The Zen of Gardening Where You Are

Ilona has a new post on what I will call zen of gardening where you are. (She even talks about this little blog! Woohoo, we've hit the big time!)

What she's essentially saying (with much more eloquence than I am capable of) is "If life gives you lemons, don't try to make a banana smoothie, make lemonade". I love it when things can be boiled down to pithy clichés.

This is why I'm such a big fan of native gardens. Back when I was doing designs, I always tried to base the main structure of my gardens around native plants. My shade tree of choice was always Oak, with maybe some Redbud & Birch sprinkled in. (I know, redbuds and birch aren't native to Modesto specifically, but at least their native to the wider area, come-on, give me a break here!)

I also tried to fit in Silver Lupens, and Manzanita when posible, along with all the native grasses and wildflowers. Of course, I was always willing to break the rules for a really nice Japanese Maple, and one of my favorite designs was a redwood garden with misters up in the trees to re-create the feeling of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The larger issue is that you choose a style and the plants that will fit into your natural environment, you don't try to make your environment fit some picture you pulled out of a magazine. Modesto is not Seattle. You know what, I like the valley in the summer. After we haven't had rain for months, and all the grasses have bronzed to the color of hay. The flower seeds are fully formed, just waiting for a fall storm to blow them around, so the process can start over again. Why not re-create that in your garden?