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The garden: Planned or impromptu?

Years ago, as the only aquaculture student available to answer a phone enquiry, I was asked, “I have a bathtub full of trout fingerlings. ... My family are complaining bitterly. What do I have to do?”

Years ago, as the only aquaculture student available to answer a phone enquiry, I was asked, “I have a bathtub full of trout fingerlings. I need to create a habitat quickly, so that I can get the use of the bathtub back. My family are complaining bitterly. What do I have to do?”

Aghast, I suggested that the arrangements required for trout fingerlings involved fresh water at a particular temperature, oxygenation, et cetera. Such a system was rarely set up in a day or two. One needed to plan the whole operation carefully, and I referred her to her local library and/or ministry of fisheries for the specific details.

I think we do this with our gardens as well. We want a low water requirement, would appreciate next to no maintenance, but we love roses and they are on sale, so we buy 10. Then we rush to put them in somewhere, anywhere, so they will bloom and smell lovely in June. Then we buy some lavender, and plop that in. A few days later, the neighbour is culling their overgrown perennials and we end up with some peonies, delphinium, and monkshood. These are haphazardly arranged in the garden space available. As they blossom, or wilt and die, we wish we had started with a plan and been just a wee bit more patient.

Now it is spring. Time to rearrange things so that plants are grouped according to their needs, and we don’t have enough space, and we heard that we are not supposed to be moving peonies at this time of year, and that roses are very difficult to raise and prone to mould, and where in the world did that clematis come from?

In an ideal world, the gardener takes lots of time in the planning stage.

With a “water-wise” or xeriscape garden, our basic component is the selection of plant species that require very little water other than that supplied by nature.

To accomplish this aim, we consider the sun or shade factor, whether we can harvest rain water, how can we use the rainwater and ground moisture wisely, site drainage and many other factors that will impact our site.

You can also plan to incorporate other features that may give you more pleasure. Personally, I love natural fragrances. I want sweet peas in abandon, and not just for a couple days in July. Many of the plants I have selected are both fragrant and able to survive with very little additional water.

Some gardeners want something blossoming all the time, called flowering succession. Their garden starts off with early spring bulbs, winter aconite, glory of the snow (chionodoxa), snowdrops, early, mid and late spring tulips; by June, roses, various perennials, shrubs and vines, and in the fall, colour with Russian sage, rudibeckia, mums, and their friends. Such a system can be either a riot of variety, politely called an English garden, or well planned in groupings, based on the needs of each family of plants.

My personal struggle is moving from the riot to something that will allow me more time to enjoy my garden and less time on my knees fighting quack grass and other unwanted visitors.

Planning after the fact is a challenge, but a very common one with those of us who rushed in whenever we saw an irresistible plant.

A few members of our local garden club, who have displayed spectacular gardens in the past, have now moved to new homes in the Creston area. I envy them the chance to start over. I will watch the development of their new gardens with great interest. They have learned lots by doing, some things they may identify as mistakes, or poor planning, and now will have a chance to start again. It will be a real treat to see the results of their many years of learning as they establish new gardens.

Those of us without the luxury of a new garden to design, but one with lots of little areas that require some time and effort, will be planning and changing one area at a time. A garden is patient, and comes up each year, whether beautifully thought out, or like the woman with the bathtub of trout fingerlings, thrown together in a real hurry, before the fish die. Whatever the case, we have the luxury of redesigning and eventually having that “water-wise” garden with our own special touch, be it fragrant, white flowers, flowering shrubs, espaliered vines or edibles only. The secret is the design and knowing what you want.

We will be doing a hands-on garden at the College of the Rockies and invite your participation. Please call 250-428-5332 ext. 4107 and leave your name with Anita.