Instant Gardens?
The Japanese Umbrella Pine is only six feet hall, and the Pinky Winky Hydrangeas are half that. It's so hard to be patient and appreciate how they are right now.
Part of me wants to see things larger now. I want the privacy, I want to harvest the greens in the winter, and I want to appreciate mature specimen plants. At the same time I enjoy the process, and am grateful to be able to witness the progression from small plant to large.
Truthfully, the me that imagines how it will all look years from now seems to be prevailing.
Why is it so hard for humans to want what we already have? Why is it difficult to let our lives and gardens just take their course? Landscapes are constantly evolving…even those “instant gardens” that are started with larger plants. Although landscapers can plant a property so that the gardens immediately look mature, such landscapes change like all others, and often need to be re-worked because things are too crowded.
Be it a garden, a career or another aspect of life, we are frequently in a hurry to arrive. Once there, however, we realize that the garden, the career, and yes, the life, keeps on growing and we haven’t arrived at all.
December 29th, 2008 at 6:00 AM
Good Morning, You could say that patience is one of the most important thing a gardener has to learn. Mother Nature has her own time frame’s for things to happen. A growing plant takes it own time to reach maturity and you can help it along a little but it has its own game plan.
Making and building gardens takes time and one of the virtue’s of gardening is to enjoy it all happening.
I am sure you will enjoy your gardens this coming year and next winter you will have new garden dreams.
Have a good day,
John
December 31st, 2008 at 5:29 PM
Wishing you all a Happy New Year.
May your Gardens be prosperous and full of lovely blooms.
John and Liza
January 30th, 2009 at 6:00 PM
I am thankful that the previous owners planted trees, so that I may enjoy them now. When I look at the garden, I sometimes see it halfway between what it looks like now, and what it will become as it matures.
That fourth dimension of time makes gardening such an interesting design puzzle. You have to ask yourself whether you are planning and planting for this year, next year, in 5 years or 10. It’s a challenge to make it look interesting over time, as the plants follow their own growth cycle. That’s also what keeps me eagerly anticipating what it will look like next spring.