GARDENING : If You’re All Thumbs and None of Them Are Green
Do you toss the whole notion of gardening aside as simply beyond your skills? One of the many myths of gardening is that it’s hard to keep plants healthy and growing well. In fact, gardening, although it can be an art, is also a science, with simple, easy to understand requirements that can make even the least talented person into a reasonably competent gardener.
I know because that’s what happened to me. I was raised in New York City, where my only knowledge of green growing things was the grass I played on in Central Park and the Astroturf that carpeted our mid-Manhattan apartment balcony.
As a youngster I shunned outdoor gardening activity because I feared the creepy crawly insects, spiders and other horrendous creatures that dwelt in and around plants.
I changed my attitude when I moved to Southern California, bought a house and decided I’d rather grow roses than keep buying them to fill my house with their fragrance and beauty.
Trial and error, reading the many excellent guides to gardening and speaking with experts transformed me from a gardening drop-out to a moderately competent garden hobbyist who enjoys both growing plants and writing about them.
Because there’s so much information about gardening available from books, plant societies and workshops, to newcomers it can seem overwhelming enough to keep them from even trying. But gardening can be very easy.
“Keep it simple” is the advice of Shirley Kerins, a landscape architect in Huntington Beach. “Newcomers shouldn’t try to create too large a garden or grow plants with special requirements.”
Because success is an inspiration to future gardening efforts, Kerins advises planting just a small area.
“Beginners should go for annuals,” she says.
“They give instant color, grow for just a defined period of time and are very rewarding.”
Among her recommendations are pansies, nasturtiums, primroses and snapdragons.
Once some confidence and success are acquired, expand efforts by adding easy-care perennials. There are many in this category, including roses.
John Parker, a landscape architect in Dana Point and professor of ornamental horticulture at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, advocates a common-sense approach to gardening.
“Invest a little time before you actually try to grow anything by seeking out reliable information,” he says. He recommends the “New Western Garden Book” (Sunset Publishing Company) for a thorough, easy to understand guide to all types of plants and gardening conditions in Orange County.
Then he suggests paying attention to gardens in your immediate vicinity. “When I’m unfamiliar with a specific area, I drive around and look at the gardens to see what plants do well consistently yard after yard after yard. I’m looking for plants that do well in diverse conditions.”
One of the surest ways to make mistakes in gardening is by impulse buying at a nursery or garden center.
“Plants in full flower are supposed to look enticing so people will want to buy them,” Parker says. “But it’s more important to know if the plant needs sun, shade, a lot of water, dry conditions or how long the flowering period is.
“Bone up a little bit on the conditions in your own yard before planting anything,” he advises.
And remember that successful gardening is not the sole possession of a chosen few who whisper words of encouragement to their plants and swear by complex formulations.
Here are some basics to start:
* A plant is only as good as its growing conditions.
If you take the effort to select plants for your own soil conditions, climate zone and sun or shade factors, you’ll end up with living plants instead of dead sticks.
If you don’t know what kind of soil is in your yard, dig up some samples and take them to your local nursery to show the staffer. Once you know if your soil is clay or sand, dig in soil amendments to correct the condition. The ideal is sandy loam, which is rare in most of Orange County.
* Don’t expect your plants to always look the same.
“Plants are living creatures, each with a definite flowering time,” Parker says. “They aren’t static; they keep growing and changing.”
A common mistake is to overcrowd the garden space by planting so closely that, as a plant matures, it runs out of growing room. This isn’t a great problem with bedding plants, where you want a mass color effect, but it becomes a real headache when perennials or shrubs are placed too close together. Follow the instructions on the planting labels that come with each plant. Experts have researched and written them so you’ll enjoy the plants as they mature.
* Give plants the right amount of water.
Caring for the growing plant means observing when the soil is dry and only then watering. Don’t just look at the soil surface, which is quick to dry out. Instead, probe with a stick or trowel a few inches below the surface, and water only when that’s dry. More plants die from over-watering than under-watering, because fungi that live in soil attack plant roots that are kept too soggy.
* Fertilize the plants only when needed.
“Most people over-fertilize their plants, encouraging tender growth that can be attacked by insects,” Parker said. “If the plant is growing well, in good color, there’s no need to fertilize.”
This advice is especially true with annuals that will flourish for months rather than years. Perennials and shrubs need fertilizing, but the quantity and frequency depend on the individual garden and its soil. More important is preparing the soil with amendments before planting anything and adding amendments when replanting with the next season’s offerings.
Parker disagrees with the advice of some that plants should be fertilized every month during the growing season. I found that when I fed my roses every two or three weeks, as people who exhibit them are inclined to do, they were more susceptible to insect infestations.
Fertilizing with a good, all-purpose formulation in early spring, late spring and fall will take care of most garden situations where exhibition blooms are not the goal.
* Restrain yourself when it comes to controlling insects.
There are dozens of different types of chemicals, toxic and nontoxic, to combat the host of insects that can infest plants. Some people like to spray once each week or two, particularly if they exhibit flowers, but you don’t have to follow such a rigorous schedule. In fact, you and your garden will be healthier if you don’t. You’ll have fewer “bad” insects such as aphids, mites and thrips if you allow their predators to live in the garden and devour them. In time, your garden will achieve a balance and you can avoid spraying.
Parker suggests eliminating those plants that seem particularly prone to disease infestation.
“If the only way a plant will be happy is by spraying it regularly, I’d rather get rid of that plant and replace it with something less demanding,” he says. “I don’t want to be a slave to my garden.”
Easy Gardening
* See what grows well nearby
* Start with annuals
* Plant a small area
* Don’t water too much
* Make peace with insects
* Fertilize sparingly
