Grow It in the Right Place

If ever there was a gardening maxim to live by, "grow the plant in the right place" is mine. Sort of like raising a child: the one who loves to move might blossom in dance or sports; the one who loves to study fossils and insects might be successful in nature camps or science fairs.

What does a particular plant need to thrive? Plants that are native to my area might seem common, but they've developed so they'll flourish in this climate and soil. Other plants have been brought from other parts of the world that have similar climates and soil conditions. They will do fine if I find out what they need.

Of course some plants introduced from other places like a climate so well, they take over! This last group, called invasive, should be avoided. There is plenty of information about plants considered invasive in different parts of the country.
 

Gardening magazines and books, garden shows, lectures at garden centers are helpful in answering the question, what does the plant need?

I've discovered that I have to pay attention to the soil in my yard. For the most part, my yard has three to four inches of good top soil and then clay the rest of the way down into the ground, probably to the middle of the earth. I could open a pottery shop with what's laying under my yard - my own gold mine of clay!

The soil is probably more alkaline than acid given the part of the country I live in. I could ask for a soil test kit from the local office of the State Extension Service. They test the samples sent to them. The results they send back tell me what kind of soil I have. I usually amend the soil with compost. I try to plant things that grow well in my area. I want happy, successful plants without a lot of extra work! 

Wacky Yard

My garden designs have been almost exclusively determined by the wacky yard we bought which came with the house we live in. I just this year found out that our piece of the pie, which I thought was roughly the shape of a pie slice, was actually some strange version of a polygon – lines, angles and one curve. Add the rain water which has come down a gentle slope at flash flood speed from houses up the street, an encroaching neighbor, neighborhood folklore about the use of my yard, more folklore about the property line at the back and lastly the microclimates that existed around the house – near desert conditions in front, water park conditions in back. Why didn’t I see this before we bought the house?
No matter - gardening has been a source of peace, very hands on way to be in and with nature and a serious challenge to my creativity. It has excited me, frustrated me. I haven’t been able to sleep at night trying to figure out what to do. Gardening problems made me wake up in the morning early/ready to get to my solutions! As our family celebrates ten years in this house, the yard has started to look settled in some areas – finally found something that worked in the microclimates and fit in with the rest of the yard. A small collection of problems solved. There’s more to be solved.