Is it live imitating gardening? Gardening imitating life? Or are they one in the same? Learning to recognize, accept, and resolve failures is a challenge in our everyday living. In gardening practices…it is no different.
There is no true gardening without humility. Nature constantly sends its most learned individuals challenges. How you move forward is the critical element for garden wisdom. Moving to the North Country from New Jersey 22 years ago taught me phenomenal lessons in garden failures. The garden palettes I so enjoyed in South Jersey could not survive my new region…no matter how hard I tried. I wanted desperately to surround my new home with family garden traditions from a completely different cold hardy zone! My love of the pink dogwood and crepe myrtle trees were my first disappointments. No doubt about it…we are a cold challenged region here in Saratoga County!
I am sure each one of us have pushed the limits of what can be grown in our region.
There is no greater disappointment than to discover nothing but decomposed, mushy roots and tubers early spring where you planted a new last season. However, the issue is not just a question of what minimum temperature a plant can endure. As I suggested in my last post, it is more about taking the time to understand how nature works and being willing to enter into a partnership. Things such as moisture, wind, duration of cold, depth of snow cover and the frequency of freeze-thaw are other factors we need to consider in any given season here in the north country. This winter’s frequency of subzero temperatures can potentially be an issue with our cold hardy plants. Even they can only tolerate so many ice crystals forming in their cells before thinning them beyond survival.
Learning from all of this is important. It can help you with your choices and expectations. You may have to select plant material that does not “exactly” meet your aesthetic desires. That pink dogwood I cherished in Jersey..well unless I live in a relative heat sink such as portions of Lake George shoreline ( I was shocked to find my beloved pink dogwood flourishing for what appeared by size at least 20 years on a customers property along Lake George some years back). .I can forget using that in my garden. So I substitute with magnolias and redtwig dogwoods, redbuds and cherry varieties as my spring bloom trees.
Each year I have learned to try a variety of winter protection for plants, shrubs I may have lost in previous years even though they boast the cold hardiness of our region. I am sure every gardener has the stubborn streak in them. And if plan B does not work, well then, its time to admit the overall failure, move on and edit out that plant.
A quote from Tony Avent of Plant Designs Nursery seems to sum this all up: “I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it three times”. Hmmm, so in other words, I should try plan A, B, and C…before I totally edit that plant out? Assessment and trials make for good learning out in the garden along with a healthy dose of humility 🙂
