The Imperfect Gardener

by Adina Sara

Fall is my favorite gardening season. You can't take it for granted. You can't decide on Monday that you are going to spend Wednesday afternoon pruning back the lavender or tying back the drooping penstemon. It may be too cold on Wednesday, or a surprise wind may knock down some loose limbs, scattering dead leaves every which way. So instead of training or trellising or doing something imaginative, you end up spending what little time you have out there picking up broken twigs and wet leaf clumps. You just never know. Any time you spend outside in the fall is bonus time. Any task accomplished will likely be fleeting, mundane, and all the more precious for its brevity.

The New Guinea impatiens bloom all year long. I hardly notice them because of their constancy. I get so excited when the freesias pop up in spring, but have a ho-hum response to the giant wall of year-long blooms the impatiens produces. In the fall, I busy myself monitoring seedlings, propping plastic cups around the winter lettuce to scare away birds and inhibit bugs. I support the sweet pea starts with bamboo twigs and nurse an experiment in fava beans planted in last year's chard bed. With any luck, they will provide nitrogen for next year's chard bed.

I transplant the heuchera that were hampered by tree roots and need an airier home. I decimate the rose geranium because I know that no matter how hard I prune it, it will reemerge as an aromatic, overbearing shrub.

Fall is a time to primp and putter, clear away the dead and nurture the new. All this inside the space of shorter, less reliable days. The air is cleaner and the ever-changing light makes colors appear brighter, richer. It is a season for preparation and trust. The bulbs that go in now will not be enjoyed for many months to come. Though our winters are mild, still it is the least hospitable of seasons, and anything that goes in the ground now must brace itself against harder times ahead. There are no quick fixes in the fall, unless you prefer to waste your money on instant-gratification blooms.

Fall gardening is when you plant what is meant to last and what may not be seen for some time. It is not for the frivolous.

Spend time in your fall garden, though you have less of it. Watch the light fade and the colors deepen. Appreciate the thick lush waste of last year's garden as it mulches into the next cycle.

And don't forget to enjoy the constant blooms of impatiens, or solanum, or whatever magical marvelous flower you have that keeps on blooming and blooming, no matter the season.

Metro Garden Club

Metro garden lovers have an opportunity to share their gardens and gardening experiences with neighbors. The Metro Garden Club has evolved into a well-rooted and vibrant part of our community. Members exchange plants, information, resources, and their mutual joy of gardening. For more information, e-mail TheMetroGardenClub\@yahoogroups.com.