Bet you never heard these words said

It dawned on me a little while back that there are some statements gardeners just seem unable to make. Here are three. If they go over well, I’ll bring a few more back another time.

“I never cut corners when it comes to preparing my soil. I think it’s the most exciting part of gardening.”

I want to see that person! Soil work done in preparation to planting is about as exciting as rolling socks. Most of us are content just to take our socks out of the basket. Those are the same folks who are willing simply to dig a hole and plant a petunia.

Well, that might work in your dreams, but it won’t work here in Texas. Good bed preparation for gardening is as important as a good foundation is to your house. You’ll want to rototill to a depth of 8 or 11 inches, incorporate 4-5 inches of various types of organic matter and 1 inch of expanded shale, then rototill again.

Plants that will be small as they mature (flowers, vegetables, groundcovers, small shrubs, etc.) get meritorious bed prep, while large plants like shade trees need to be able to thrive in the soil that’s native to your property.

“Fast growth really isn’t important to me when I’m choosing shade trees.”

Nope. I have absolutely never heard those words arranged in that order into a sentence. What I have heard scores of times, however, is something more like, “I’m not going to live 500 years. What’s the best fast-growing shade tree?”

That’s when I ask the person to list the things that are most important to them about the tree they’re about to select. I tell them I’ll write them down and that I already have “fast growth” on the list.

Other things that invariably get added are
• Fast growth (already on the list)
• Good looks.
• Adapted to local soils.
• Hardy to local weather.
• Free from serious insect and disease pests.
• Long-lived.

Then I ask them to rank them according to what is most important to them – to shuffle the list.

Usually fast growth sinks to the bottom. Most people realize they don’t want a freeze-prone, moth-eaten, short-lived, ugly tree out there in their landscape just because it grows fast.

Almost always they opt for quality and durability and a moderate rate of growth instead.

“I don’t really care where a plant is native. All I really want is a plant that is adapted.”

Oh, wait a minute! I have heard that sentence. I said it!

Those are my words. They stemmed from my unending frustration that just being a plant that’s native somewhere in Texas would raise a tree or shrub to some superior ranking compared to the thousands of fine plants from the rest of the world.

Just because a plant is native to Beaumont doesn’t mean it’s going to grow well in El Paso. Just because a plant is native to Brownsville doesn’t guarantee it will survive in Amarillo.

A “native plant” is truly only native where you find it growing wild – in nature. My dad taught me that when I was 6, and he had the credentials of being a PhD botanist and range ecologist from Texas A&M.

‘nuff said.