Digging in: If Only I had Known

By Peter Wimberg

If only I had known. I’ve had those moments with gardening. When many of us start gardening we tend to buy one or two or everything. There are so many intriguing plants that limiting ourselves to a curated palette is not easy. Do I wish I had not collected such an array of plants in the beginning? No. The more plants we grow early on, the more opportunities we are afforded to learn about plants, our gardens, which plants pair well, and which plants like the same growing environment. Diverse planting in the early years creates a richer gardening experience. 

What I do regret is not planting even more plants. It’s too easy to see an early garden as a mistake when we don’t have the pleasing groupings of plants or any suggestion of order or intention. We begin to scold ourselves for not being more design savvy.  I believe we should gift ourselves, and our gardens, a trial period in which we grow everything we can get our hands on for a year or two. Really dive into as many plants as we can. Then once we know what we like and what likes our garden, we can edit, rearrange and start to instill a bit of order to the chaos.

Speaking of design. I know it’s easy to gravitate to the pretty, flowering and most cost-effective plants. What results is a typical dearth of grasses and shrubs in early gardens. Many grasses don’t look too appealing in the spring nursery.  Those tentative blades are not the best at foreshadowing the true potential of the plant. As for shrubs, a wisp of a shrub that can grow upwards of six feet relies on faith and a great photograph to reassure a new gardener that the price reflects the plant’s potential. 

The inclusion of grasses and shrubs contributes to a well-rounded garden as it relates to design and sustaining wildlife.  Grasses do an exceptional job of filling voids, disguising not so attractive perennials we want to stand through winter, while offering shelter and food for native insects and birds. Shrubs, which may take a season or two to come into their own, create structure in the garden, add visual weight and an architectural form while offering blooms, interesting foliage and perhaps even berries for foraging birds. 

I personally didn’t have an issue with this next one, I was more than happy to remove my lawn and plant a garden. But too many gardeners feel they owe it to their neighbors to have a specific type of garden. Why? Unless you’re planting something that will encroach upon or seed in their yard, do what you want in your garden space. Be bold. Experiment. And when you can, with a positive attitude, share how your new garden will support nature, reduce the use of water and chemicals, and offer something to attract the birds and butterflies. It’s not easy being the first on the street to evict the lawn and add a garden. But I’d rather be known as the person who started a movement on the block to plant for nature than be the last man standing with an impossibly perfect lawn, clipped hedges and expanses of shredded mulch. 

Perhaps the hardest garden lesson to learn is the importance of soil prep. Many gardeners I speak with share they would rather have spent more time prepping the garden space, even if it meant fewer plants the first year.  Good soil makes it easier to plant, weed and water.  This is a physically demanding task, causing some to skip this step. If this is the reason you’re considering skipping soil prep, call an expert to handle this task for you. Speaking of experts, I’ve never regretted speaking to as many knowledgeable, experienced gardeners as I could.  Attend classes and lectures, volunteer at local gardens to gain hands-on experience, or arrange for a professional garden consultation.  The more you learn from others, the less often you will find yourself saying, if only I had known.

Peter Wimberg is the president of Wimberg Landscaping, a full-service landscaping firm that has been in operation for more than 44 years. Peter is a strong proponent of planting with nature. The Wimberg office and its extensive pollinator gardens are located at 1354 US Route 50 in Milford, Ohio. For more on his gardening philosophy, go to wimberglandscaping/changing-the-landscape.