New Opportunities

Recently a giant pecan tree toppled over on my mom's house. It was quite large and caused considerable damage, but it could have been far worse. Thankfully no one was hurt! And despite all the destruction, like all the shrubs it obliterated, the gap it created presents new opportunities for me as a gardener.

Where once was shade, I now have sun! Some of my shade-loving plants will have to be relocated, but many are too large to move... or at least I'm unwilling to put in the energy it would take to move them! They will adapt or die. Actually, many supposed "shade" plants will perform quite well in full sun albeit you can wait out the transitional "shock" period where the leaves are bleached. I expect next year they will be fully recovered.

Despite growing literally feet from the pecan tree, I'm so thankful my Magnolia acuminata var. subcordata (southern cucumber tree) survived. Hopefully, it will grow quickly and provide at least a modicum of shade. Woodland ephemerals like wild ginger (Asarum) and Trillium will probably have to be relocated. But I think I'll wait on that, at least till cooler months.

The big tree's canopy also provided considerable shade for my "nursery". I put that in quotes because I've not officially opened a nursery, but my goal is to begin selling plants at farmer's markets sometime in the future. All the increase in solar energy will stimulate growth, indeed, even though the tree fell only a week ago, I've already noticed a pulse of growth and even flowers on plants like rain lilies and iris. As a general rule of thumb, increased sunlight encourages more flowering. Yet, because my pots are now exposed to the searing sun, I'll definitely have to water them more often. Once again, this is overall a positive outcome resulting from a "tragic" event.

The tree service removed the rootball, which was probably 20 ft. in circumference, and much of the stump and remaining roots were ground into mulch. Now I have a brand new sunny bed full of humus-rich soil. New real estate like this is so fun to fantasize and mentally "design", even if none of my plans materialize. I'm so enjoying planning this new bed and making lists of plants I want to grow there!

When presented with opportunities like this, I think it is best to ruminate for a while. Take days, if not weeks, to imagine all the potential plants you can grow there. Make lists, and consider lots of factors. How big is the area, and how big will my perennial or woody shrub grow? What colors do I want, and at what times of the year will these plants bloom?

A perennial bed won't look amazing all year long... that's just the reality of gardening in the south. There is no possible way to pack in enough plants to make it colorful at all times. But if you prioritize by planting species that bloom together, you can create moments or seasonal pulses of color at various times throughout the year.

For instance, I'm a fan of crinum lilies. These robust, long-lived perennials take up a bit of space and bloom, depending on the cultivar, anywhere from June to September. They come in a whole host of colors, but I'm currently drawn to the bold pink ones. So at this point in time, I'm seriously considering designating a lot of space in my new beds for crinum lilies! Because some can grow up to 5ft. tall, I'll plant these mostly toward the center of the bed, though I typically like mixing up heights within a flower bed because I prefer a more "natural" look. Placing some large plants toward the periphery of the bed will help achieve this naturalistic look.

But I certainly don't want a bed of only one type of plant. So much of the fun in gardening comes from combining textures and colors. The flowing sword-like foliage of crinums might look good when juxtaposed with the dissected foliage of Baptisia- which blooms in late April and May. Salvia is another huge genus that I love, and therefore obsessively collect, and their bloom will probably coincide with Crinum. I might also throw in some night-blooming daylilies (Hemerocallis citrina) just because I love their lofty blooms and nocturnal sweet fragrance. Perhaps some clumping Monarda and Verbena, for I seem to be developing an addiction for unusual Verbena cultivars. Who knows what I'll ultimately put there, and knowing me, I'll constantly be digging and relocating plants. Such is my nature as a crazed gardener!

The point of this essay is simply to stress the importance of adaptability as a gardener. Ultimately we have very little control over what happens in our lives. I certainly mourn the plants it destroyed, especially the loss of my 15 year old Camellia roseaflora- a rare species of camellia with dainty pink flowers. But I must accept the change because nature is all about change. Nothing is static. That pecan tree stood in that spot for well over a hundred years, but its time was up. Yet its legacy lives on in all the rich soil it created for my new flower bed. I'm just so grateful that my family is safe and that I still have opportunities to garden there.