Easy-care ornmental grasses and perennials
Several years ago, after I had given a talk on ornamental grasses to his garden club, a rock gardener told me that he felt gardening with grasses and prairie plants was for beginners, and that sophisticated gardeners grow alpine plants instead. His point was that alpines are more interesting and challenging to grow.
I disagree most emphatically because I think it’s more important that gardens suit their landscapes. The sunny, windswept 10 acres we have are tailor-made for prairie-style gardening, and my husband can attest to the difficulties of growing alpines here: only fool-proof easy-to-grow alpines seem to thrive; the rest cause nothing but frustration.
I believe that gardens and plants should to fit their site and climate, and I think it’s a waste of time to twist yourself into knots to force some exotic thing from a completely different climate and soil type feel at home.
For example, when I visited Arizona several years ago in April, I noticed that all the forsythia shrubs in public spaces looked oddly out of place, while the native desert plants were right at home. So why struggle to grow forsythias or lawn, for that matter, when your native soil and rainfall patterns are those of desert? Here in southern Ontario, forsythias fit in just fine (as long as they’re not pruned into tight buns). “Right plant – right place” is my gardening credo.
Maybe it’s ok for rock gardeners, but in my experience, very few people want to spend all their free time coddling difficult plants.
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Not that forsythias are native to Ontario or even N America. I think I garden for the looks, but with the ease of maintenance a very important criteria. Plants that need coddling or cuddling have to be worthwhile. i.e. there may be a plant or 2 that you will expend your time and energy on because the benefits outweigh the work involved. Roses may be such an example. (not that I have very many roses in my garden.)
I couldn’t agree more…gardening isn’t about creating a totally artificial environment. I’ve always felt we should embrace our natives and non-natives that are suited to our conditions. Using exotics often encourages the use of excess water, chemicals and fertilizers…not to mention the inordinate amount of effort required. A good gardener works WITH his conditions…not against them, anything else is masochism, and I, for one, garden for the pleasure it brings.
Well said, Yvonne.
I’m still losing plants that don’t like it here although they are in the right climate and tolerate clay (as we have) – that’s enough frustration, no exotic challenge for me.
I can imagine though, that someone with a tiny garden space might need a little challenge, but that’s not us.
Lene
I’m slowly learning what is going to work here Yvonne. Grasses look great right now. It’s funny because I’ve always avoided Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susans), I don’t know why. I love the wild ones that used to grow in my fields up north. I bought one this year and it is one of the best looking plants in the garden. I’m going with them. I hope they do as well as yours. Also is that Joe-Pye Weed? I’m going to be looking into that as well. Native is where I’m looking to go! Thanks Yvonne!
Hi Gerry: Even though I use lots of native plants in my gardening, I certainly don’t exclude non-natives by any means. Welcome, Scott: Sounds like you and I are in full agreement. You’re right, Salix, the sheer size of the space you and I have to deal with is challenge enough. And Eve, those Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ are really overused in the landscape, so I can see why you haven’t been attracted to them. I even find that they’re not terribly drought-tolerant, which can be a problem in hot, dry years (they liked the past two summer here). I prefer Rudbeckia subtomentosa, a taller native species, but they bloom later and they’re too tall for smaller residential gardens. Yes, that’s Joe Pye in the picture, one of my favorite native perennials.