Digging In: Being Supportive

By Peter Wimberg

That’s cold. No, I’m not referring to the weather, although it may be a chilly day when this issue arrives at your doorstep. I’m talking about the way anonymous keyboard warriors address strangers, and sometimes, I believe, people they know, about their landscape choices. Social media platforms can be a wonderful tool for disseminating valuable information, but it’s also a way for some to say things they most likely wouldn’t say in person: unkind words, criticisms and outright vilification. 

I’ve said this before, I’m not one to vilify someone for their landscape choices. If anything, gardening should be a fun activity carried out, if you so desire, in a community of supportive gardeners. We know there is old, outdated gardening advice readily available and someone new to gardening may not know which is valuable advice and what is not. Add to that passionate voices about new plant selections and those promoting  using only native plants, and articles, books, and television ads for the perfect green lawn, and those promoting the complete elimination of the lawn in favor of planting crops or a pollinator garden — This can be overwhelming to a new gardener.

Those new to gardening, I welcome you. Let me offer perhaps the best gardening advice I can after all my years in the business: If it’s extreme, if it’s an all or nothing approach to gardening, glean what you will from the advice and know you can blaze your own garden path, one of moderation and balance. If it’s anonymous critics, ignore them.  

As you set out to create your first garden or landscape, there are some plants you may want to avoid. Some are invasive, some are prone to pests and diseases, and many are simply overused in our landscapes. If you look around your street and see a bounty of one particular plant, opt for something different. For one, neighborhoods with only a few plant offerings risk devastating plant loss due to weather (remember the loss of Otto Lykens this past spring?) or death due to a new pest or diseases. Plant variety is the best defense against catastrophic plant loss in a neighborhood as well as your own landscape. 

Second, your landscape doesn’t have to look like every other  landscape on the street. Just as your home has its own personality so should your garden. If you are lucky to be on a street with Oak trees, you could mix a Maple, Hickory, or Sweetgum tree into the street canopy. You will be diversifying the plant selection, always a good thing, and adding new colors and textures to the entire street.

Do all your plants have to be native? Of course not. I see Oakleaf hydrangea, Annabella hydrangea, Russian Sage and annual Salvia covered in honeybees and native bees. To create balance in your new landscape you could also incorporate ‘Mount Airy’ Fothergill and Hamamelis, two exceptional native shrubs.  

When selecting your new perennials, it’s nice to start with ones that aren’t particularly aggressive, especially if this is your first garden. Promoters of plant only native plants would give two thumbs up to Mountain Mint. It is a fabulous plant, but very aggressive: perhaps more than you want to take on at this juncture. Instead, opt for more Echinacea, native grasses that won’t topple and fall apart in our winter, and some easy-to-care-for generous pops of color that the skippers love: Lantana. A mix of native and cultivated plants that are low maintenance and allow you to get accustomed to gardening is a great place to start. 

My next piece of advice: be patient. Be patient as your plants fill in. Be patient with yourself as you learn more about your landscape and how plants behave. And be patient with people offering their expert advice and some criticism. You may not be setting out on the garden design path they would have selected. But for every negative naysayer who doesn’t embrace your new way of designing the landscape, there are others following your garden’s evolution with great anticipation. They are learning from you, taking notes and admiring your work — especially if you are breaking traditional neighborhood norms.

So let those faceless keyboard warriors say what they will, you are too busy creating a garden that is a reflection of you, and inspiring other garden daredevils along the way.