The Renovating Reverend

Work inside the house slowed down quite a bit earlier this year, but, with the summer weather, work outdoors picked up momentum. Two of the three visible sides of the house are now fully landscaped. Granted, some of the plants are rather small, but we know what they will look like in three to five years, so we’re keeping the faith, holding onto the vision.

Because people will stop to look at our yard, and will ask the names of the plants, Steve has labelled a number of them. I can guess that some people ask because they’re just curious and want to hear the name of the plant, while others might be gardeners who would consider adding variety to their own landscape. Some people seem rather intimidated by the names of plants, as if learning the entire lexicon of the plant world were a prerequisite to gardening. “Oh,” more than one person has said, “I could never garden because there’s no way I’d remember all the names of things.” On the other hand, I’ve known more than a few master gardeners who are very proud of their command of plant names, especially the more precise, scientific names that are in Latin. This pushes a button for someone I know–and she’s a soil scientist with a PhD. Whenever she hears anyone use the Latin name of a plant to “correct” someone who just used the common name in conversation, she will interject with great sarcastic emotion, “Ahhh, the secret name.” She figures there’s a time and place for scientific categorization of things, but most of the time the more common name for something will suffice in general conversation. There’s no need for intimidation, on either side.

I always encourage people who are thinking of planting some things in their yard not to feel intimidated by terminology or lack of knowledge. The plants don’t care if a child, a master gardener, or a PhD are planting them. There are many plants that will do well with minimal, simple care. You can learn what to plant, where to plant it, and how to take care of it from an experienced friend or someone at the nursery where you will buy the plant. And always remember that even an experienced gardener will lose a plant from time to time — it’s not necessarily a sign of catastrophic neglect and failure, it’s just part of the experience of gardening. It’s part of life.

Recently, our neighborhood association was awarded a grant to purchase oak trees to plant in the parking strips around the neighborhood. These were to replace the many, very old trees that were damaged in a wind storm last year. The homeowners who live where the trees are planted agreed to water them for the first year. One woman marvelled at how all she needed to do was water at the recommended intervals. She said it made her feel so good to know that she could contribute to the beauty and enjoyment of the area simply by watering a tree. And it appears that she’s keeping up her end of the bargain, because the little oak has leafed out nicely and looks great.

No intimidation necessary. Just a little bit of work and a lot of plant enjoyment.