for a season. Either way potting them up is so much better than spending hundreds of dollars year after year on annuals, unless of course you just love the annuals.
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Pollinators are a must for gardeners and the planet in general. If you are feeling overwhelmed about how to save the planet just start with a packet of seeds.
Seeds for plants like borage and nasturtium are very inexpensive. I have found that borage reliably reseeds for more plants the following spring: some might say overly so. Nasturtium sometimes reseeds but not as prolifically or where I would expect but regardless some always appear the next year. Additionally, you can either save seeds as they fall or buy a new packet of seeds for less than $3.00 if you want to be sure of new plants.
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A bonus is that both pollinators are edible. The flowers of either flower look beautiful sprinkled over a green salad. Borage has a blue star shaped flower with a mild cucumber flavor. Nasturtium has a mild peppery flavor and makes a striking garnish on a salad or a cheese or vegetable platter.
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Regardless of human desire for consumption these plants will still be a favorite of pollinators. Nasturtium attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Bees, hoverflies, and butterflies love borage.
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I read recently that it takes five years to grow a garden and one year to kill it.
Don’t "give up the ship" immediately if you find yourself in a garden that is overgrown, neglected, and confusing. Sometimes and for a million reasons life just gets ahead of a garden’s maintenance.
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Before throwing everything on the curb or the compost heap take some time to discover what is growing. Once the plants are identified they can be lifted, sorted from the weeds, and replanted.
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If it’s just too much to think about where to replant the newly discovered plants or you just don't have the time to arrange everything then just create a sort of holding trench or nursery bed and set them aside. This will keep them alive and allow you time to think and sort it out.
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I recently helped relocate twenty-four roses from just such a place. They had not been cared for in years and just look at some of them now. With planning and just a few months’ care they are back to life.