The approach of autumn signals considerable changes in the well-planned garden. This is when the foliage of trees, shrubs and many perennials takes on the shades of the season: rusty reds and pumpkin orange, burnished bronze and the faded gold of ornamental grasses. As gardeners, we have chosen plants carefully for fall foliage in seasons past. Now we reap the rewards of choices made long ago.
Reflect yourself
While planning, you should also bring your personal interests into the equation. With the right mix of bird feeder stations and nesting places, you can turn your property into a bird sanctuary. The neat and tidy gardener can use formal elements of design to give the garden crisp lines and structure in the winter months. Trust your instincts. In my mind, the best gardens reflect the personality of the gardener.
Planning a garden can seem overwhelming, especially to the novice gardener. Even a professional landscape architect knows that all the elements of a garden will not be visible in any one season, let alone in one day. First you make a plan, and then you focus on different facets of that plan. You plant for each season, and over the duration of one full year you watch the garden come to fruition. Year after year, this process is one of constant transformation.
May I suggest you take the idea of future garden maintenance down to its lowest common denominator? At some level, garden maintenance is simply more gardening. If you don’t want more work, cut back on your plan. If you include perennials in your garden and you want to extend the season of flower bloom, part of the maintenance will include deadheading. If you want a lawn, it will need to be maintained.
During this planning phase, you need to be realistic. How much time can you give to your garden each week? Do you dream of creating a garden from scratch using your own ideas and design elements? Will you be a hands-on gardener? Or do you simply want a yard that enhances the look of your house, with a neatly clipped lawn, shrubs and trees? Be honest. Stick to your heart’s desire and you will most likely achieve the desired results.
When you learn something that works in your garden, write it down or share it directly with garden friends and visitors. Share your plan with fellow gardeners and, whenever possible, work in a garden together. This is how we learn and how things work in the garden world. One minute you’re asking questions and thinking you still have so much to learn. The next thing you know, your fellow gardeners are coming to you for ideas and advice.
Robb Rosser is a WSU-certified master gardener. Reach him at Write2Robb@aol.com.