Tried and True…or Something new?
Being comfortable and doing what we know holds great appeal for a vast majority of the population. Who wants to be wrong? Even worse, who would want to be seen or thought of as -insert mortified gasp- a “failure?” The only thing worse than being a failure would be(drumroll) having to admit defeat, to someone who has never failed! Which would be a person who works at a greenhouse….because if a person works at a greenhouse/garden center that means they can’t possibly ever fail at anything plant related! Can they?
I am here to burst the “garden center employee,” also known as “one who has never killed a plant,” myth. (I can see your astonished faces and hear the mortified gasps echoing loudly.) You read correctly, I said myth. I think I can speak for most of us when I say I have forgotten to water, planted something where it did not thrive, over watered and did I mention forgetting to water?
J. C. Raulston -the late N. C. State University horticulturist, founder and namesake of the university’s arboretum- said, “If you are not killing plants, you are not really stretching yourself as a gardener.” I for one, whole heartedly agree with his statement. When I kill a plant, although I feel terrible, I usually learn a valuable lesson…One that sticks in my memory. The next time I grow that plant I killed, you can bet the same mistake won’t be made! Don’t let your failures make up what you will and will not grow in your garden…try, try again.
Try, try again? “I would never try a plant I killed once, again! That’s crazy!” What if it was something as simple as the plant didn’t like where it was planted but would bloom its’ head off if you moved it to the other side of your house? Sometimes it may be an easy fix…And other times you may end up with a dead plant twice in a row. This is NOT a bad thing! Gardening is an education. If you are not willing to invest in it(time, money, sweat, tears…), dismiss your fear of failure and ask for help, you may end up growing the same >insert plant of choice< the remainder of your life.
I highly encourage gardening with plants you know will thrive and make you look like a pro-gardener…(and who wouldn’t want that!?) After all, I want you to have a beautiful garden, a gorgeous place you can spend lazy afternoons. I would also like to issue a challenge. Along with those tried and true, try something new. No, I’m not telling you to revamp everything you plant. Maybe you still plant a petunia. But this year, stretch yourself and try a different color.(Yes, I would consider this something new as some colors grow differently then others.) If you’re a bit braver, try a variety you’ve never grown before.
Remember, always ask questions. PLEASE, please please, ask questions! We would love to help you trouble shoot a problem you are having. At the very least we can reassure you that it is OK that your plant died, and point you in the direction of your newest victim a variety we love…and maybe while you learn to grow it you will learn to love it too.
Stay tuned for our new for 2016 varieties.