5/29/09
Thrice now I’ve learned the same gardening lesson the hard way.
It began years ago when I rescued five spindly phlox from a veritable cave of overgrown foliage. They paid me back by multiplying into a rampant plague I can’t control. A few years later, a generous friend donated some evening primrose to a space I needed filled. In both cases, I never cracked a book or scoped online to learn about these plants.
The primrose have since emulated the phlox and overrun the garden. I have no more places to transplant them, or friends to fob them off on. Had I done my homework, I would have learned about the spreading habits of these species. Up ’til then, I’d only heard about such behavior as a characteristic of mint — which I have carefully avoided.
Last spring, now older and wiser, I did a lot of research before planting Jerusalem artichokes as an experimental food crop. Unfortunately, I didn’t research enough! After they were well established in three of my gardens (spread out to see which environment they favored — all of them, it turns out!), I decided to transplant a batch to clear more room in the veggie patch. Before acting, I spent more time learning about them, which led me to warnings about voracious qualities. In fact, one source claimed that no matter how thoroughly you dig them out, you will never get all the bits, and you will spend the rest of your life trying to get rid of them.
Too true!
In all three gardens where they were planted and removed last fall, I now have dozens of new plants bursting through the soil between replacement vegetables, annuals, and perennials. I’ve had to dig up to my elbows to find the roots, each of which is larger than my fist. I can hear bits breaking off as I wrestle them to the surface — and groan, not only from the effort, but also from the knowledge that I’ll need to do it again next year. And the next, and the next . . .
Moral of the story: RESEARCH NEW PLANTS THOROUGHLY BEFORE YOU INSTALL THEM!
Carolyn Haley
Author: Open Your Heart with Gardens
Posted by: Opening the heart, gardens, gardening, yard, plants, cultivation, spring — Carolyn Haley
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