The weather over the last couple weeks has been amazing, and I鈥檇 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鈥檒l do the same thing again next year.
I purchased a great new book called 鈥淕arden Design For the Short Season Yard 鈥渂y Lyndon Penner. It鈥檚 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 鈥淏uilding Expectations鈥� and it talks about designing and planning your garden. Lyndon talks about whether we want a personal or 鈥減rofessional鈥� 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.聽 He says that a garden needs 鈥渇resh ideas and thus, innovation鈥�, as well as a sense of spontaneity.
Think about that for a minute. Isn鈥檛 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鈥檛 that why we can鈥檛 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 鈥渃reating art here, not trying to create a sanctuary for plants for plants where all are welcome.鈥� 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鈥檛 plant and didn鈥檛 particularly want taking over her garden, with little room for what she actually did want.聽 Lyndon says we shouldn鈥檛 feel obligated to keep every plant that pops up: it is not only okay but necessary to take out plants that don鈥檛 fit in with our garden vision.
And let鈥檚 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 鈥渉awaiian impatiens鈥� (you might know this vivacious plant by another name) that seems to grow like Jack鈥檚 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鈥檙e 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!聽 Visit us at
