The weather over the last couple weeks has been amazing, and I’d bet that you have been taking a cup of coffee outside and looking around at your garden, just as we have. The plants are pulled out now, many of the perennials cut back, but the garden still draws us for a visit. We think about what was planted where, and wonder if we’ll do the same thing again next year.
I purchased a great new book called “Garden Design For the Short Season Yard “by Lyndon Penner. It’s a great book with so much interesting information, one you might want to add to your garden book collection, or perhaps borrow from the library for a winter read. Chapter two is called “Building Expectations” and it talks about designing and planning your garden. Lyndon talks about whether we want a personal or “professional” garden (one where an expert is hired to design the garden and select the plants). Either one is your own choice, but he also comments that whatever we choose, there will never be a point where we are completely comfortable with the garden. He says that a garden needs “fresh ideas and thus, innovation”, as well as a sense of spontaneity.
Think about that for a minute. Isn’t it true? We might find a pattern of plants or flowers that we like, a combination that seems to work just great. We might plant things up like that for a couple years, but then we get restless and look for new ideas. Or hopefully we do! You know how I always try to encourage us to try new plants and new combinations. Really, isn’t that why we can’t wait to tour the greenhouses in the spring, looking for the new plants to add some new pizzazz to our planters or gardens?
Lyndon talks about continually re-evaluating his garden, watching to see if the results he hoped for are actually happening, and if not, how to make it better. He has no qualms about digging plants out or removing them, and says that he is “creating art here, not trying to create a sanctuary for plants for plants where all are welcome.” I chuckled at that, because it reminded me of a friend Mom had many years ago who carefully guarded every volunteer plant that came up in her garden. As for most of us, her garden space was limited, and by the end of the summer this kind lady had a tangled mass of plants that she didn’t plant and didn’t particularly want taking over her garden, with little room for what she actually did want. Lyndon says we shouldn’t feel obligated to keep every plant that pops up: it is not only okay but necessary to take out plants that don’t fit in with our garden vision.
And let’s face it; some volunteer plants are real survivors, aggressively taking space, moisture, and sunlight away from other plants. A plant that comes to mind is the “hawaiian impatiens” (you might know this vivacious plant by another name) that seems to grow like Jack’s beanstalk and can quickly dominate garden space if given the chance. Not only does it take over, but once it comes to visit, it keeps coming back. Not always a good thing!
So since we are blessed with nice weather, take an evaluation of your garden space and either make notes in your garden journal or even snap a couple photos and keep it in mind when you’re choosing your plants for next spring.
The next meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will take place on Wednesday, November 23. This is our members-and-special-guests-only AGM and supper banquet. Members, for more information call Liz.
Have a great week! Visit us at www.yorktonhort.ca
