The Imperfect Gardener

by Adina Sara

I was pulling out dead iris leaves the other day, and there it was the dahlia bed that I had planted years ago and forgotten about. At the time, it seemed like a good spot to plant dahlias; they are strong, require little in the way of soil amendments, and don't require much attention other than plenty of sun. Unfortunately, over the years the apple tree and bamboo had overtaken the corner, and the dahlias did not get nearly the light they needed to bloom. There they were, buried under heaps of iris leaves and bamboo droppings, still sprouting green leaves because they have to, though years of potential blooms had gone to waste. I dug the dahlias up, found a proper sunny spot where something else had come and gone, and just a few weeks later, they had doubled in height and girth and will most likely put out some breathtaking blooms once again. It appears they have forgiven me. It continues like that, year after year. Plants die and come again, some stay buried for years and then somehow reemerge, stronger it seems and certainly more appreciated. Sometimes you have to get down between the rows, cut away perfectly lovely impatiens blooms, in order to expose the little guys planted underneath. I almost forgot the columbine this year. They were lying still and colorless underneath the wild new growth of alstromeria. And the boring but bountiful marguerites had obliterated the delicate Lotus berthelotii (Coral Gem), a soft spreading perennial that sports bright orange clawlike flowers. It was sadly dwarfed but still alive. Penstemon are famous for growing out of control, and you forgive them because they bloom unconditionally. Still, it's a good idea to cut them back and poke around underneath. You may find the most unexpected surprises lying in wait. A Community Blooms Our community has recently sprouted new growth. Not surprising that this neighborhood of rich soil and uncommonly large lots (having been farmland not so long ago) has a fair share of garden enthusiasts who take their gardening seriously. Like plants too long hidden from the light, these neighbors have recently emerged, hardy, ready, and eager to bloom. The first meeting of the newly named Metro Garden Club was held in July at World Ground Caf?, attended by an enthusiastic group of novice and experienced gardeners who came together to share their garden-club visions. Ideas and plans sprouted so fast it was hard to keep them all in order, community planting projects, seed libraries, plant exchanges, community gardens to name a few. Before the evening was up, two meetings were scheduled, one in September to focus on transplanting and exchanging iris, and another in October to learn about plant propagation. The meetings will be held in people's gardens so that members can enjoy and learn from each others' gardening experiences. A Yahoo group was created to inform members of future meetings and provide a forum to exchange advice, plants, seeds, and share their love of gardening with the greater community. For more information about the Metro Garden Club, e-mail zorah\@comcast.net. If you are interested in joining, send an e-mail, including your name, address, and specific gardening interest, to TheMetroGardenClub-subscribe\@yahoogroups.com. Tomato Update Several months back, I wrote about planning a vegetable garden. Now that the tomatoes are coming fast and furious, I need to amend my earlier information. Apparently it doesn't matter how carefully you space the planting I diligently planted one tomato plant every month for six months. Despite my careful design, they seem to ripen whenthey ripen, some weeks all at once, and then weeks of green hard fruit waiting for the fog to clear. The varieties that promised to be large ended up looking like oversized cherries, and a medium variety produced tomatoes the size of grapefruit. I checked the nursery labels. No clues. I have given up trying to predict vegetable production, and what does it matter anyway? Every day I fill a basket with peppers, tomatoes, basil, squash, sprays of thyme, and chives tossed in for good measure. The diligently mapped diagram, though impressive, turned out to be an exercise in futility. As far as gardens go, it is the doing, not the planning, that brings the greatest reward.