When Gardens Don’t Grow
Report From PIA – January 5
Anyone who’s been gardening for more than three years has experienced failure. I don’t care how many green thumbs a person has, at some point there will be plants that sulk or die. When we garden, we grow catastrophes, fiascos and disappointments along with the successes.
Sometimes things just don’t work out. I was talking about this yesterday, at a friend’s house. “Why are some prayers answered and others aren’t?” she asked. I had no satifying way to respond. I thought about this again today because I talked to a local businessperson whose business turned in a direction she didn’t want or expect.
As gardeners we sometimes know why things haven’t done well…the sixteen Geranium cantabrigensis that I planted in front of a small tree hasn’t thrived because I didn’t prepare the soil at all. I stuck those small plants into the compact clay, and why am I not surprised that some are moping and the rest have died.
Other times it’s not so clear what’s wrong. We put the plant in its preferred environment, loosen and amend the soil, and give it some organic fertilizer but nevertheless, it gives up the ghost.
I’ve tried to germinate many plans, hopes and dreams that haven’t sprouted, despite my care and appeals. Why are some prayers answered while others are not? The answer to that question will always be a mystery, I’m afraid.
Most gardeners aren’t deterred by their failures and disappointments…they just keep planting. In life, too, we are well served to keep moving forward, to keep sowing and praying, and doing our best to cultivate good things.
Sometimes we can tell what went wrong, while other situations remain a mystery. My guess is that this tree died because it was at the end of a very long soaker hose, and the water didn't make it all the way down the line.
January 5th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I wise person once told me that all prayers are answered but sometimes the answer is “no” or “not now”. Hardly comforting when you have forked out a chunk of change and a lot of effort babying a plant! I still keep trying to grow those borderline hardy (for me) trees, shrubs, and perennials. A prayer at planting can’t hurt!
Christine in Alaska
January 5th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
Christine,
Prayers never hurt, at planting or any other time! In fact, I think they help although we don’t always see the results. For me, prayer is a matter of doing my part, acknowledging that there are forces and plans that reach far beyond my limited sight.