Building a Garden

Sunday 27 April 2008 - Filed under Gardens

Sometimes people ask me for help planning their gardens. Always, I am completely worthless in response. I kind of shrug and say something about planting what you like, or rattle off a couple plant names which conjure images in my own head, but clearly don’t inspire the people I’m talking to. Today it happened again with my neighbor. I was trying to figure out why I have a clear picture in my head of how to build a garden, but consistently can’t verbalize anything helpful when the topic of starting a garden comes up. My own process is to wander around and touch plants and read tags, and grab up anything that fills a hole in my garden, but I realize I have a set of principals in my head, I just haven’t come up with the right words to speak intelligently about it. If I could get a do-over, these are the things I’ve found, that I would share.

1. An interesting garden, like anything, is inspired and personal and passionate. That’s why I don’t give good advice about gardening. I don’t like formulas or plant lists or rules. When I started gardening, I bought everything I saw, and ended up with a messy jumble. It wasn’t until I started tearing out magazine pages and viewing them side by side, that I started to see patterns emerge. It turned out I was drawn to foliage, with sparing use of white and green flowers. My favorites always had large leaves as focal points. I liked spiky, grassy forms punctuating different “rooms.” It took me a while to come to terms with my mistakes and pull out the riot of pinks, yellow, purple, red flowers, and anything I’d selected for flowers over form. Once I got ruthless about editing, things started to come together. When I see other gardens, I don’t necessarily want to see my own style, I like to see signs of love or even obsession: collections of dwarf specimens, twilight gardens, fragrant gardens. These are collections that came about over time with contemplation.
2. In a city lot with neighbors close by, I like to completely obscure the borders of the back yard with tall trees and shrubs. I can make eye contact and conversation with my neighbors in the front yard, but when I’m within the confines of my fence, I want my space to be as private as the rest of the house.
3. I like to lean heavily on evergreens for structure. Sometimes, when I talk to people about evergreens, they object to what they’re picturing as a Christmas tree lot. Conifers in tree form certainly fall in the evergreen category, but there are so many more options people should consider. Bamboo looks fantastic year round. Evergreen magnolias with glossy deep green leaves do a lot to stave off the “dead of winter” feel of too many bare branches. The spiky grass-like form of New Zealand Flax or Yucca holds its own in silhouette when the surrounding flora has dropped leaves. There are countless options. Evergreens that put in appearances in tree, shrub, and ground cover forms make the winter months more bearable.
4. Cheat where you can. Gardens take a long time to establish, and it’s hard to wait and sustain motivation. In my early efforts, I dotted plantings around the perimeter of the property, resulting in a large, unfinished space. A few years back, I changed my strategy. I focused on the entry of the garden, around the patio, which was a more manageable space, and gave me something to enjoy while I’m waiting for the rest to mature. When sitting on the patio, the rest of the yard is obscured from view. I can enjoy what’s done, and ignore what’s not.



5. Cheat some more. Adding some height in planting gives the garden a sense age. Bamboo has instant impact. Cannas and bananas grow quickly. Ornamental grasses can fill in within one season. Anything large or fast growing helps. Use tall pots around a seating area to gain even more height.
6. Dirt is ugly. At least mine is. It’s dry and prone to forming clods, and looks messy. A mulch of nice dark black compost makes the ground look rich and clean, and everything looks fresh and tidy against it. As the year progresses, plants are healthier and require less water because of it. I start each spring with a load of compost, and it’s the best looking time of the year.
7. Don’t waste space on something that isn’t right. If you have something that you know you don’t like, don’t wait. You don’t get a lot of chances for instant gratification in gardening. Editing and clean up is a rare opportunity to see results instantly. The newly cleared space will change the whole dynamic of the area, and open up new and exciting possibilities.
8. Experiment. Not every choice you make is going to be right. Don’t get paralyzed by needing to plan for perfection. Go ahead and make some mistakes early on. The more you try, the more you’ll find your way, and the fewer mistakes you’ll make later on. There will come a time when plans will come to you easily, but if you’re not there yet, don’t think you need your forever garden mapped out to get started. As soon as you get moving, the path forward will become clear.

2008-04-27  »  megan