We traveled to Green Bay last weekend; seeing family and participating in the Cellcom 5k run/walk. Workerman was nice enough to snap some photos for me while I was browsing through the greenhouses we visited. Surprisingly, I didn't purchasing anything - zilch, zip, nada, niente. No one had what I was looking for; my mom accused me of plant and Garden Center snobbery, but I really was looking for specific things! It's not that the plants weren't "good enough," just not what I had in mind. Green Bay is a lovely Zone 5 and the gardens there are weeks ahead of the ones in Minnesota. I was also a bit afraid that any perennials I'd purchase might not make it...
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| Gazania - My favorite find of the weekend |
So, I think that's it. Just a short and sweet little photo entry. Things were pretty in GB and I had garden longing with a tinge of garden depression.
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I am feeling a bit discouraged by the fact that a lot of my hard garden work last fall and winter went down the tubes. Many of my perennials didn't make it, and most of my winter sown seeds rotted with the crazy weather. Bummer. Strangely, I'm not discouraged enough to quit... but I'm feeling the need to pull back. The hardships and losses in my garden have made me a better (and more understanding) gardener... I think. Now I'm learning to use what works in creative ways and plan for the foils.
Did you have any garden disappointments this spring? How do you cope? Have you ever returned plants to the garden center (under their year warranty)? <--- this I'm struggling with. Drop me a note!
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I get discouraged every year at the same time. Right about now, or maybe a little later. When the heat really sets in, things stop blooming (or dying), and the weeds take off where I haven't finished my chores. But I keep plugging away and in the autumn, the weather cools, the blooms come back, and by then I've just about got the weeds once again under control. I guess everyone has a different time schedule, but I think we all get discouraged a bit when our gardens don't mesh with what our minds imagine. And I would definitely take back the perennials if I didn't believe it was total neglect on my part. Then get some more! Part of the fun of gardening is the challenge. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYes! I get discouraged--like right now as a matter of fact. I just finished a post myself about this topic because we're supposed to get more freezing weather. Again. It's frustrating when the weather won't cooperate and yup, I lost some plants over the winter, too. Hasn't stopped me from wanting to continue gardening (and expanding the garden), though, so there must be more good days than bad. Or, I'm just nuts. ;)
ReplyDeleteHolley and Laurie - You're right! So much is dependent on the weather and Mother Nature's cycles. I've learned to take copious notes on what/when/why. I've also learned that one extreme follows another, so I'm preparing (and hoping) for a more mild winter this year. My plant purchasing ethos is now focused on buying more of what did work and making a design statement with the reliables.
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