People argue perpetually about certain words, among them “climate change” and “sustainability”. In a time of turmoil in the world—no matter how you characterize that turmoil—we need peace in the garden. So I propose we think about an idea that is relatively uncontroversial, has stood the test of time, and is useful in just about every garden application. The idea is “thrift”.
Thrift means using time, energy, and resources wisely. It means being liberal in the truest sense—sharing with others—and conservative in the truest sense—keeping what is truly valuable. Embrace thrift and your garden will be better, which means your life is likely to be better, at least in a small way.
Thrift in garden maintenance means putting the right plant in the right place, rather than trying to work against nature. Roses, even new varieties bred for hardiness, are not likely to thrive in the shade. Dry soil will be great for sedums, but not for astilbes, which are thirsty. The internet makes it easy to ferret out the needs of specific plants. Common sense and a little observation will tell you which parts of your garden are sunny or shady, wet or dry. Act accordingly. Water all plants regularly while they are getting settled in a new spot, but spare the water afterwards, except in times of drought. The plants will do the rest, and if they don’t, try moving them to better locations.
It is hard to practice thrift in the garden marketplace, especially in spring, when the brick-and-mortar stores, catalogs and online vendors offer so many temptations. You can give in to at least some of those temptations, but do so with thrift in mind. If you are buying larger plants in gallon containers, most likely you can split those plants into several divisions. Within a month or so those divisions will increase significantly in size, doubling or tripling your initial investment. Make sure each division has healthy roots attached, and you will be in business.
While you are thinking about dividing, see what can be divided in your own garden. Hostas are easiest to divide if you do it in spring when the shoots are just emerging. Iris are also good candidates for division, because the rhizomes are usually close to the surface of the soil, and easy to split. Daylilies are another good candidate species. If you have too many daylilies, hostas or iris, be liberal and give them away to friends or relatives.
Root cuttings. Anything in the mint family, including coleus, agastache, and catmint, will root in a glass of water. Cut stem segments with leaves attached, remove the lower leaves and put the stems in water. You will see little roots in as little as a week. Pot them up and you will have new plants. I have done this for years with tempting coleus varieties, buying one pot of a new color or form, taking cuttings right away, and enjoying lush displays within about six weeks. Stem cuttings from dahlias will also root fairly easily. With dahlias currently being both fashionable and expensive, buying one or two plants and taking cuttings will mean you can be frugal and fashionable, and possibly have enough cash left over to spurge on a box of eggs.
Most mophead-type hydrangeas will root if you use a ground staple or a sturdy piece of wire to pin a long, flexible branch to damp ground. Make sure that a leaf node is in contact with the soil. When you see new leaves forming around the point of ground contact, wait a few weeks, detach the branch from the parent plant, and carefully dig up the rooted offspring. Plant in a new location, watering regularly and mulching to prevent moisture loss.
If you are a container gardener, shop your existing inventory of containers. Remember that anything that has a hole in the bottom for drainage, and can hold soil is a candidate for container gardening. A few years ago, one famous Irish gardener included painted “dust bins”—trash cans—filled with gorgeous plants in her garden. They looked just right. A restaurant that I know of uses commercial-size tomato cans to grow the chef’s entire supply of summer basil. The cans are yellow and red and look festive grouped together and overflowing with herbs. Drop plastic pots filled with seasonal displays into slightly larger decorative pots for an ongoing show. I have found some excellent containers lying on the curb on bulk pick-up day. I collect them, wash them with a bleach solution at home, and fill them up with plants.
If you have a flair for growing from seed, do so. It is by far the cheapest way to grow the best selections of both edible and ornamental plants. Even starting a few seedlings on a sunny windowsill will enhance your garden. Harden off those house-grown seedlings by putting them outside for a few days in a protected shady space before installing them in beds or containers.
Challenge yourself this spring to rejuvenate a corner or area of your garden or container display area using only materials that you have on hand. You will almost certainly surprise yourself and possibly even impress the neighbors.