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What Have You Learned This Year?

July 23, 2013  |  annuals
Begonias in planter

It's easy to fall into a routine when caring for your garden, and that's a good thing, right?  You fertilize, water, and pinch at even intervals and all is wonderful?  Not entirely true!

While a little bit of a drill can keep tasks from slipping off track, it can also lead to not really paying attention to what your plants are telling you.  

     For the past few years I've watered my little garden every day: it was hot, hot, hot and everything was in containers that held little soil.  This year, everything is still in containers, but I realized just in time that my routine of "water everything, everyday" was going to do more harm than good!  While some of the bowls on the ground are waiting for me and my hose everyday, my begonias in concrete planters and lined baskets are positively thriving with just rain and a weekly water and pinching from me. If I had blindly watered them, many of the begonias in the picture above would have rotted and fallen out by now! 

So what have I learned?  Well, first: plant more begonias!!! And second, pay attention to the weather and what your garden is showing you, rather than relying entirely on your experiences in past season. What has your garden taught you this year?