Getting to Know Carol - the Garden

One of my objectives in joining this group is to get to know everyone one better, so I thought I would start by sharing something about myself.

When I introduced myself, I mentioned that one of my passions is designing gardens. The one I love the best is the 120' x 8' irregularly shaped bed that I put in at the back of our house 12 years ago. It was intended to be a more cultivated variation of the meadow behind the bed and there was virtually nothing but a mound of dirt when I first started.

It is designed so that something is always blooming from April until the first hard frost. I also focused on flowers that are loved by birds and butterflies, so that in the hot days of July, birds are cooling themselves in the birdbath and by early August there are clouds of butterflies and hummingbirds that sometimes dart up to look at us on the deck. This is what it looks like in July. Unfortunately, after we moved in, I found that the part of the meadow that backs up to the bed is zealously mowed by the homeowners association in accord with suburban sensibilities, so the backdrop for the garden looks more like a scruffy piece of lawn instead of a beautiful changing meadow. However, you can see that there is still some nice meadow beyond that which is only mowed once a year. This is only the middle section of the garden - there is a magnolia tree at one end and a butterfly bush at the other.

So what have I learned from gardening that I have used in the rest of my life?

First, don't be afraid to fail. Experimentation is key to developing a successful garden. I can't tell you how many times I have rearranged and discarded plants when they didn't turn out quite the way I wanted.

Second, not all plants like all locations, so don't waste time trying to make it survive if you have given it a good try. I have had plants that did wonderfully in one garden (think scabiosa, daphne) and refused to survive in another location. I usually give it about 2 years before I throw the towel in. Sometimes the weather might be the cause, but that's not likely two years in a row.

Third, gardens change over time so you have to be flexible with your vision. That nice little plant that was so perfect in 1999, can become an overwhelming monster by 2009. Right now, I am reworking the garden in the picture, because the butterfly bush blew over in a hurricane (they are very shallow rooted) and then gave birth to hundreds of baby butterfly bushes (not a good thing) , the mass of luxuriant fragrant scotch broom grew into 6' tall, leggy trees and a number of pretty purple plants just disappeared.

Some other time I will talk about the Barngarden, where I grow veges, fruits and herbs.