A Plant Person

My mom once told me I was a 'plant person' as opposed to a gardener.  I know she didn't intend it, but it felt a little hurtful to me--like calling someone a color person instead of an artist.  My mom designed landscapes with native plants in mind and she never ventured outside her plant repertoire.  Her gardens all had the same Northwest Native theme.  They were lovely and that's why people chose her to plan their landscaping.  

I take a different approach.  I designed my garden with certain types of plants in mind (sun, shade, evergreens, perennials, annuals, bulbs) according to specific sections of the garden (mixed beds, meadow, woodland, orchard, forest, cottage).  I wanted a variety of garden 'rooms' with specific plant schemes.  Thus my plant repertoire is much more expansive and varied than my mom's. 

 

Trees provide the backbone of any landscape.  They can define areas or be focal points, and they bring wildlife into the garden.  I planted lots of trees to define my spaces, and I also left plenty of native firs. 

Lesson learned:  In Oregon you need lots of evergreen shrubs (and ground covers) unless you want to look at a barren beds all winter!  Because I needed structure, I had to venture out of my plant comfort zone and discover more shrubs than just rhododendrons and hydrangeas. Unfortunately, the ones I gravitate to aren't evergreen, but some do have other winter interest.  For instance--the shrubby dogwoods that screen my formal garden from my driveway--aren't evergreen but have showy red branches in winter. 

I'm a huge fan of perennials, which provide a full and low maintenance garden. Every year they reliably return with more vigor than the previous year.  There's endless variety and they make up most of my beds.  

Annuals are my pet peeve.  Aside from seasonal pots, I resent having to buy them every year. There's only one salvia that was perennial in California, but is annual here, that I can't live without.  So now, every fall we pot up 20+ plants so they can survive the winter in the greenhouse.  

I direct-sow seeds each year.  It's always hit and miss whether they'll germinate.  Some will self-seed the following year--though not always reliably or exactly where I want them. 

Bulbs are extremely rewarding.  There's always the anticipation and then delight when they emerge each spring.  And a big benefit is that many naturalize (multiply) in the landscape.  I plant crocus in the lawn, and those are always a fun surprise.

I guess my mom was right to some extent.  I like a huge variety of plant species and I'm always experimenting with new ones.   They're my palette with which I paint my garden.  Does that make me a gardener and an artist?!

The End