Letting the garden grow

As I’ve been garden coaching so many of you, one thing we often discuss is letting the garden grow, hopefully making it simpler to care for. At least, that’s the idea.

Letting the garden grow doesn’t mean letting the garden go.

There’s a fine line between exuberant, healthy plants and those intent on world domination. Weeds, for example, fall into that second category. Carol Michel and I discussed many plants we wish were not in our gardens on a recent podcast episode called shoulda, woulda, coulda.

As I matured as a gardener, I became inspired by gardens like the Lurie Garden which has its fair share of spreaders. I’ve visited twice, and I’m in love with their style, except I would need a few roses in mine. I like to mix both natives and non-natives in my garden of delight.

Plentiful plants, not bad actors.

Choose plants that are plentiful, but not bad actors. Those you want to encourage instead of ones that are garden bullies. Some plants are just planted in the wrong place. Heath aster, Symphyotrichum ericoides, which I profiled on Instagram last summer, fits into that category. I am digging clumps of it out of my proper garden and tossing them on top of the brush pile to dry out and hopefully die.

There are still plenty in the upper pasture meadow. ‘Drummond’s aster is also a problem child. Oh well.

My upper pasture meadow has poorer soil and little supplemental water. It is a perfect place for heath aster and Drummond’s aster to grow.

Other plants, like this golden groundsel, Packera obovata, have proven their worth over time. It grows and self sows abundantly, and I use it in empty places throughout my garden. It only flowers in mid-spring, but the small rosettes look tidy throughout the growing season.

Remember, perennials don’t flower all season. Instead, they have their season, and then they then build up their root system for the next year.

Phlox ‘Minnie Pearl’ is another perennial I love. The groundsel and phlox are easy to pull up and remove as needed. [Click on the images in the gallery to make them larger.]

What does letting the garden grow mean?

Letting the garden grow means

• Using the garden’s strong points and building on them.
• Dividing and repeating stronger plants throughout the garden. Repetition also helps the eye to move about the garden and makes your design more cohesive.
• Listening to my own garden coaching advice. I sometimes have trouble following it too.
• Not worrying about perfection even if I open the garden to visitors. This one is really hard.
• Shovel pruning and replacing plants that are unhappy and not prospering.

Take your garden’s strong points and build on them.

One of my garden’s strong points is that it has good structure. Good structure means good garden bones. Good bones make your garden look tidy as you let it grow.

My back garden design is based on a plan from Kitchen Gardener magazine. The middle bed is a diamond surrounded by four triangles. It began as a kitchen garden, but I kept adding flowers. Adding too many flowers is a gardening fault I have. Flowers consistently take over my vegetables.

I have well-built gravel garden paths and borders. You can’t do this overnight. It takes time and sweat equity unless you have the money to pay for it. Bill and I did almost everything ourselves. It took us years; 35 years to be exact.

So, when you see this garden online, in a magazine, or in person, remember, it’s a garden full of mature shrubs, trees, and flowers. These give it a sense of permanence even though gardens are not permanent. They rarely outlive their creators.

How will you water?

Once your structure is in place, think about watering. Letting the garden grow means it needs water. Many of my garden coaching clients are trying to water by hand. Believe me when I write that you won’t go out and hand water when it’s 90 to 100° outside. You just won’t.

Then, your plants die, and you think you’re a bad gardener. It’s just not true.

Drip irrigation is best.

Ninety percent of my garden, including most of my containers, is on drip irrigation. It’s the best way to water hands down, and it’s part of letting the garden grow.

I use Netafim tubing almost everywhere. Bill and I repair the tubing ourselves unless the job is too big for us. Then, we ask Grooms Irrigation to come out and diagnose our problem. There are several local companies you can use, but knowing how to irrigate and use as little water as possible is important.

Before we installed drip, we used soaker hoses and timers. Usually, a soaker hose will last for three seasons in my garden, but it’s a good option if you can’t afford to install an irrigation system. I did it for 25 years.

Divide and place stronger plants throughout the garden.

Here is a list of some of the perennials I’m dividing and placing throughout the garden. This will help the garden grow and make it more cohesive. I already mentioned two of them above.

• Phlox paniculata. I have ‘Jeana,’ my passalong pink phlox, ‘Bright Eyes,’ and ‘John Fanick.’ I want to spread ‘John Fanick’ around because I only have it in one spot. I have a lot of the pink garden phlox, and I give away loads of it each spring.
• Peonies. I like the herbaceous ones best because they are the easiest to grow. No, the flowers don’t last forever, but they are magical. Yes, they get ruined by rain, but if you see a storm coming, bring some inside to enjoy them.
• Salvias. I love salvias, and last year, I devoted an entire season to them naming 2023 the Year of the Salvia. Please note that some salvias are tropical while others are perennial.
• Grasses like Miscanthus sinensis and Panicum virgatum. There’s a switch grass for everyone.
• Daylilies. You know I enjoy daylilies because I’ve devoted plenty of blog posts on them. However, there are certain varieties that I would take with me if I ever left this garden, and surprisingly, it wouldn’t be the latest cultivars. I’d definitely take ‘Hyperion,’ ‘Red Volunteer,’ and ‘Webster’s Pink Wonder.’ There would be others, but I wouldn’t leave these.

So, those are my tips for letting the garden grow. What are your tips? I’d love to hear.