I have a dear friend who calls me the Opinionated Gardener, which certainly doesn’t sound very flattering. I prefer to think of myself as a Woman of Strong Beliefs, and nowhere is this more evident than when I consider gardens, gardening and gardeners, otherwise defined as the noun, the verb, and the person who does all the work.
According to Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, a garden is “a plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables are cultivated”, while leaving it to the imagination as to who does the cultivating. When I see a garden, I know I am looking not only at a selection of plants that have been chosen based on personal appeal, but also that somewhere behind the scenes is a gardener who is committed to a labor of love, coupled with aching muscles, grubby hands, a sunburned nose, and the deep satisfaction that comes from contact with the earth and other living things.
As a Certified Master Gardener my strongest belief is that when we garden, we have the opportunity and the privilege of enhancing our natural resources, rather than depleting them. I have learned so much from the Master Gardener program, through various continuing education programs, and from other Master Gardeners, and have tried to apply these principles and practices to my own garden, which literally means working from the ground up.
I believe in keeping my garden clean, and the debris from deadheading, trimming, pruning, and lopping goes into my composter whenever possible, which is a good recycling practice, and saves space at the Lubbock landfill. Compost is wonderful for improving the quality of all soils, but I can never make enough compost for my needs, so I supplement with purchased compost, working everything into the soil when preparing new beds, and using it as a one inch top dressing in existing beds. Soaker hoses or drip irrigation are water-wise ways to water the flower beds and I run these low pressure systems overnight to minimize evaporation. I apply a layer of fine grade pine bark mulch to the beds, which also reduces evaporation, provides a more consistent temperature for the plant roots, and, as it breaks down, improves the tilth of the soil.
I use a mulching lawn mower, and the fine grass clippings left in place break down rapidly and provide enough nutrients to my lawn that I can use commercial fertilizers less frequently. Last year I didn’t fertilize my lawn at all and it was green and healthy, if not to golf course standards. When I do fertilize, apply pre-emergent weed control, or the occasional systemic product for insect control, whether to lawn or flower beds, I wait until our chances for substantial rain showers are high, and I grab a rain coat and run outside like a mad woman, applying the fertilizer as fast as I can. This is not a pretty sight and doesn’t allow a fixed schedule of fertilizing, but it saves precious water without depriving my garden. Healthy plants, given water and nutrients, act as filters for airborne pollutants, improve the quality of the air we breathe, and are far less likely to succumb to various plant diseases.
One of my strongest beliefs is in integrated pest management. When I provide water, nesting sites, and a garden free of toxic pesticides and herbicides, I encourage the colorful birds of our region to settle in my garden and raise their young while they help control the insect population naturally. The annual dive-bombing tactics of the mockingbirds and blue jays as their young leave the nests is a small price to pay for protecting our natural resources, improving our environment and enhancing the quality of our lives.
©2006 Susan Lake and Associates
For more gardening information in Lubbock, visit the Lubbock Garden Clubs site.