Gardening Sucks Sometimes!
Yeah, I said it, it really does suck sometimes. How many times have you planted the wrong plant in the right place, or waited for the perfectly ripe fruit that was wiped out overnight by some damn critter who bit most of them and left them on the ground when the dummo realized it didn’t like what it was pilfering? How about spending a weekend laying out crushed granite then watching it roll down the street during a hard rain 3 days later?
I like to think of gardening as a science experiment. There is a famous quotes that says “To plant a tree is to have faith in the future”, and that is so true in all things gardening. It is basically a study in faith and hope but one you can curtail a bit to your advantage if you have the right tools and information. while you cannot predict that your squash will be wiped out by borers or that a rain event will drown your cactus and a rogue winter freeze will MURDER YOUR MEYER LEMON!, you can prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
So now on to the good part…change is good. Death makes room for life and evolution happens whether we like it or not; so take back that bed of weeds and turn it into something special. Plant cover crops like Zinnias or Cosmos to keep weeds at bay in beds.
Zinnia is an annual plant that makes an excellent cover crop and provides food for butterflies. collect seed heads after they bloom and keep them in a paper bag until the following spring for new flowers each year.
Build a creative cover to keep the critters off of your prized crops, like this great idea from Pinterest!
Then, if your once sun garden is now completely shaded by the trees you thoughtfully planted all those years ago, embrace your new space and create a shaded paradise with some new plants you can now include in your list of favorites, believe me, there are many…
Or maybe you cut down some sick trees and you now have only sun…DONT GET ME STARTED! Here are a couple off of the top of my head, but there are hundreds!
So yes, gardening can suck sometimes, but the rewards are endless. The return from gardening organically, while using the right plants, adding compost every spring, staying away from chemical fertilizers and weed controls at all costs and finding the right plants for the job, then spacing them properly will give you the most reward from your investment.
Find inspiration online or at your local bookstore. There are thousands of clever ideas just waiting to happen and remember, less is more. There is no need to fill the beds up. Leave open space for a bird bath or bench, a path to walk though the space. Gardening is not a one and your done situation. It is ever-changing and a beautiful process if done thoughtfully.
However, if you are finding your yard to be more of a challenge than a treat, there is another solution that can be a very helpful tool and that is a Landscape Consultation. A landscape consultation or “garden coach” who is proficient in native and adapted plants and trees, deer resistant plants and organic protocols can teach you how to care for your space with the most efficient, cost-effective and purposefully planted and “planned” manner with the least effort and the greatest return.
So whether your goal is to make an oasis where you can get away from it all, looking for creative solutions to problem areas, or to just make your life easier in the landscape, give me a call at 512-733-7777 or email me at lisalapaso@yahoo.com to schedule your landscape/ educational consultation. Prices range from $100 – $150 an hour depending on your location (or distance from me) and I promise it will be the best money you have spent on your garden so far!
Now go get your garden on!
Lisa LaPaso
Lisa’s Landscape & Design
Saving the Planet One Yard at a Time!
Check me out on Facebook and YouTube!
- Posted in: Central Texas Gardens ♦ Edible Gardens ♦ Education ♦ Garden Coach ♦ Landscape and Design ♦ Landscape Consultation ♦ Native and Adapted Plants ♦ Water Wise ♦ Xeriscape design austin
- Tagged: Austin Texas landscape designs, garden coach Austin, Landscape Consultations austin, shade plants central Texas, sun plants Central texas