Gardening 101, aka The Right Plant for the right Place
By Ms Sherry
photo of a spreading, but in a good way, bed of lenten roses
Just as we humans have a golden rule to live by, there is also a golden rule for gardening—“plant the right plant in the right place.” That means placing a plant where it can flourish with the least amount of intervention: chemicals
(for pest and insects and fertilization) and up-keep (such as, pruning). For example, not choosing a shrub for a foundation planting that quickly gets to be twelve feet tall, so that you can avoid pruning, and pruning, and pruning to keep it from covering over your windows.
There are many things to consider when adding a plant to your landscape, besides how big it gets and whether it likes sun or shade. How a plant reproduces is just one factor, but a very important one. Does it reseed, send out underground roots or tubers (colonize), or just keep dividing and making more? Some of these ways of reproducing can be a good thing – when you want lots of a plant, and some can’t, as in the case of a plant that can produce so many of its kind that it ends up becoming invasive. Many refer to this spread of unwanted plants as “plant spam,” a very descriptive term. Plants that seem so wonderful at first can soon become major pests in the garden when they keep multiplying and multiplying into places you did not want them. Only when you have planted one chameleon plant (and discover the next year or so that it has taken over your beds, your walkways, and even spread to areas far away from its original location) can you understand what a nuisance a plant can become. So before you plant, know how a plant makes more. Now, if you have a spot where it does not really matter (say, a field miles from your house), then a bed of chameleon plants (Houttuynia cordata ‘Chameleon’) might seem like a good thing: it is actually a very attractive ground cover. Once it gets a foothold, it could be there forever. Planting something which becomes invasive can really become a gardener’s nightmare, as we try to keep it out of flower and shrub beds. Use caution when purchasing a plant whose growth habits are described as vigorous. If someone offers something out of their yard, ask to see it growing at their place. Chances are they are sharing it because they have so many. I myself have been the recipient of an offering that now seems like an unwelcome house guest, as I spend hours trying to remove the offending party from my flower beds. Beware of plants brought home from plant swaps; find out something about it besides what color the flower is before you add it to your landscape. My sister laments yearly about the plume poppies, the chameleon plant, the perennial ageratum, and the spurge that friends shared and she unwittingly added to her garden and that are now quickly trying to envelop her beloved flowers.
On the other side of the coin, a spreading plant can be a joy in the garden, provided you know where it is spreading and how much it will spread. Consider the helleborous (lenten rose) – one person’s joy and, possibly, another’s problem. Add it freely, as long as you have chosen a place to let it do its thing. Right now mine are coming up everywhere but they are still easy to control. Unfortunately, they resent being moved so it is hard to share the extras.
Just a few words of caution, as we begin the season of plant swaps and sales and offerings from friends. Taking a few minutes to acquaint yourself with the plant’s growth habits may save you hours of frustration down the road.
