Garden Tips

Ten Garden Tips to Remember

Wisdom of a landscape architect and garden master.

1. You will have casualties. Remember the death of a plant brings new life in a garden. We have all killed plants before and more plants will die in our garden.

2. Prune when you want for any purpose. Cut back your plants, take off a limb, purposely stunt their growth, chip away at their roots: it is all good in a garden. A bonsai tree could be the equivalent of torture and we call it Zen.

3. Water and Sun is good. Testing the resilience for both makes your garden most efficient. Outside gardens can't get too much water nor do they really need too much water.

4. Love other peoples gardens. Tend your garden for yourself not for others to love. Do not be burdened by the upkeep– let your garden go but always come back.

5. Grass is good for some things. Too much grass will make you lazy in the garden.

6. Mix vegetables with other plants. One small way to get the best of both worlds especially in tight spaces use your garden's "air space" by adding a trellis or two.

7. Slow people down. There are multiple techniques one can use. The best one is your imagination. The world is already way too fast and there are way too few gardens.

8. Gardens cause disappointment. Do not get your hopes too high. A hard rainfall can cause immediate damage and tough disappointment. You are the master– squash expectations.

9. Gardens do not favor dogs. Beware of the dog.

10. You may be a slave to your garden. (regard this as slang).