It is a fairly well-known fact within my family that I have a black thumb. For those of you who are avid gardeners, you know what that means. Any form of plant life that crosses my path will undoubtedly not survive.
In university, I had two cacti in my dorm room. One was tall and thin, the other was short and round. Together, they composed my “Global Empire”…get it? Round = globe. Tall = Empire (State Building).
Sadly, I awoke one day to find that Global had imploded and a few days later, my Empire crumpled from loneliness. It would appear that world domination was not in my foreseeable future…nor was gardening.
I gave up on plants after that.
My Mom could make anything grow and my theory was that she kept all of the gardening DNA for herself. I accepted this handicap with a smile. There was more to life than flowers and pretty shrubs.
This was the case up until a few years ago when my Mom and I opted to do a charity walk and as part of our fundraising we sold herb kits. We included pots, seeds, gloves, and other helpful materials. For those that were more impatient for herbs, we even started some of the kits and began to grow the herbs ourselves.
It was then that I discovered that I was actually capable of growing something. Herbs! And I could do it better than my Mom!
I moved into a new house shortly afterwards and decided that I could plant shrubs in what I would make my front garden…after all, if I could handle delicate herbs, how hard could a mini-tree or two be to care for?
I bought large clay pots, lots of soil conditioners and fertilizers, and even different types of watering cans. It was time to get down and dirty and I ripped up sod, turned my clay-base soil into a blend of clay, sand, peat and mulch. I planted a dwarf Blue Spruce, a Silver-Leaf Dogwood, a Sandcherry and a Yellow Boxwood. This gave me a blend of colours with plants that were not going to be high maintenance...hopefully.
Six different types of basil soon graced those clay pots on my front porch, along with some oregano and thyme. My west-facing kitchen window had a sill large enough to permit year-round pot gardening and fresh herbs for even my winter cooking of roasts and stews. There is little more comforting than fresh cut oregano and rosemary in a thick and hearty broth in the middle of a Canadian winter.
Amazingly, both my herbs and my shrubs have survived for the past three years!
Two years ago, I added to my front garden and planted a “Star of India” Clematis and two rose bushes…all of which are still thriving!
This year, I opted to expand my gardening repertoire and have planted annuals like Dahlias and Begonias in clay pots on my front porch and acquired a hanging Portulaca plant. I also planted a Dwarf Balloon and Bluebells of Scotland to act as colourful filler between my Sandcherry and Dogwood shrubs.
So, what have I learned from all of this gardening experience, other than there are more plants out there than I have the capacity to become familiar with? I have realized that gardening is a lot like real life, especially in the field of management systems!
It is with a wry grin of irony that this realization hit me while I was sitting on my front porch last night, enjoying my flowers and watching Miska as she settled down with her nose between several purple Clematis blooms.
Never give up.
Sure, my cacti imploded, but it was in a university residence. Who is to say what the root cause was behind their unfortunate demise? Maybe I didn’t talk to them enough. Maybe they didn’t like my choice in music. My roommate could have been watering them in my absence, thus drowning my desert plants.
But to allow one little failure to be the deciding factor on what I can and can not do is not going to make me a success in this world.
Let’s face it, life has failures, but it’s what we do afterwards that helps us to improve. It’s all about lessons learned from those moments that do not go as planned.
Planning is key.
I did my research on what was viable for my region. I laid out my garden, taking into account the neighbourhood appearance, angle of the sun and what I wished to accomplish (i.e., did I want butterflies or bumblebees or nothing at all?). It was also necessary to consider how much time I was willing to dedicate to the garden, what I could afford, and what I wanted to do with my front yard (i.e., did I want to widen my driveway or keep grass?).
I had a goal and objective, considered my resources and required materials, acquired what I needed and began to implement my plan. Without the Plan, I would have no idea what I wanted to do or what I needed. Trying to implement the Plan would have been resulted in frustration and potential waste (of money and materials and time) had I not considered what I wanted to accomplish. You’ll see why in a few moments.
It's important to know where things stand.
Just as an improvement plan requires updating, so too does a garden. It won’t take care of itself. This year, I hacked, slashed, edged and retopped the surface with fresh soil and several inches of cedar mulch. All of this not only improves the overall appearance from ragamuffin to well-cared for, but also promotes growth of the plants and impedes the growth of weeds.
Without updating (Checking and Acting) and implementing the occasional countermeasure, my garden – and plan – will not succeed.
Routine is also necessary.
Regular watering and feeding, with the occasion plucking of dead blooms and general maintenance will keep things healthy.
As with any process, we can not improve the way things are unless we have an established and stabilized routine. Conditions must be under control before we can even think about improving.
Consider this…if the garden is a mess, untended, never watered or weeded, we will not know the true state of the garden. This includes its health, its appearance, and its capability. By ensuring proper care is taken of the garden with the routine of care and maintenance, it is possible to have a better picture of where to improve. In fact, one of the things I learned from two rounds of hacking and trimming of my shrubs was that they were looking a bit sparse near their bases. This prompted me to think about “filler” plants that would make the garden look more vibrant and complete.
Surprises can be a good thing.
My Queen Elizabeth II rose is supposed to grow to be 36”-48” in height. It’s topping 60” as of today and appears to have now 4-6 blooms per clump at each tip. This plant has exceeded my expectations.
While the plant has gone outside of its expected control limits, it has done so in a good way (in my opinion). I’ve opted not to take any countermeasures in this area.
Failures may still happen.
When things don’t go as planned in an adverse way, implement proper failure analysis.
This year I made a huge error with gardening. I thought that porch boxes filled with tall annuals would not only look beautiful, but would also afford me some privacy when I sit out there in the mornings with my coffee…or evenings with my mint tea…or someone special. A couple of hundred dollars later, I had a front porch filled with yellows and lavenders and amazing scents!
I forgot one thing…remember the importance of planning? I forgot to consider my travel schedule. Several trips for work resulted in long absences and required time with the family when I was home.
After one particularly long trip, I came back to discover that my lovely front porch flowers were now bland shades of browns and beige. Again, plants had died on me.
Why?
I did not take into account small boxes, large plants with major root systems, and a hot sun…watering was required every day and I was not capable of providing what they needed.
My action was to remove the boxes, start training my Clematis and blue Morning Glory to climb, and insert small colourful plants in the ground between my shrubs. Thus far…success. I have also implemented a regular watering schedule…and I tell my neighbours when I am traveling. Fortunate for me, one of my neighbours is known as the “Crazy Flower Lady” and is more than happy to flower-sit my garden for me.
Patience! Patience! Patience!
I have been in my house now for three years. It’s not like my shrubs and plants grew overnight. The Clematis can grow to be ten feet tall – it’s probably around 7’-8’ feet right now. Even my Peony has taken several summers to mature to the point where I actually had a bloom this year!
The best of improvement plans can not be implemented overnight with better results expected instantaneously. It takes time, dedication, perseverance.
I am not known for my patience. Perhaps I am part of that Now-Generation…the group that expects instant gratification and immediate satisfaction. Gardening has reminded me that it takes work to turn a healthy patch of lawn into a beautiful arrangement of plants and colours. It takes discipline to turn a controlled process into something which is even better.
*** *** ***
Watching my plants grow has brought me more than fresh herbs and vibrant colours. It has brought me feelings of satisfaction and achievement. It has also been quite the eye-opener to recognize that the application of the principles needed to succeed in my work life, are also necessary for triumph in my garden-life, resulting in not only fragrant blooms but sweet-smelling results.
In university, I had two cacti in my dorm room. One was tall and thin, the other was short and round. Together, they composed my “Global Empire”…get it? Round = globe. Tall = Empire (State Building).
Sadly, I awoke one day to find that Global had imploded and a few days later, my Empire crumpled from loneliness. It would appear that world domination was not in my foreseeable future…nor was gardening.
I gave up on plants after that.
My Mom could make anything grow and my theory was that she kept all of the gardening DNA for herself. I accepted this handicap with a smile. There was more to life than flowers and pretty shrubs.
This was the case up until a few years ago when my Mom and I opted to do a charity walk and as part of our fundraising we sold herb kits. We included pots, seeds, gloves, and other helpful materials. For those that were more impatient for herbs, we even started some of the kits and began to grow the herbs ourselves.
It was then that I discovered that I was actually capable of growing something. Herbs! And I could do it better than my Mom!
I moved into a new house shortly afterwards and decided that I could plant shrubs in what I would make my front garden…after all, if I could handle delicate herbs, how hard could a mini-tree or two be to care for?
I bought large clay pots, lots of soil conditioners and fertilizers, and even different types of watering cans. It was time to get down and dirty and I ripped up sod, turned my clay-base soil into a blend of clay, sand, peat and mulch. I planted a dwarf Blue Spruce, a Silver-Leaf Dogwood, a Sandcherry and a Yellow Boxwood. This gave me a blend of colours with plants that were not going to be high maintenance...hopefully.
Six different types of basil soon graced those clay pots on my front porch, along with some oregano and thyme. My west-facing kitchen window had a sill large enough to permit year-round pot gardening and fresh herbs for even my winter cooking of roasts and stews. There is little more comforting than fresh cut oregano and rosemary in a thick and hearty broth in the middle of a Canadian winter.
Amazingly, both my herbs and my shrubs have survived for the past three years!
Two years ago, I added to my front garden and planted a “Star of India” Clematis and two rose bushes…all of which are still thriving!
This year, I opted to expand my gardening repertoire and have planted annuals like Dahlias and Begonias in clay pots on my front porch and acquired a hanging Portulaca plant. I also planted a Dwarf Balloon and Bluebells of Scotland to act as colourful filler between my Sandcherry and Dogwood shrubs.
So, what have I learned from all of this gardening experience, other than there are more plants out there than I have the capacity to become familiar with? I have realized that gardening is a lot like real life, especially in the field of management systems!
It is with a wry grin of irony that this realization hit me while I was sitting on my front porch last night, enjoying my flowers and watching Miska as she settled down with her nose between several purple Clematis blooms.
Never give up.
Sure, my cacti imploded, but it was in a university residence. Who is to say what the root cause was behind their unfortunate demise? Maybe I didn’t talk to them enough. Maybe they didn’t like my choice in music. My roommate could have been watering them in my absence, thus drowning my desert plants.
But to allow one little failure to be the deciding factor on what I can and can not do is not going to make me a success in this world.
Let’s face it, life has failures, but it’s what we do afterwards that helps us to improve. It’s all about lessons learned from those moments that do not go as planned.
Planning is key.
I did my research on what was viable for my region. I laid out my garden, taking into account the neighbourhood appearance, angle of the sun and what I wished to accomplish (i.e., did I want butterflies or bumblebees or nothing at all?). It was also necessary to consider how much time I was willing to dedicate to the garden, what I could afford, and what I wanted to do with my front yard (i.e., did I want to widen my driveway or keep grass?).
I had a goal and objective, considered my resources and required materials, acquired what I needed and began to implement my plan. Without the Plan, I would have no idea what I wanted to do or what I needed. Trying to implement the Plan would have been resulted in frustration and potential waste (of money and materials and time) had I not considered what I wanted to accomplish. You’ll see why in a few moments.
It's important to know where things stand.
Just as an improvement plan requires updating, so too does a garden. It won’t take care of itself. This year, I hacked, slashed, edged and retopped the surface with fresh soil and several inches of cedar mulch. All of this not only improves the overall appearance from ragamuffin to well-cared for, but also promotes growth of the plants and impedes the growth of weeds.
Without updating (Checking and Acting) and implementing the occasional countermeasure, my garden – and plan – will not succeed.
Routine is also necessary.
Regular watering and feeding, with the occasion plucking of dead blooms and general maintenance will keep things healthy.
As with any process, we can not improve the way things are unless we have an established and stabilized routine. Conditions must be under control before we can even think about improving.
Consider this…if the garden is a mess, untended, never watered or weeded, we will not know the true state of the garden. This includes its health, its appearance, and its capability. By ensuring proper care is taken of the garden with the routine of care and maintenance, it is possible to have a better picture of where to improve. In fact, one of the things I learned from two rounds of hacking and trimming of my shrubs was that they were looking a bit sparse near their bases. This prompted me to think about “filler” plants that would make the garden look more vibrant and complete.
Surprises can be a good thing.
My Queen Elizabeth II rose is supposed to grow to be 36”-48” in height. It’s topping 60” as of today and appears to have now 4-6 blooms per clump at each tip. This plant has exceeded my expectations.
While the plant has gone outside of its expected control limits, it has done so in a good way (in my opinion). I’ve opted not to take any countermeasures in this area.
Failures may still happen.
When things don’t go as planned in an adverse way, implement proper failure analysis.
This year I made a huge error with gardening. I thought that porch boxes filled with tall annuals would not only look beautiful, but would also afford me some privacy when I sit out there in the mornings with my coffee…or evenings with my mint tea…or someone special. A couple of hundred dollars later, I had a front porch filled with yellows and lavenders and amazing scents!
I forgot one thing…remember the importance of planning? I forgot to consider my travel schedule. Several trips for work resulted in long absences and required time with the family when I was home.
After one particularly long trip, I came back to discover that my lovely front porch flowers were now bland shades of browns and beige. Again, plants had died on me.
Why?
I did not take into account small boxes, large plants with major root systems, and a hot sun…watering was required every day and I was not capable of providing what they needed.
My action was to remove the boxes, start training my Clematis and blue Morning Glory to climb, and insert small colourful plants in the ground between my shrubs. Thus far…success. I have also implemented a regular watering schedule…and I tell my neighbours when I am traveling. Fortunate for me, one of my neighbours is known as the “Crazy Flower Lady” and is more than happy to flower-sit my garden for me.
Patience! Patience! Patience!
I have been in my house now for three years. It’s not like my shrubs and plants grew overnight. The Clematis can grow to be ten feet tall – it’s probably around 7’-8’ feet right now. Even my Peony has taken several summers to mature to the point where I actually had a bloom this year!
The best of improvement plans can not be implemented overnight with better results expected instantaneously. It takes time, dedication, perseverance.
I am not known for my patience. Perhaps I am part of that Now-Generation…the group that expects instant gratification and immediate satisfaction. Gardening has reminded me that it takes work to turn a healthy patch of lawn into a beautiful arrangement of plants and colours. It takes discipline to turn a controlled process into something which is even better.
*** *** ***
Watching my plants grow has brought me more than fresh herbs and vibrant colours. It has brought me feelings of satisfaction and achievement. It has also been quite the eye-opener to recognize that the application of the principles needed to succeed in my work life, are also necessary for triumph in my garden-life, resulting in not only fragrant blooms but sweet-smelling results.
